KraftNeo

What it does

KraftNeo is a modular 3D-printed fashion handbag system that enables sustainable material use across its entire lifecycle. It combines recyclable thermoplastics with seaweed-based bioplastics to fabricate customisable, repairable, and fully circular handbags.

Your inspiration

The project was inspired by the environmental damage caused by fast fashion accessories, especially handbags made of synthetic materials, which are hard to recycle and often end up in landfills. While garments are beginning to see sustainable innovation, accessories remain overlooked. KraftNeo addresses this gap by offering an emotionally engaging, personally customisable, and eco-conscious alternative, transforming handbags from short-lived fashion into long-lasting, user-shaped expressions of circular design.

How it works

Users design their handbags through a parametric CAD tool that enables real-time adjustment of size, shape, and decorative patterns. These designs are then fabricated using Fused deposition modelling (FDM) or Fused Filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing for rigid parts (rPLA), flexible TPU panels, and bio-cast seaweed-alginate sheets for semi-rigid skins. The panels attach via Velcro or snap-fit joints, allowing easy replacement and reuse. At the end of life, thermoplastic parts are shredded and re-extruded into new filament (via a Felfil Evo system), and bioplastic panels are composted in soil, returning to nature.

Design process

The design journey began by reverse-engineering conventional handbags to identify the structural and material bottlenecks that make them difficult to recycle or repair, such as glued laminates, mixed materials, and non-replaceable parts. To address these challenges, we developed a parametric design tool using Rhino-Grasshopper, allowing users to customise bag dimensions, shapes, and surface patterns in real-time. Using FDM 3D printing, we fabricated the rigid frame components in recycled PLA, while flexible straps and connectors were printed with oyster-shell–filled compostable TPU. The soft outer panels were cast using a tailored formulation of cross-linked seaweed-based bioplastics (alginate), offering a semi-rigid yet biodegradable surface. This was followed by iterative cycles of prototyping, mechanical testing (e.g., Young’s modulus, bending resilience), and aesthetic refinement. User feedback played a key role, surveys revealed that customisability and visible sustainability features increased user satisfaction from 3.0 to 4.5 out of 5. Additionally, discarded PLA parts were shredded and re-extruded using a Felfil Evo system, validating the feasibility of a mechanical recycling loop at the desktop scale.

How it is different

KraftNeo breaks from traditional fashion accessories by rethinking both the material system and the product lifecycle. Unlike most handbags, which are built using multiple fused layers that inhibit recycling or repair, KraftNeo is entirely modular, and recyclable. It is also digitally personalisable, enabling users to co-create their own designs through a generative design interface. Materially, it replaces synthetic materials with recycled thermoplastics and home-compostable seaweed bioplastics, eliminating toxic waste and reducing carbon footprint. What truly sets KraftNeo apart is its closed-loop potential: rigid components are designed for mechanical recycling, while soft bioplastic elements degrade in composting environments, offering an end-of-life path that is both circular and accessible. The result is not just a more sustainable handbag, but a participatory design platform that empowers users to embrace sustainable choices through emotion.

Future plans

Next steps include: 1. Optimising bioplastic formulations for ink-based 3D printing. 2. Expanding the modular system to include straps, zippers, and accessories. 3. Collaborating with material recyclers and eco-fashion brands for pilot distribution. 4. Launching an open-source customisation tool and repair kit program to empower communities to participate in sustainable design. Ultimately, KraftNeo aspires to become the first truly circular, consumer-fabricated fashion accessory, shifting mindsets from consumption to co-creation.

Awards

SUTD Baby Shark Fund (2025) – SGD 6,000 grant awarded for KraftNeo Project, a sustainable handbag project using 3D-printed bio-degradable thermoplastics and seaweed bioplastics.