Magnus Murray-Douglass On Designing Sustainable Solutions From Recycled Plastic To Combat Waste

Magnus Murray-Douglass is the founder of Boe Design, a pioneering company turning recycled plastic into high-quality, sustainable materials.

With a background in industrial design, Magnus is passionate about closing the loop on plastic waste and creating innovative solutions that benefit both businesses and the environment.

Through initiatives like Rubbish Club, which brings strangers together to clean up public spaces and encourages community ownership of space, Magnus is on a mission to make sustainability both practical and engaging.

Boe Design’s goal for 2025 is to recycle 10 million plastic bottle caps into durable, Australian-made Vera Panels for use in furniture and construction. A firm believer in the power of design to drive change, Magnus continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with recycled materials.

Magnus discusses the opportunities for designers to create meaningful environmental impact, and how curiosity and resilience are key to driving sustainable innovation.

Highlights from the interview (listen to the podcast for full details)

[Emma Dimech] - To start off, can you please share a bit about your background and what led to your work in environmental sustainability?

[Magnus Murray-Douglass] - While studying industrial design at university, I landed a job with a robotics company that specialised in mining automation. They also took on contracts for the defence sector, and that experience introduced me to the possibilities of advanced manufacturing and robotics.

After some time, I transitioned to working at the charity Orange Sky, where I helped design a remote solar-powered vehicle equipped with washing machines and dryers. This initiative provided essential hygiene services and social support to remote communities across Australia and New Zealand.

Then, in 2022, I joined Boe Design full-time. Initially, we operated as an industrial design consultancy, working with clients to develop various products.

However, many of our clients wanted designs made from recycled plastic, and we quickly realised how challenging that was to deliver. We saw a significant gap in the market and decided to fill it ourselves.

We invested in machinery, and through trial and error, learned just how complex plastic recycling can be. Now, we operate from a solar-powered facility in Brisbane, where we produce Vera Panels—a plywood alternative made entirely from post-consumer bottle caps.

You’ve recently received a WasteSmart award for your work. Could you share more about the specific projects Boe Design is currently working on?

We’ve got some exciting projects underway. Many companies are approaching us to design custom products, whether for their businesses or events. For instance, one of our clients has commissioned a large office furniture set for a new workplace they’re moving into.

We’re also looking to establish a partnership with Containers for Change and are developing a lid sorting machine. This machine will automate the process of separating lids by material, colour, and brand, allowing us to recycle them more efficiently and maintain a consistent plastic stream.

Keeping materials pure means they can be recycled multiple times without degradation. Additionally, the machine will help us track data on consumption trends in beverages across Australia, providing valuable insights into waste patterns.

Have you seen any opportunities for aspiring designers who want to elevate their impact in a similar way?

The approach we took was to look at the world around us and truly engage with existing problems.

Rather than focusing on solutions too soon, we immersed ourselves in understanding the issues. When you deeply understand a problem, the solutions tend to emerge naturally.

The work we’re doing at Boe Design addresses what we see as a major gap in the market—one that has likely been overlooked for some time. In Queensland alone, over a billion bottle caps end up in landfill each year. For us, that presented an enormous opportunity to create change.

For designers of any age, curiosity is key. Pay attention to everyday challenges and listen to the frustrations of the people around you. Often, the best opportunities come from solving problems others have ignored.

Ultimately, I believe the most important skill a designer can have is listening.

Our work is fundamentally about hearing someone’s problem and finding a way to address it. Without going into communities and having conversations with people, it’s difficult to design truly effective solutions.

What other qualities are important for someone looking to design for sustainable change?

Resilience is a big one. We’ve had our fair share of failures—whether that’s wasted money, time, or resources—but I don’t see those experiences as true losses. Each misstep has led us to where we are now, and that perspective is invaluable.

A positive outlook is essential when working in sustainability because challenges are inevitable. I also admire the shift in mindset many people are adopting, viewing the climate crisis not just as a problem but as an opportunity.

This is a chance for people to think brilliantly and come up with solutions that work for both humans and the ecosystems we rely on. Designing for people, wildlife, and the planet is where real impact happens.

Curiosity is another crucial trait. There is always someone developing a new material, fresh way of thinking, or an innovative process. Technologies like AI are emerging rapidly, and staying curious about how these advancements can be applied to your field can create new perspectives. Looking at your own challenges through a diverse lens often leads to the most interesting and effective solutions.

Do you have any other advice for changemakers hoping to make a difference, particularly in sustainable design?

Start. Just start now and figure it out as you go. There’s real value in testing ideas in the real world with real people as early as possible.

Doing so can save you time and money if you’re heading in the wrong direction, but it also helps you gain community support and refine your ideas based on actual needs.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, Here’s the problem, and I’m a brilliant designer who can solve it. But often, designers are among the last people to truly understand a problem.

If you’re not someone who directly experiences the issue every day, chances are there’s someone else who has a much deeper understanding of what an effective solution should look like.

The best approach is to put your idea in people’s hands, get their feedback, and let that process shape the design.

As a designer, you should see yourself as the tool that helps refine a solution—not the sole creator of it. Keeping that mindset will lead to better, more impactful outcomes.

What inspiring projects or initiatives have you come across recently creating positive change?

Not to plug our own initiative, but Rubbish Club has been a fascinating experiment that we’ve been running for the past six months. So far, a couple of hundred people have taken part, and it’s reinforced how important genuine connection is.

One thing we’ve noticed is that people are growing tired of social media and the unrealistic standards it creates. There’s a strong craving for meaningful, real-world interactions with others, whether that’s with neighbours or members of their local community.

Of course, this concept isn’t new—it has been part of Australian culture for over 60,000 years, with deep traditions of people gathering and connecting on Country.

Magnus Murray-Douglass King Arthur Cafe Vera Panels.jpg

We’re excited to facilitate those connections in a modern context. As our social media presence has grown, we’ve also had more people reaching out with ideas—asking us to recycle different materials, suggesting new directions for our work, and sharing insights on how we could improve. It’s been incredible to co-create something meaningful with the wider Brisbane community.

Social media is a double-edged sword. You need it for exposure and to get your name out there, but at the same time, you don’t necessarily want to be using it.

Exactly. It’s both the best and the worst. Social media has a way of trapping you in this strange cycle, and that’s exactly why these companies are making billions. The time we spend on these platforms is really interesting.

On one hand, social media enables communication and connection, but the experience is vastly different from talking to someone face to face.

That real, in-person interaction creates a completely different feeling. At the same time, social media plays an important role in marketing, helping people find their community or the right opportunities—whether that’s learning about climate change, discovering a new career path, or joining a movement.

It’s this strange web of business, pleasure, and marketing that’s both powerful and difficult to navigate.

To finish off, what books or resources would you recommend to our audience?

I’m a terrible reader I must admit, I don’t read much at all! Somewhat ironically (given my feelings about social media), I’m a big advocate for YouTube. I love jumping on and exploring the random things people are creating around the world.

Do you have any specific creators you tend to watch?

There’s this one engineer [Wintergatan] who built an incredible marble machine. His projects are fantastical, bizarre, and completely over-engineered, but they’re fascinating to watch.

They’re not necessarily functional, but the sheer amount of time and thought he puts into them is incredible. It’s intriguing to see how they work and why he’s so dedicated to making them.