The much-celebrated Dutch Design Week opened on October 21 with a range of exhibitions, talks, and events predominantly around its theme, “Stretch.” Here are the top three exhibitions that resonate with the festival’s theme and address some of the most challenging issues of our time through sustainable solutions.Dave Hakkens’ “Precious Plastic” gives an interesting peek into the possibilities of plastic waste, which has been recycled into products as well as delicate artefacts. The designer has set up a mobile workspace where he gives hands-on training to visitors on creating objects from recycled plastic using his Precious Plastic Container. The designer has built an online community on his website, which serves as an Open Source platform for anyone to learn how to recycle plastic. The exhibition also features objects created by his worldwide community.Bauhaus Universität Weimar presents experiments in sustainable design — a raincoat created from bio-degradable, waterproofed paper; a sustainable resin as an alternate to epoxy resin; a jacket made from a self-growing textile; bio-plastic as an alternate to PVC for vinyl production; and wearable heat-protective clothing made from basalt fiber mesh.The industry recycling process leaves the plastic grey, which is not very appealing. Jessica den Hartog has been experimenting to recycle the plastic in vibrant colors in order to make it more attractive. The designer presents her research through a library of colors and properties that open up the possibility for using plastic in more aesthetic ways in “Recolored, a New Way of Recycling.” For more details, visit: http://www.ddw.nl/Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the exhibitions.  Read more