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Material eco‐replacement: correlating product lifespan and material durability when evaluating the substitution of plastic with novel circular materials
Material eco‐replacement: correlating product lifespan and material durability when evaluating the substitution of plastic with novel circular materials
Santi, Romina; Piselli, Agnese; Del Curto, Barbara
FG Transdisziplinäre Nachhaltigkeitsforschung in der Elektronik
Synthetic polymers surround us, being used in almost every field of application. In the last
century, plastic has been covering a starring role in production processes thanks to attractive qualities:
it is an economic, versatile, flexible, lightweight, moisture resistant, strong and durable material. Despite
this, plastics represent one of the most widespread environmental pollutant. The transition to the
Circular Economy model has led to the development of Circular materials characterized for staying
within a closed-circuit system by using natural and renewable resources. Circular materials are taking
small steps into consumer sectors, starting with disposable and single use products but are rapidly
emerging in medium and long lifespan consumer sector as green solutions. This study represents a
good practice for designers who operate eco-replacement activities or want to develop new product
concepts from innovative circular materials. In order to conceive a sustainable application from material
replacement, the work highlights that it is necessary to take into consideration different aspects: product
lifespan, lifetime product expectancy, material aesthetic and technical durability.
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