Seed Media Group: Blog

Tuesday, February 02, 2010 • Events • by Eva Wisten • #

The value of waste

Andrew Dent from Material ConneXion, recently alerted us to an important perspective for understanding sustainability.

Andrew Dent, who holds a PhD in materials science, came by the Seed office and gave a lecture on design through the lens of materials and their availability. He showed how much longer common materials will last at our current consumption speed, before they will become so scarce, that the price will skyrocket.

To really determine an object’s sustainability and design responsibly, the material factors to consider are these:

- How plentiful is the material that the object is made of?

- What’s the impact of mining, processing, and transporting the material?

- Is the material recyclable and do we have a use for it in its recycled state?

- Does the design allow for the materials to be recycled (Can the object be taken apart? Are the materials possible to separate from each other, or covered with paint etc)?

According to these principles, looks not considered, Dent points to Crocs, the plastic clogs, as an example of excellent design. They are produced through injection molding, which generates no waste from cut away material. They are made from one material, which is recyclable. The material is died, not painted. And, best of all, they are durable, and will most likely last as long as the wearer wants to use them.

As we are depleting our natural resources, materials are becoming more and more valuable commodities.

“Like gold. No one throws gold away,” Dent says as he foresees a future where more companies adapt to the strategy that Coca-Cola and others already operate by: they see their waste - their plastic bottles - as part of their assets, and makes sure to get them back. The customer buys the content, not its delivery vehicle.

“Companies will want their own waste.”

Material ConneXion’s library on 60 Madison Avenue in New York.