Oiá Plast

Oiá Plast believes in the potential of what is, for many, seen as trash. We are committed to transform plastic waste into raw material to create unique products, 100% recycled and 100% recyclable. Oiá (meaning “look” in English) was created in 2019 on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde, by product designer Isabel Bourbon and Patrick Barbosa in reaction to witnessing the idyllic landscapes invaded by plastics coming from the four corners of the world. Transforming invasive plastics into desirable objects while cleaning beaches and making the community aware of the problem of plastics was Oiá Plast’s mission for its 2 years of activity in Cape Verde. In 2021 we moved to Cabeceiras de Basto, in the north of Portugal where we now work to prevent plastic from reaching the sea and depositing on the beaches. In our craft workshop, we receive post-consumer plastics brought by the local community and think of new uses for waste. Our pieces, always colorful and irreverent, reflect Oiá’s motto: plastic can be fantastic. We see plastic as a unique material and take advantage of its characteristics to develop beautiful utilitarian objects made to last. We play with plastic, its colours, shapes and textures, but we take the fight for the environment, the oceans and biodiversity very seriously.