Architectural Vantage Point to Bioplastics in the Circular Economy (original) (raw)
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An Architectural Vantage Point to Bioplastics in the Circular Economy
Journal of Architectural Research and Development, 2018
In the circular economy, bio-based plastics or bioplastics as emerging innovative materials are increasingly being used in many industries from packaging to building materials and agricultural products to electronic and biomedical devices, there is an increasing research on the evaluation of bioplastics in architecture, both as a material or as a design element in interior design. Therefore, this article is a step towards understanding the importance of bioplastic materials in the circular economies and in architecture, regarding the negative carbon footprint and long-term environmental effects of fossil-based plastics.
PLASTICS AS CONTEMPORARY MATERIAL IN ARCHITECTURE FOR HEALTH AND SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
Nowadays plastics have become one of the main construction materials with a wide range of use in product design as well as construction industry of medium or large elements including buildings. Elements like pipes' and cables insulation, storage tanks, skylights, roofing, windows and doors, insulation and temporary structures can be made entirely, partly or as a bonding compound in new material mixes like WPCs wood plastic composites, carbon or natural fiber reinforced plastic. Material of this study has a vast application in the field of tensile structures construction or tents in smaller scale. One of the most common uses of plastic in the building construction is insulation of large surfaces such are walls, roofs or floors that can come in different forms commonly in foam which amounts can be adjusted to fit any form, in a prefabricated form like SIP panels as well as to securely insulate smaller details like pipes or cables. It is frequently used in the timing of the exterior building planes too. A rife problem is allergies from raw organic material objects and building components like down, sisal, cotton, coir, sea grass, etc. that can cause serious sequels like asthma, eyes and other mucous maladies can be completely eliminated with synthetic plastic-based materials-nylon, polyester, and polypropylene. This paper intends to stream how different plastic-based materials can help attain sustainable position in modern contemporary architecture.
Design for the environmental emergency: Plastic chairs and the transition to low-carbon product design, 2022
Analysing the intersection between plastics, environmentally-conscious design, and consumption through a focussed study of plastic chairs, this dissertation casts new light on best practice for sustainable furniture design. Plastic chairs are ubiquitous but remain objects of constant innovation and experimentation by designers. With reference to historical and contemporary developments, I examine the shifting cultural attitudes to plastics. Product designers and furniture manufacturers are responding to mounting environmental concerns by experimenting with renewable carbon plastics (recycled plastic and bioplastics). My interviews with international contemporary designers and representatives from industry are critically evaluated, alongside case studies of recent plastic chairs made using renewable carbon plastics. Findings from that research led me to develop a quantitative eco-audit tool to enable a comparison of these designs and demonstrate that the best outcomes for sustainable design incorporate existing materials (recycled plastics) and traditional moulding technologies. This tool is presented in this dissertation as both a structural part of the research methodology, and as an output for the instrumentalisation of the study’s findings. Much research has been undertaken on sustainable design and there have been many calls for design-led societal change. But few studies have focused on how such change actually manifests, or identified the areas of research required to bring about transformation. In other words, what does it really take to shift design and manufacturing practices, at scale, across complex supply chains? The multi-level perspective (MLP) transition framework is used to identify strategies to scale-up the use of renewable carbon plastics in design. Providing a methodology for designers to embrace a more sustainable approach to the design of plastic products, this dissertation is also a call to arms for urgent action to mitigate the most devastating impacts of the environmental emergency.
The challenge of plastics in a circular perspective
Frontiers in Sustainable Cities
Although plastic is a very important material in our economy and lifestyle, we need to deal with its pervasive impact and the huge amount of plastic waste produced, especially in the urban context. In Italy, the production of plastic waste is about 4.8 million tons with a share of 31.4% sent for recycling, 32.8% sent to Waste to Energy facilities and 35.8% sent to landfill. The negative effects of plastic waste have to be mitigated by means of prevention and other measures aimed at a transition to sustainable production and consumption patterns. The presented perspective takes advantage of the work done in the framework of the Italian Circular Economy Stakeholders Platform (ICESP) and identifies regulatory and technical criticalities in the sector, while defining strategic actions to be implemented along the entire value chain of plastics in the short, medium and long term perspective, with the aim of outlining possible mitigation solutions. From the snapshot of the ongoing advancem...
Can Plastic Be 'Green'? Design as Common Good Proceedings
Design as Common Good / Framing Design through Pluralism and Social Values, 2021
Through case studies of plastic chairs, this paper examines if product designers can successfully reduce the environmental impact of their work by embracing recent innovations in plastics. The 21st Century has seen growing interest, from both designers and manufacturers, in xperimenting with alternatives to virgin fossil-based plastics, including recyclates and bioplastics. A simplified eco-audit tool has been developed to enable comparison of the environment impact of 32 chairs made from renewable carbon-based (‘green’) plastics. Preliminary findings suggest that designers experimenting with recycled materials are more likely to succeed in reducing the environmental impact of their work, compared with those working with bioplastics or natural fibres. Hybridisation is identified as a key common strategy among those working with ‘green’ plastics. This research is of particular interest for designers seeking to reduce our dependence on fossil-based plastics, supporting their central role in the systems-level change required to address the climate emergency.
Plastics: friends or foes? The circularity and plastic waste footprint
Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2020
The plastics are becoming one of the most discussed topics in media and research. They have been branded sometimes as evil, which has to be replaced, in some cases at any cost. However, an equitable analysis and assessment are needed comparing all pros and cons based on environmental footprints quantification with a complete life cycle assessment. These should include assessment of possible health risks, consumed energy, released emissions and effluents, as well as consumption of raw materials, water and dealing with the wastewater. The assessment of recyclability, reprocessing and environmental burden of disposal phases are also needed. This presented work tends to contribute to the discussion of what recommendations should be developed to the industry and business to minimize the environmental impacts. A novel Plastic Waste Footprint is proposed to understand the net potential impacts of plastic and to facilitate the decision making for plastic replacement. This study highlighted that plastic could be a friend if the Circular Economy (CE) is appropriately followed. Reduction (refrain, redesign/reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose), recycle and recovery (no leaking into the ocean or other streams) play the decisive roles to minimize and recover the embodied energy, promoting sustainable plastic values chain. Policy to regulate/encourage manufacturers toward sustainable practice (taxation, end of life collection, an incentive of using secondary raw materials) and education (refrain, reuse, separation and recycle) on the potential users are important from not evolving the plastic from friend with high functionality to foe.
Overview on the Key Figures with Impact on the Circular Economy Through the Life Cycle of Plastics
Materiale Plastice
Intended to draw a frame of the impact of plastics usage and the role of the circular economy, this paper relied on specific literature, data from different studies, case studies, reports and databases existing on the research area. Being produced at low costs and used in a wide range of fields, plastics has been confirmed as one of the most impactful inventions for human. Recently, during the pandemic years, plastics has gotten multiple usages, such as keeping a hygienic sanitary environment facing the critical situations, with a highly increased role in the fight against the SARS-COVID-19 crisis. It is also well known that plastics presents risks arising from its production flow, linked to a huge degree of massive pollution with high impact on the environment. Plastic waste exposed to the environment generated problems and it is of huge concern for all forms of life. As plastics products are present all around the world, there is an increasing statement to one-use plastics in the ...