Method Uses Ocean Plastic for Structural Packaging

Method has produced the first structural packaging made from plastic salvaged from ocean debris. The dish and hand soap bottle, which is a limited edition for Whole Foods, is intended to demonstrate that using recycled plastic is "the most viable solution to our plastic pollution problem".  The plastic was collected by from the beaches of Hawaii and recycled into high quality plastic similar to HDPE. The grey color is the recycled plastic's natural state.

Method partnered with Envision Plastics to develop a new recycling process to make the bottles. The process allows rigid, opaque plastics recovered from the ocean to be cleaned, blended and then remanufactured into high-quality recycled plastic of the same quality as virgin high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic

Read more at Sustainable Brands

Learn more about Envision Plastics

Read more about the problems of ocean pollution at Method

What's in my Product: Recycled Plastic

So what really goes into the products we are designing and manufacturing? Today's edition of what's in my product looks at recyled plastic. Here is a great video of the transformation from soda bottle to polyester fabric. Hat tip to hipstomp and Core77.com

For more info check out our friends at Core77.

Recycled Plastics Supply Chain Contaminated by E-waste, Study Says

E-waste is severly affecting the overseas supply chain. This recent study of Indian recycled plastics details some of the toxins that are getting into the recycled plastics market from recycled consumer electronics.

...Toxics Link in collaboration with Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA), State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO and Swiss Plastics Association is releasing an extensive study on plastic recycling across the city to measure one such widely used toxic chemical, brominated flame retardant (BFR) especially present in electronic products.

18 (41%) samples out of 44 samples collected from the recycling and moulding units were found positive for BFR and heavy metals like lead and cadmium. The observed concentration of BFR varied from 18.9ppm to 126.3ppm. Field study and lab research suggest that there is dispersion and dilution of these additives during recycling process.

BFRs in consumer products pose serious exposure risk particularly at the time of disposal. Although most plastics today, are recyclable, the recycled products become more hazardous than the virgin products. The study reveals that cross contamination by BFRs move into the environment and recycled products through recycling operations. Recycled plastic pellets used to manufacture new products contain these BFRs. There is a huge market for the products made of the recycled pellets that are used by low cost manufacturers...

Read more of the study at Toxics Link

Read a sumary in The Asian Age

Learn more about the problems of e-waste issues and global policy-making at the Basel Action Network