Limpi: Transforming Caribbean Beach Plastic into Sustainable Products

Overview
Limpi, founded by Mitchell Lammering and Debrah Nijdam after returning to Curaçao, addresses the urgent problem of plastic waste littering Caribbean beaches. Using their product design expertise, they repurpose discarded plastics into functional, sustainable products, turning an environmental challenge into creative opportunity.

From Trash to Design Innovation

• Origins: Disturbed by the vast plastic debris on Curaçao’s shores, the founders began collecting scrap materials and building their own recycling machines—a shredder and extruder—from junkyard parts.
• Early Products: Initial attempts involved handmade molds crafted from simple materials, producing items like coasters and keychains.
• Growing Interest: A viral YouTube video sparked local media and community engagement, propelling Limpi toward a growing market for eco-conscious products.

Advancing Manufacturing with Autodesk Fusion

• Limpi transitioned from manual to digital design workflows, adopting Autodesk Fusion for integrated CAD/CAM capabilities.
• Benefits included seamless mold design and CNC machining within a single platform, speeding up product development.
• Progression from 2D engravings to complex 3D mold designs enhanced the quality, precision, and aesthetics of recycled products.
• The team designed a hydraulic injection machine in Fusion to replace labor-intensive manual methods, improving consistency and scalability.

Public Engagement Through Transparency

• Moving operations to a 500-square-meter facility inside Curaçao’s Sambil Mall allowed the public to witness the recycling process live.
• Visitors observe shredding, melting, and molding firsthand, fostering greater understanding of the recycling effort’s scale and impact.
• This transparency strengthens community trust and raises environmental awareness.

Collaborations with the Hospitality Industry

• Limpi created over 400 eco-friendly wall art pieces for Marriott, featuring ocean-themed designs made from recycled plastics.
• The design process is rapid and iterative, leveraging digital sketches, 3D modeling, and 3D printing prototypes to meet client specifications within days.

Empowering Youth with Recycled Design

• Partnering in the Future Goals initiative by the Sandals Foundation and Ajax Football Club, Limpi produces recycled soccer goalposts for Caribbean schools.
• This program has recycled approximately 6,500 pounds of plastic—equivalent to 1.5 million bottle caps—and distributed over 70 goalposts.
• The project doubles as a sustainability education tool while promoting community development.
• Expansion is underway to Jamaica and other islands, supported by sponsors and governments.

Vision for Regional Impact

• Having evolved from a backyard experiment into a pioneering sustainable manufacturer, Limpi plans to replicate its recycling and production model across Caribbean islands including Aruba, Bonaire, and St. Martin.
• Their mission: to become the leading sustainable plastics recycling company in the Caribbean, blending innovative design with environmental stewardship.

Conclusion

Limpi exemplifies how localized design and manufacturing innovation can transform plastic waste into impactful sustainable products, fostering environmental responsibility, community involvement, and regional growth across the Caribbean.

Source: Fusion Blog, January 22, 2026

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