The Nettle Project

Introduction

In a time where our connection to the origin and creation of our everyday products is lost, The Nettle Project explores how design can re-root us in our local bioregion.

The bioregion lets us ground in our ‘lifeplace’, and enjoy the wonders of our direct surroundings. The focus on the stinging nettle—a resilient, native plant that is often overlooked—is an investigation of its hidden ecological, economic, and cultural potential. From textile to tea, from soil health to social meaning, this project reframes nettles from weeds to a vital, local resource in creating regenerative systems.

In his thesis, Iepe looks at the principles of bioregionalism, and connects them with rediscovering native resources and valuing local ecosystems as sources of identity, resilient sustainability, and economic innovation. In the startup Nettle Project a business case is developed where the stinging nettle is valued for its ecological value, and as a multipurpose economical viable crop. The multi-valorization of the plant within de boundaries of the ecosystem is the research question in the project, but also central to this business case.