My product idea is for renewable wall coverings. The cradle-to-cradle metabolism that will apply to this concept is technical metabolism. This wall covering will be able to be up-cycled once it has run it's useful life course. The wall covering manufacturer would have incentives for consumers to return their wall coverings once they are finished with them, then that company would use that recycled material to create new wall coverings or durable materials. It would be a constant ongoing cycle and would use the technical metabolism process because of some of the harmful materials or processes used in creating the wall covering. According to our reading of Cradle to Cradle by McDonough and Braungart, most of the early industrial industries did not replenish the resources that they took from the earth, and by using this metabolism and system, this product would not be taking anything additional from the environment either. In the video for this week, there is a company call Design Tex that has a similar process to the one I am proposing. Also, Ray Anderson who is the author of our textbook Mid-Course Correction, also has a similar process of how he renews carpet and creates new products with it.
I believe that most anything that is manufactured today can somehow be renewed and remade into new products. It just makes sense to do this instead of wasting so many items per company and having that surplus or extra go to waste.
Hi, Jamie;
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea. Have you considered how different wallpaper, with prints and color variations, may complicate the C2C process? How would this be handled? Also, you may think in terms of the adhesive and the ease with which wallpaper could be removed, making this an easier process. I'm not sure if you've spent any time scraping wallpaper, but my last experience was pretty nasty and seemed to end in many small, gooey pieces. What do you think?
Hi Dr. Armstrong,
DeleteI had thought about how patterns and prints might affect the C2C process, and I thought that what if the wall coverings were plain but could have a pattern or print projected onto them somehow, that way it would be easier to change in the future? What if the wall covering was like a projection screen? And what if the wall covering adhesive was magnetized or was similar to something those command strips where you could remove the wall covering easily without all of the hassle of having to strip the wall. What do you think?
These are all really cool ideas! You could sell a projector system and changeable patterns/prints. The machine could be returned to the manufacturer when they are done with it. Or, maybe it is a clear film with a pattern sketch on it that is rolled on after a wall is painted a solid color. The film might be made of recyclable materials, so you just peel off and recycle when you are tired of it. Continue to brew! This has potential for your semester project. You'd want to do some research to identify appropriate materials/equipment, etc.
DeleteJamie, good idea this week. Wall coverings are certainly coming back in style!(to my disbelief!) I think simplifying the materials of the all coverings would help, that way instead of having 30 different types to recycle, you would have 3. Also, for the uninformed reader, it would be a good idea to explain what technical metabolism is.
ReplyDeleteHi Josh, I agree with narrowing down the different types of wall covering, making it easier to recycle them. Technical metabolism, as I understand it, is where products are recycled, but during that recycling process the items are contained so that none of the harmful materials are leached out into the environment. Have a good week!
DeleteGood job this week! You picked an exact idea and went with it! I agree with Josh. You may need to explain better in detail the technical metabolism process that you are using. Other than that, great job!
ReplyDeleteLook at my response to Josh and let me know if it is helpful on explaining my technical metabolism I'm using.
DeleteI really like this idea! I agree with Dr. Armstrong though, you need to describe in more detail about how you will make the wall covering stick. Maybe there could be snaps like in the example of the carpet from the reading. Just a suggestion but overall good job this week!
ReplyDeleteHi Lindsey, I'm not sure that snaps would work for wall covering. It would be hard to hide snaps behind it. Maybe something like velcro would work or some kind of hook and loop system, although it might still be hard to hide behind wall covering. Have a good week!
DeleteHey Jamie. Again, I like how you choose specific items and hone in on them. Would you also suggest altering the production of the original wall covering to eliminate waste and chemicals from the get-go?
ReplyDeleteHi Brittney, I totally think that changing the original material makeup of the wall covering would need to be addressed. That way more of the original material could be broken down and made new. Have a good week!
DeleteHi Jamie! Great idea, especially since wall coverings are making a huge comeback right now :) Just like everyone else said, maybe next time just explain in more detail of how the product will work and what others materials will be used. Have a good week!
ReplyDelete