Top 7 most innovative materials in line with the principles of sustainable development and the circular economy. The main concern of manufacturers is to minimize the negative impact on the environment. Now, when a new product is being developed or a building is being designed, first of all, their intensity of influence on our land is taken into account. Industrialists have all the tools to determine the level of this impact, and many companies are on the path to research that promises to revolutionize the way we think about materials, manufacturing, and design.
3D-printed bioplastic floors
The Dutch company Aectual has introduced a new technology for creating floor coverings. Huge robotic 3D printers are used to create its product, as well as bioplastics from plants. Thanks to the use of recycled and environmentally friendly materials, the production of these floors creates almost no waste. Floors can be adapted to rooms of any shape and size and can be decorated in a variety of patterns, from factory-designed to user-suggested. This is a great example of how sustainability also means being creative.
Dishes from food waste
Japanese designer Kosuke Araki has created a series of dishes and utensils based on material created from ordinary food waste. This series called Anima Collection was created to encourage people to think about their own consumption habits. All products are made from charred vegetable waste mixed with animal glue and finished with urushi, a traditional Japanese lacquer with historical ties to tableware and food.
Inflatable metal with FiDU technology
The Polish company Zieta has developed a revolutionary technology called FiDU. This process allows the creation of innovative, bionic shapes and objects that can then be completely recycled. It uses mass production and special molding methods. Zieta introduced a line of “inflatable” metal pieces of furniture made using this technology. For example, a chair made of hydroformed metal. Two sheets of metal are welded together along the contour of the chair. The object is filled with liquid under pressure, after which the legs of the chair take on their “inflated” shape. Zieta is currently making attempts to bring this technology into architecture: it can be used to create facade elements and in industries where ultra-light structures are used.
Algae glass
Dutch studio Klarenbeek & Dros is turning live algae into bioplastic suitable for 3D printing. The result of this research is an elegant collection of bowls and vases, created on a 3D printer. The designers believe their new algae polymer could be used to make anything from cosmetic bottles to tableware. And he, ultimately, is quite capable of replacing plastic derived from oil. The dream of the designers from this studio is to create a local network of biopolymer 3D printers, a kind of “3D bakery” where people can “bake” organic raw materials like fresh bread.
Mesh concrete panels
French concrete flooring company Butong has unveiled concrete panels that are created by pressing a cast substance between two extruded-cell mold dies, thus creating a two-grid structure. The panels are suitable for application in architecture, exterior and interior decoration. Holes can be filled with concrete, or glass or left unfilled, depending on the specific requirements. Due to their 3D structure, flat panels use 80% less concrete compared to solid concrete panels with the same resistance. If used as green walls, these panels could help deal with the dramatic (and, according to scientists, harmful) insect declines in urban areas.
Basalt fiber
The attention of the Rapp + Unger studio in Berlin was captured a few years ago by basalt: a rock formed from hardened lava that has valuable mechanical, chemical and thermal properties. The designers have created Stone Web, a series of diverse basalt modules. To make these modules, the fiber is impregnated with resin and wrapped in a web shape around the mold. Once the resin hardens, it becomes as strong and hard as the basalt itself. Depending on the thickness of the thread, the surfaces have different density and strength. The modules are very light and durable: they can also be used to create furniture. They can also be used in the metropolis: they are suitable for creating large spatial structures or urban furniture, as they are easily scalable and optimize production.
Acoustic panels Indigo
A product featured in leading reviews of new technological materials is Indigo acoustic panels, created by the German Studio Flaer. In this office, all issues related to the speedy introduction of the circular economy are being studied. So, Taiwanese cultural heritage is at the heart of their new elegant acoustic panels. The designers studied local traditions and customs associated with sound-absorbing spatial structures. And they proposed to make panels from completely organic banana and mulberry fibers, which were dyed with natural indigo extract and framed with bent bamboo. To create a biological closed loop, all materials are treated as non-toxic and biodegradable.
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