In 1031, the concept of recycling was originally discovered when Japan has the first recorded instance of paper recycling. Since then, we have always been utilized and master our craft of recycling.
In 2013, the concept of upcycling was first introduced to us by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their Cradle to Cradle book. Upcycling, which is an improved idea for recycling, is the idea to reuse material in a way to increase the value of the originals. McDonough and Braungart later explained and elaborated this concept in their Upcycle book.
In 2020, our recycling industry is getting hit terribly since the 250% to 300% growth of single-use plastic. Despite the consequences from the pandemic, it is the critical time for us to take another stab at reinventing our recycling industry for the future.
That’s why we are here to learn about how to design products for our recycling future.
Material
Material is undoubtedly the most critical factor in the design of recycling. Choosing the right material will simply decide whether a product might end up in the trash can or recycling bin. Most of us would start with common design improvements such as using organic or recyclable material instead of single-use plastic. While it is a good start for the design process, there is a lot more to learn about how to design a product for recycling effectively.
Material selection
There are many things a product might consider while choosing the right material. For example, to meet the Cradle to Cradle information, a product’s material selection must avoid a list of banned chemicals. This list might start with toxic chemicals that might cause health or environmental issues to chemicals that will affect the purity or qualify of the material for recycling.
For instance, aluminum can be recycled indefinitely if uncontaminated. In fact, aluminum is also the most valuable, and most recycled material in the recycling bin. However, a common application, aluminium foil, will make this precious material ended up in the trash can because all the grease that comes with the cooking process will contaminate the material.
A simple design solution for our recycling process is using a modular design. Indeed, many products have already utilized this design direction to help with the manufacturing process, from sourcing to repairing. Similarly, modular design can also be used to enhance the recyclability of a product.
Let’s look at the popular example of coffee cups. Most paper coffee cups are not accepted by recycling programs in many cities because they are often lined with plastic or wax, which worsen the quality of recycling. While it is impossible for most recycling facilities today to extract paper from plastic, we can make it happen in the design process. We can create a coffee cup with two separable parts by applying modular design: paper cup and liner. The non-recyclable cup now can be easily recycled by throwing away the plastic or wax liner and recycle the paper cup.
While this idea seems simple, a product’s design process involves many unique problems, from sourcing to manufacturing that prevents these good intentions from happening. One of the drawbacks of modular design is complicating the recycle sourcing process. With too many parts and materials, a product will require a complex recycling process and likely to end up with other trash.
Material reutilization
This problem with trash can actually be solved with a simple idea: to consider nothing as trash. In fact, nature has been operated like this for many centuries. It is our job to translate this idea into our design process.
Nowadays, some recycling facilities don’t accept all recycled materials, namely low-quality paper, because this material is not profitable. Unlike most metal can be recycled or reused with high quality, other recyclable materials need to take on more creative direction.
Samsung has shown us this could be done with the collaboration between good engineering and design community. They recently launched Out of the Box design competition. This is a design competition to explore the creative way to repurpose their high-quality cardboard box. The competitions’ stunning results have shown us how products can be designed and engineered with recycling in mind.
Fuel and energy
Fuel and energy are essential for many products to function. However, the sad reality is many of them are still from non-renewable energy sources, namely fossil fuels. According to World Bank, non-renewable energy takes up to 79.6% of world energy consumption. The good news is our number is better now, compared to our non-renewable energy consumption in 1971: 94,5%.
We are on the right track to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy, such as electricity. We have seen many great achievements, such as electric vehicles or California renewables. The technology in our hands to make these great things happen; all we have left to do is a joined effort from the community and our leaders.
Product design is a wonderful tool to create this renewable future. We can take the initiative to use renewable energy in our products. An electric vehicle is a great example for us to understand that we can make a renewable and profitable product. We have to take advantage of our technology and replace as much non-renewable energy as possible. Imagine the future where we will add solar panels to all our shade and roof structures, or we use biomass fuel to fertilize our plants. These are nothing but existed ideas; execution is what is missing
Labour and sourcing
This might be the least favourite subject for business owners to take on. A product can be recycled from a consumer point of view, but it would only be sustainable if that includes sourcing and manufacturing.
Many businesses today are using foreign labour and resources for their product due to the affordable price tags. However, we are now seeing more and more negative impacts on these foreign countries. Many companies have been complained about or sued for unfair labour and illegal trade in foreign countries.
We do not design a product with the intention to exploit labour or resource, but we can improve the design to deal with this problem. Start with designing a product that can be reclaimed and recycled, and it would reduce the raw material needs for constant manufacture. The furniture and construction industry is well-known for its uses of timber. This massive demands can be partially fulfilled by using reclaimed wood or composite, an alternative material from wood chips.
The design alone will not be the solution to the problem. At a minimum, the management of the product should meet all labour and human rights law. Both employers and employees need to be benefited from having sustainable logistics, which is the key to a sustainable future.
Ease of recycling
With all the efforts we have made to design recyclable products, it will be very disappointing to these products ending in the trash can, even worse, in the ocean. That’s why we have to design a better experience for consumers to recycle the products.
A good start is noticeable labelling for recycling. The product should have a clear and honest label. The instruction for recycling should also be present for consumers to sort out recyclable from non-recyclable products. A huge problem for recycling facilities today is misplaced materials like coffee lids or greasy pizza boxes. Focusing on better product labels and consumer education will definitely encourage the chance of recycling.
Another way to make it easier to recycle is disassembly. With the use of modular design discussed earlier, products today need to keep in mind the recycling sourcing process. A product should ensure that the product can be simply dissembled and recycled without needing extra tools or skills. However, this is hard to achieve in more complicated products like electronics or large scale products like furniture. A common answer for this is trade-in policy.
A product is designed to be recyclable but requires complex sourcing that should still be collected and recycle with professional help. Many companies, especially electronics or tech companies, offer trade-in policy so customers can return and recycle their purchases along with some added benefits. This is a great way to boost new product sales and recycling process for these companies. Plus, these collected products can also be used for product research and development later on.
