Renewable plastics and industry news for designers and manufacturers of consumer products
Reimagining Upholstery: Foam Without Compromise
Finding alternatives to traditional plastic foams is one of the big challenges facing designers and manufacturers seeking to lower the impact of their work when
From corn starch to stylish: Eco-friendly lamps
ALT design, based in France, have released a light made from polylactic acid (PLA) made from corn starch and additive manufacturing. Alexandre Touguet and Lise
Can we 3D print a better future?
3D printing has long been touted as a technology that can reduce the environmental impact of products by eliminating or significantly reducing distribution impacts. However,
It’s a croc of…
recycled plastic. Crocs the comfortable, yet many would say ugly, footwear company has launched a new version of their popular slip-on. Using recycled plastic, recovered
Plastic recycling is it just bull*&$t? How the Plastics Industry Misled Us All
Despite billions of (often public) dollars being spent to facilitate the collection and recycling of plastic waste, less than 10% of all the plastic ever
EU’s Car Recycling Mandate: Are cars really getting greener?
The first part of this article focused on the impact of EU legislation in driving investment in recycling plastics end-of-life vehicles. Increasing the supply of
Legislation Sparks a Circular Revolution in the Automotive Industry
Much has been written about self-driving cars, but equally significant technological innovations and advances in the automotive industry are being driven by legislation. The European
Can Lego become a green giant?
Last year Lego announced it had abandoned plans to switch to making bricks from recycled PET. The two-year project aimed at replacing ABS was part
Concrete vs. Plastic: Can Recycled Materials Reshape Construction?
Concrete manufacturing is an energy-intensive process that accounts for eight percent of GHG emissions. Many academic and industry-based researchers are focused on the production process
Are bio-based materials really biodegradable?
Everything will decompose eventually – it just takes hundreds of years for fossil-based plastics to disappear. Of course, they don’t really disappear, they just break
Pickleballs are piling up
Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Introduced in 1965 it had attracted nearly 9 million players by 2022 and international interest is
Recyclable wind farms
Wind turbine blades have a life expectancy of around twenty years. As they are usually made from composites containing carbon fibre and can’t be recycled
Everyone likes a fungi
Mycelium, the vegetative part of fungi, grows by digesting organic material including low-cost agricultural waste streams (such as cotton, corn, wheat, hemp, and flax residues),
Luxury Handbag Market Faces Eco Crisis—Who’s Fighting Back?
The luxury handbag market is estimated to be worth a staggering US$72.7 billion (in 2023) and consumes between 5 and 10% of global leather production
What a load of wrap
It’s hard to deny that cling film is a useful product in the kitchen. When used to wrap prepared food or unused veggies it can
Plastic roofs and platic walls
In the 1940s, industry commentators predicted that plastics would surround our lives. For example, in 1942 the Australian Woman’s Mirror claimed: “You will soon rise
Are your trainers really green?
Running shoes and athletic footwear are usually made from a range of plastic foams and fabrics which are stitched or glued together, effectively preventing recycling
A plastic chair has grown into an enterprise
Jane Atfield was among the first to use recycled plastics to make consumer goods, with the 1992 release of the RCP2 Chair. Atfield made her
3D printed parts reinforced with contiuous carbon fibre
Reinforce 3D, a Spanish start-up, has developed a technique to insert continuous carbon firbe strands (4-8mm in diameter) into 3D printed components. This exciting development
Do bioplastics compete with agricuture?
We are often told that the downside of bioplastics is that it competes with agricultural production. First-generation bioplastics like PLA are frequently made from corn
Build a house with recycled plastics
An Australian company, Studio Kite, has developed a range of enormous 3D printers specifically designed to create models and props for the film and TV
An environmentally friendly alternative to strengthen plastics
Environmentally conscious designers and manufacturers are increasingly looking for recycled plastics and bioplastics to replace virgin fossil plastics. It is often challenging to find suitable
Colour is not the only unusual thing about this office chair from Ahrend
The Remode is claimed to be the most sustainable task chair available. Designed by Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, the Remode is fully modular (so
Not just a new material – a new production ecosystem
It’s an exciting time in the world of materials with universities and start-ups seemingly announcing alternatives to virgin fossil plastics almost every day. Many research
Pendant light created using 3D-printed PLA
The Hedron Pendant is a 3D-printed chandelier or pendant light made from PLA (Polylactic Acid). The shape is developed from a polyhedron, in this case,
Mass-balance – is it a con?
Mass balance is being promoted by plastic manufacturers (particularly BASF) as the solution to the recycling crisis. But are ‘mass-balanced’ plastics the same as recycled
Moving the goal posts – US Plastics Pact
70 large businesses in the states have agreed to delay key sustainability targets from 2025 to 2030. The original pact had 4 targets: – Define
The post-plastic economy
A new white paper from Plastic Free outlines the financial risks of continuing to use plastic. The first half of this report summarises the problems
Renewable plastics in design
Welcome to this blog devoted to discussing the latest innovations in renewable plastics and plastic industry news relevant to designers. Production of plastics is set
Mat Chair
The Mat Chair features a shell made from hemp stems and eelgrass and powder coasted steel legs. The lighter version of the shell contains hemp only.