Reimagining Sustainable Supply Chains
This award-winning concept for a self-enclosed, solar-powered microfactory can turn household plastic waste into useful products
Over the past 50 years, the amount of plastic produced globally has increased 20 times. Of that, 40% winds up in landfills, 32% is released into the environment as litter, and 14% is burned. Only 2% is repurposed through closed-loop recycling. And the small amount of material that is recycled is often shipped great distances to be turned into plastic pellets before being shipped again for fabrication. Barent Roth and the team at Circular Economy Manufacturing are helping to reimagine the possibilities for sustainable supply chains with a portable microfactory that can turn single-use plastic waste into useful products with solar power. And the system fits inside a shipping container, so it can be moved wherever the waste is generated, instead of shipping it across the ocean for recycling.
About the speaker
Barent Roth is a designer, entrepreneur, and educator focused on creating sustainable products, practices, and services. He is the founder of Anthropocene.Design and Circular Economy Manufacturing and teaches courses on sustainability and design at The New School - Parsons in New York City.
Related learning
Learn more about circular design and strategies for sustainability with these AU resources.
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