Cardboard Sets, Zero Waste & the Circular Economy: How Nordwerk Design Is Replacing Plastic, Wood & Metal in Film and Event Production | Karmen Hansen

About this episode

Karmen Hansen discusses how engineered paperboard is revolutionizing film and event production by replacing traditional materials with sustainable alternatives.

What if the foam, wood, and metal used to build film and TV sets could be replaced with a material that's stronger than it sounds, faster to build with, and goes straight into the blue bin when the shoot wraps? Karmen Hansen, Owner of Nordwerk Design Inc., joins Zena and Mark to break down how engineered paperboard is replacing virgin, high-emission materials in film, TV, and event production — and why the total cost argument for conventional materials doesn't hold up the way most productions assume. From building the Echo Probe for the opening scene of Alien: Romulus to engineering the CBC Edmonton news desk — which holds a 211lb tabletop and is still standing after a 4-week stress test — Karmen unpacks how this material works, what it takes to get major clients to trust it, and why the circular economy case for cardboard on set is stronger than anyone expects. Topics: sustainable set design, circular economy, film production materials, engineered cardboard, Re-board, zero-waste production, sustainable events, trade show design, set builds, sustainable architecture, film industry sustainability, replacing Luon, cardboard furniture, sustainable construction. 🎙️ Connect with…

People in this episode

Hosts: Zena Harris, Mark Rabin

Guest: Karmen Hansen

Topics covered

• sustainable set design
• circular economy
• film production materials
• engineered cardboard
• zero-waste production
• sustainable events

Keywords

• sustainable architecture
• cardboard furniture
• sustainable construction
• Re-board
• trade show design

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nordwerk Design Inc., CBC Edmonton

Books & works: Alien: Romulus

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