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Surfaces from recycled glass

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:54:54 +0000

In 2002 each person in the UK generated 167kg of packaging waste per year – a lot of it is glass. In 2001 2.5 million tons of this material was taken to landfill. Currently 752,000 tons of glass are being recycled annually in the UK. Every ton of glass recycled into new items saves 315 additional kilograms of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere during the creation of new glass. Glass is a material which is virtually infinitely recyclable and it can be turned into new packaging or find new applications such as surfaces and worktops.

Back in 2000 the innovative material Resilica was launched by Eight Inch and the company has been quietly establishing a growing market for recycled glass surfaces during which time the wider demand for sustainable products has changed beyond recognition.

Resilica is made using up to 100% recycled glass. Millions of tiny fragments are mixed with specially formulated solvent-free resins, cured, then diamond polished to reveal a high-gloss surface that has incredible depth and lustre. Each piece of Resilica is made to order. This allows them to create a bespoke colour recipe for individual clients.

Resilica remains at the forefront of the market gaining a reputation for quality, consistency and performance and the company is pleased to have undertaken projects for some of the UK’s best known organisations including The Department of Health, The National Trust, Costa Coffee and London Zoo. Companies who are now appreciating the value in using sustainable materials in their built environments.

Originally known as ‘Ttura’ Eight Inch have recently renamed and rebranded their product and as part of the rebrand their new website is now live and features a comprehensive colour archive and images of surfaces they have created for the domestic and commercial market.

For more information, please visit www.resilica.com.

M.HAUS 2010

Only wallpaper?

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:40:22 +0000

Wallpaper is made from a number of different materials and built up in layers. The top layer is normally printed or structured. About 50 per cent of all wallpapers are made from paper or recycled paper, the other 50 per cent is made from fleece and other synthetic materials. The materials used define the quality of the wallpaper.

The production of paper impacts the environment on several levels such as the use of wood, fresh water, the use of energy, waste water and the management of the paper ‘waste’. In Germany 70 per cent of all paper produced is recycled and recycled paper is also used widely in the production of wallpaper. In Germany alone 80 million roles of wall paper are produced every year.

The use of recycled paper reduces the consumption of primary wood fibres and protects forests and wildlife habitat. It also reduces the use of primary fossil energy as the key driver of climate change.

The primary wood fibres used in the production process should come from sustainable sources. Two labels indicate the use of sustainable woods: FSC and PEFC. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC) were both founded in the 1990s and they not only guarantee social responsibility in manufacturing but also the minimisation of the negative impact on climate and biodiversity.

High quality wallpapers with long lifecycles make ecological sense as they can be redecorated when faded or the colour is out of fashion. It reduces the use of new wallpaper, saves resources and avoids ‘waste’.

MissPrint launched its Dandelion wallpaper at 100% Design in London last year. All MissPrint products are produced in the most environmentally friendly way wherever possible. The complete wallpaper range is PEFC certified, it is printed with organic pigment inks, which are non-toxic, free of heavy metals and classed as non-carcinogenic. In addition to being beautifully designed, each of the products sold by MissPrint also helps preserve the planet.

www.missprint.co.uk

For sustainable wood sources please see www.fsc-uk.org and www.pefc.co.uk .

Maize cob boards

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:15:29 +0000

Maize Cob Boards

Organic materials are gaining more relevance in the production of bio-plastics. Rather than growing plants solely for the production of materials, more and more waste products generated in agricultural and food production processes are used for light weight components such as structural panels. One example is Maize Cob Board, which is currently being developed and tested. It is a wood based material with an interlayer of maize cobs .

The central part of a maize cob consists of a foam like structure with high insulating qualities and(!) until now the cobs have never been used in an industrial process. They have a low density (180 to 200kg/ m³ and resist high pressure in an axial direction. Maize cobs are considered a ‘waste’ product and they are available in large quantities and at a low price. Maize Cob Boards have a similar performance to chip boards and they can be used to build furniture, doors and interiors. They are, however, 50 per cent lighter than conventional wood based panels. The density of the Maize Cob Board is between 250 to 300gk/ m³.

First prototypes are currently being tested and their areas of mass application are being researched. If the performance tests lead to positive results the Maize Cob Boards will be launched as an alternative to traditional wood based products. The material not only has high insulation qualities, it is also expected that it will absorb sound very well.

It will be an exciting organic material innovation and resource for furniture and interior designers.

www.fabrikderzukunft.at/results.html/id5516

The design of a toothbrush

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:01:43 +0000

After 6 – 8 weeks a toothbrush weakens and it starts to perform less well. Dentists recommend replacing your toothbrush every 8 weeks. Each person should therefore use about 6 toothbrushes per year, which equates to around 368 million toothbrushes in 2008 in the UK alone.

According to government figures in the UK, over 50% of all ‘waste’ still goes into landfill. In England alone the volume is 62 million tonnes. Large parts of it will come from business and industrial processes and production, but our consumer goods also have a big impact. Your toothbrushes will certainly be part of it.

Many toothbrushes can be recycled, but this also requires huge amounts of resources in collecting, transporting, sorting, melting, moulding and so on. It is also highly likely that the material will be treated as ‘waste’ and down-cycled rather than a resource for a higher quality product.

The actual brush is the part of the product which wears out most quickly, whilst it is the handle that comprises the bulk of the material of the product and this hardly gets damaged over time.

Aronal produces a toothbrush called öko-dent, which offers a very simple design feature: The actual brush can be replaced whilst the handle can be used for a much longer time, potentially many years. The new toothbrush is sold with two replacement brushes and the replacement brushes are also offered as a stand-alone product. The brushes as well as the handle can be recycled.

The designers at Aronal put the principles of re-use and reduce at the heart of their development process.. The product can be completely recycled and landfill cut out of the process. If the handle last you 2 years and you replace your current toothbrush every second month, you will save the energy and resources needed to produce, recycle or simply bury 11 toothbrushes!