Project Hang Up’s Jacinta Sullivan had the idea when she visited Benwells in south east London to pass an unrelated piece on press and noticed the huge amount of foil waste produced from hot foil stamping. As a designer, Sullivan was shocked to discover the waste produced by the creative industry, as she had also discovered that most waste foil ended up in landfill.

In a project destined to ‘upcycle’ the waste material and reuse expensive dies produced for previous Benwells work, the printer re-spooled its waste foil ready for use in the job.

Paul Haslam, Benwells managing director, said the fact that the waste foil already had negative imaging from prior use was not an issue, but added an extra element of creativity and individuality to the pieces when different foils were layered on top of each other.

Different coloured foil layers were stamped onto Antalis McNaughton’s Keaykolour reKreate paper range using various recycled dies on Heidelberg platens to create a textured collage effect.

The paper was chosen to complement the ethos of the project, as it is produced using waste fibres that would otherwise be thrown away, cutting the use of dyes and pulp by up to 50%.

Finally, the pieces were cut into turtle dove shapes for a festive theme using the only new die created for the project.

Sullivan commented: "The feedback has been really positive, people are drawn to the unique design of the decorative hang-ups we have created, which naturally sparks a conversation about how they are made.

"I believe in great design, creating things that will be kept, not thrown away.  My hope is that Project Hangup will inspire other creatives to discover unique design solutions by using interesting working processes that consider the environment."

The pieces are to be sent to Antalis McNaughton’s design customers and creative printers over the Christmas period.