Anyone looking for an ergonomic stool quickly finds themselves in a world full of springs, oscillating mechanisms, and 3D mechanics. Manufacturers outdo each other with technical terms and promise that their mechanisms will solve back problems. But very few ask the truly crucial question: What is the stool made of? And: How many different materials are in it — and can they ultimately be separated again?
What ergonomic stools promise today
The market for ergonomic seating solutions is large. Pendulum stools, rolling stools, standing aids — each category has its justification, and dynamic sitting is undoubtedly better than static. Anyone who sits at a desk all day benefits their body by regularly changing position, activating muscles, and promoting circulation.
That's the core of the ergonomic stool: movement instead of stagnation. So far, so good.
The problem begins when you ask how this movement is created. Most answers are: through springs. Through oscillating mechanisms. Through mechanisms that wear out, stiffen, or simply break over time.
The problem with springs and mechanisms
A stool with a spring mechanism works well on the first day. And probably in the first year. But mechanisms wear out. Springs lose their tension. Oscillating mechanisms start to squeak. What was once precisely calibrated becomes imprecise over time — and thus less ergonomic.
Furthermore, mechanical components mean more individual parts. More individual parts mean more connection points, more adhesives, more materials that don't belong together and cannot be separated from each other at the end of their life. The result is a product that is difficult to repair, difficult to recycle, and ultimately difficult to justify — both ecologically and economically.
What material truly achieves
A material that inherently possesses the right properties doesn't need mechanics to function. It doesn't need a spring to yield — because it yields itself. It doesn't need an oscillating mechanism to create movement — because its structure allows for movement.
This is precisely the starting point of the Flow Chair.
Recycled PETG — the material from which the Flow Chair is entirely made — has a natural elasticity that can be precisely controlled. Through the extruded 3D lattice structure of the Flow Chair, this elasticity is used specifically: the seat gently yields when you shift your weight. It springs back when you straighten up. And this is not due to a spring underneath, but to the material property itself.
No moving parts. No wear. No squeaking after three years. What the material can do, needs no mechanics.
Monomaterial — the underestimated sustainability advantage
Sustainability in furniture is usually measured by a single question: Is the material recyclable? This is important — but it's only half the truth.
The full question is: Can the product be recycled as a whole?
A stool made of metal, foam, fabric, and plastic can theoretically consist of recyclable materials — and yet not be recycled at the end of its life. Because the materials are inextricably linked. Because the foam sticks to the metal. Because the fabric is stretched over the plastic. Because no one has the time and the facilities to take all of it apart before it goes into the trash.
This is the reality for most furniture — even the supposedly sustainable kind.
Sustainability doesn't start with recycling. It starts with the decision of how many materials a product even needs.
The Flow Chair is made from a single material: recycled PETG. No foam, no fabric, no metal, no adhesive. One material, one piece, one cycle.
Specifically, this means: At the end of its lifespan, the Flow Chair is melted down and processed into new PETG. No sorting, no separating, no loss of quality. What was once a chair becomes raw material again — for the next chair, or for something completely different. This is circular economy, as it should function. Not as a promise on the product sheet, but as a physical property of the material.
Recycled PETG: What's behind it?
PETG is a thermoplastic that was originally developed for food packaging. This means it is safe, non-toxic, and food-safe — properties that are rarely mentioned for seating, but are certainly relevant when considering how much time we spend in our chairs.
Recycled PETG goes a step further. It is made from reprocessed material that would otherwise have ended up in the trash — and it can be melted down and reprocessed again at the end of its life. No downcycling, no loss of quality, no waste.
For the Flow Chair, this specifically means: It is printed in Hamburg from recycled PETG, on demand, without overproduction. What is created can be recreated.
The difference to conventional materials
Most ergonomic stools consist of a combination of metal, plastic, foam, and fabric. Each component comes from a different supply chain, is manufactured separately, and finally glued or screwed together.
The result is a product that works — but is not conceived as a unit. If the foam gives way, the metal remains. If the fabric tears, the entire seat is affected. If a spring breaks, the entire oscillating mechanism is affected.
Monomaterial has another advantage that is rarely mentioned: quality control. If a product consists of a single material, there are no weak points at connection points. No glue that dries out over time. No seam that tears. No interface between two materials that react differently to temperature, humidity, or stress. A monomaterial product ages uniformly — and longevity is the most sustainable characteristic a piece of furniture can have.
When mechanics are useful — and when they are not
It would be unfair to claim that mechanics are fundamentally wrong. For people who sit for a very long time and very statically — eight hours a day at a fixed office desk, little movement, a lot of concentration — a chair with a targeted backrest and lumbar support can be useful. Here, mechanics achieve something that material alone cannot.
But for dynamic, active sitting — for periods when you are moving, concentrating, working creatively, switching between desk and standing height — mechanics are often overkill. They solve a problem that the right material wouldn't even create.
The ergonomic stool of the future is not the one with the most sophisticated mechanics. It is the one that makes mechanics superfluous.
What this means for your purchase decision
Next time you're faced with an ergonomic stool — in a store, online, or in an office catalog — ask yourself these three questions:
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01
What is it made of? Not just the seat, but everything. How many different materials are used? How many connection points are there?
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02
What happens if it breaks? Can it be repaired? Can it be recycled? Or will it end up completely in the trash in five years?
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03
Does it need mechanics to do what it promises? Or could the right material accomplish the same task — more durable, more sustainable, quieter?
These questions don't necessarily lead to the Flow Chair. But they do lead to better decisions. And usually, better decisions lead to products that truly deliver on their promises.
The Flow Chair: Material as a principle
The Flow Chair is our answer to these questions. Manufactured in Hamburg from 100% recycled PETG, printed on demand, without moving parts, without adhesives, without compromises.
It moves with you — not because a spring forces it, but because its material allows it. It lasts — not because it can be repaired, but because it doesn't break. And if you no longer need it one day, it will return to what it was made of.
This is ergonomic seating designed from the inside out.