Designers and plastics experts discuss collaboration for a sustainable future

A conference held as part of London design week recently gave plastics experts and designers the opportunity to discuss how increased collaboration could lead to a more sustainable future.   

The Plasticity Forum brought designers into the ongoing discussion around the problem of plastics waste, with the goal of to giving them the tools and know-how to become part of the solution in its reduction.

As designers are one of the missing links to solving some of the complex solutions related to materials, designing for recycling, and societal process flow in terms of resource recovery, it is believed that those who know the issues will be better able to drive expansion of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the brands and clients they work for should be striving to meet.

The London forum included a range of global expert speakers on the topic of plastic sustainability, with challenges and opportunities that included the manufacturing needs for an innovative single-material shampoo bottle, the use of calcium carbonate from large volumes of egg shells as a filler for any types of polymers which can benefit from its inclusion.

“Plastic is a material that will be with us for years to come, both because it is so useful, and because it does not easily go away. Plasticity offers a venue for collaborations and knowledge sharing to happen across sectors which often is what creates big impacts and results,” commented Doug Woodring, Plasticity’s founder.

“The design community is a critical component of the path forward to reduced waste, and we look forward to hosting more events with the design community involved.”

This was the sixth international Plasticity Forum, having been held a new city each year so that more businesses, government officials and members of each community can learn about the logjams and dynamics of creating larger scaled new materials, recycled content, and process flows to reduce waste and create value.