Triptych: The New Economy vision: Future-proof material choices
New Economy is working on the transition to a new economy. One aspect of this is the circular economy. In a series of blogs, we aim to spark a conversation about what's important for shaping the transition to a circular economy.
This blog focuses on the importance of future-proof material selection in product design.
Material choice matters
When (re)designing for circularity, it's important to consider how to maximize product lifespan and how to utilize valuable raw materials in the most efficient way possible. Material selection can be achieved in various ways: a product that lasts a long time or has precisely the right resilience for the required application. Several important principles are important, which will be further explained in this blog post.
High-end features
When choosing materials, it's important to carefully consider function and cost. For example, aluminum is highly suitable for complex energy transition applications, but for window frames, a less scarce material, such as wood, is better. Scarce materials should therefore be used in the highest-quality applications, and for less complex applications, it's wise to look for materials from renewable sources.
Eliminate toxic materials
Besides the initial choice of materials, it's also important to keep products within the economy for as long as possible. However, not all materials currently used in products are suitable for this. When products contain toxic materials, it's not always desirable to keep them in the supply chain for as long as possible. Here's an example to illustrate this:
An example: a newly produced mattress made of latex foam, called CircuLex. To improve the mattress's fire safety, two (EU-approved) flame retardants are added to the product. The mattress manufacturer resold the mattresses to a consumer, and after an average of ten years, the end user was ready for a new mattress and brought it to the municipal yard, where thousands of these mattresses end up annually (approximately 5.95 million kg of mattresses are brought to the yard in the Netherlands). The municipal yard sells the mattresses to a manufacturer of upcycled car upholstery. The upholstery manufacturer innovatively incorporates the mattress into car upholstery, giving the previously discarded mattress a new purpose in the circular economy. A great solution, you might think. With the benefit of hindsight, the flame retardants turned out to contain hazardous substances. The innovative car upholstery manufacturer was unaware of this, and so the toxic substances disappeared from view and accumulated within the circular system. By using natural materials as much as possible, these raw materials can be reused at the end of their lifespan. This reduces the risk of such abuses and, in the long term, produces new raw materials for new products.
Future-proof material choices for a circular economy
In a linear economy, linear chains are formed, with products adding value at each step. In a circular economy, these chains transform into a network of nodes through which products and materials circulate. This creates the urgency to work with natural materials and biobased solutions that minimize the risk of accumulating untraceable toxic materials and ensure the origin of raw materials. It's also crucial to work with raw materials with a high degree of security of supply. This allows scarce resources to be deployed in complex applications, such as the energy transition, so that the transition continues to take shape and a future-proof circular economy is created.
Triptych of the New Economy vision
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