A Recycled, Sustainable Future

Abstract In India, there is a growing demand for sustainable packaging made of paper, jute, cloth, bagasse and compostable plastic. New age packaging materials are lightweight, durable and versatile but despite their ubiquitous presence and the critical role they play in our daily lives there is always a need to do more and more given the kind of growth India is witnessing. If compostable plastics or a totally new innovation is introduced in the market today, it would be a game changer and a breakthrough which has been in the waiting for quite a long time now. A panacea material of sorts which is cheap, durable, flexible, light yet strong and which can be utilized in a multitude of ways possible with packaging materials in use today. There are systemic challenges in managing packaging waste due to a host of factors but it can be addressed through innovations in collection mechanism and in recycling techniques. Sources of Packaging Waste Among sources of various kinds of packa...

1. The Design congruence Just like wind sets the boat sailing towards a smooth ride, a product design in true congruence with a sound use in afterlife is the key to achieving circularity. A cradle to cradle and multi-disciplinary approach within the design teams is important. Given the fact that, in circular economy, the aim is to reuse products at their highest value, the design strategies should not just have focus on the physical aspects of a product. It should also be designed keeping in mind the user behavior and resource loops. User behavior should be supplemented with deep dive studies to make the product reach its right destination at the end of life. Short of reuse choices, typical user behavior to dispose of the product is abundant in a linear economy but this can be arrested using smart choices through modular design and economic instruments. Additionally, slowing the resource loop and closing the resource loop in equal measures at the design stage itself ensures the d...

Abstract Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is an innovative building material especially suited for effective maintenance of existing structures or manufacturing new lightweight precast members or as secondary building material as an aid in main building material. Textile reinforced concrete is also a new age construction material where the basic difference lies in the material used for reinforcing. Under traditional methods, the steel reinforcing bars are used with the concrete but here the steel bars are replaced by textile materials. Steel has been known to corrode over time and it is where the textile reinforced concrete has been successful in filling the gap. It is much more flexible and versatile and has thus found requirements of varying and innovative nature in the construction industry. The textile reinforcement is the force behind an enhanced tensile strength, ductility and other features to the TRC materials. We discuss the fabrication methodology used, application ...