Catifa Carta design chair by Arper with a PaperShell shell in paper and natural resin

A Catifa Carta shell ends its life as charcoal, on purpose

Arper

Lievore Altherr Molina

Meeting room chair
Catifa Carta 3137 Meeting room chair
£ 883

What did you have in mind?

Trade terms for professionals and design studios

Most furniture end-of-life claims stop at the word recyclable. Catifa Carta goes somewhere stranger and more specific: the shell of this designer chair can be put through pyrolysis, a combustion process at low temperature that, according to the manufacturer, prevents the release of CO2 and converts the material into biochar.

It is worth being precise about what that means, because it is unusual. Recycling returns a material to circulation; this route turns it into charcoal that holds the carbon dioxide captured during the earlier phases of its life. The manufacturer frames the material as doing what trees do, sequestering carbon dioxide, and biochar as the form in which that carbon stays put. Whether a given building can access that route is a separate, practical question, and one we would rather raise early than discover late. Design Lievore Altherr Molina, a descendant of the Catifa 53. La Mercanti supplies the manufacturer's documentation with every quotation.

Technical information based on data declared by the manufacturer.

Collection: Catifa Carta, design chair; 2024 extension of the Catifa collection designed in 2001
Manufacturer: Arper (Monastier di Treviso, Italy)
Design: Lievore Altherr Molina
Shell: PaperShell, made of 29 sheets of kraft paper bonded with a 100% natural resin; the sheets are laminated, pressed and cut to form the shell
Paper source: responsible sources and exclusive use of residues from Swedish wood production, such as sawdust, chips and branches
Binder: the manufacturer refers to 100% biogenic hemicellulose from agricultural residues or from wood pulp and paper production
End of life: the material can undergo pyrolysis, a low-temperature combustion process that prevents the release of CO2, converting it into biochar
Biochar: charcoal with a carbon content of up to 90%, able to retain CO2; used mainly as a soil improver
Bases: four legs in powdercoated steel · powdercoated steel sled · swivel trestle in powdercoated aluminium · fixed trestle in powdercoated aluminium on self-braking castors in the same colour
Environmental declaration: Arper states that Catifa 53 was the company's first product to obtain an environmental product declaration
Declared figures: circularity score 43% (TECLA Tool) · 45.68% renewable materials · emission intensity ratio 4.31 kg CO2eq/kg · Synesgy ESG rating B · Open-ES 86/100
Care: water and well-diluted neutral soap, soft cloth, gentle circular movements, always dry the surface; never commercial stain removers, aggressive or bleach-based detergents, waxes, solvents or abrasives
Declared characteristic: the material changes colour over time, especially when exposed to sunlight
Intended use: Arper refers non-domestic seating to EN 16139, distinguishing a general and an extreme level
Awards: Metropolis Likes (USA, 2024) · HiP Awards (USA, 2024) · Interiors Monthly Awards (UK, 2024) · Mix Awards North (UK, 2024) · Metropolis Planet Positive Awards (USA, 2024) · CDW Product Design Awards (UK, 2025) · Architizer A+ Awards (USA, 2025) · Award of Merit AZ Awards (USA, 2025) · Honourable Mention, Compasso d'Oro ADI (Italy, 2026)

La Mercanti Srl — trusted supplier for design and contract projects since 1997.
San Benedetto del Tronto (AP), Italy · +39 0735 753833 · info@lamercanti.com
Supply, quotations, specifications and project support across the UK and worldwide.

Documents and Catalogues

Arper Catalogue Arper News Catalogue Catifa Finishes & Materials Arper Arper for Hospitality Arper Arper for Education Arper Arper for Healthcare Catifa GREENGUARD Gold Certificate Arper Case Studies

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FAQ

Where does Catifa Carta belong in a building?
In rooms where people sit for a while and look at what they are sitting on: cafés, meeting rooms, reception areas. It is a chair that gets noticed, so it earns its place where it is seen.
Is it suitable for a permanent workstation?
The range offers four bases, and the choice should follow how long people stay seated. For a desk used all day, ask us to check the configuration against the intended use.
Does it work in a public waiting area?
It can, and the removable seat cushion helps. What matters more is who cleans the room and with what, since the shell surface is matt.
Can it sit alongside other chairs?
It shares its silhouette with the Catifa family, so it reads as a relative rather than a stranger. Mixing works when the shapes agree, not when the colours do.
How many should be ordered for a first project?
Enough to give one room a consistent look. A single chair among others becomes a sample, not a choice.

How to introduce an unfamiliar material to a client

Five steps that avoid a debate about opinions.

Bring the object, not the brochure
A paper based shell is judged by hand within seconds.
Say what it is made of, in order
Kraft paper sheets, a fully natural resin, pressed and cut.
Say where the raw material comes from
Residues of Swedish wood production: sawdust, chips, branches.
Say what will change over time
The colour shifts, and the manufacturer declares it as a characteristic.
Leave the numbers for the written offer
Figures belong in a document that can be checked, not in a conversation.

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