Can everything be recycled? Yes, with the sustainable systems described in this presentation. Sustainable production-consumption systems are cyclical and self-contained, not linear. The presentation points out the challenges that have to be addressed to make material sustainability possible. And finally, the presentation describes the work of the Institute for Material Sustainability, which is working toward making it possible to recycle everything.

1. Can we really Recycle EVERYTHING? Yes, we can. Here’s how…

2. Once a thing can be imagined, it can be engineered. — Janet Unruh

3. Contents In this brief slideshow, we’re going to look at a plan for recycling everything that’s made by us human beings. Let’s start by looking at our current linear production-consumption system. The Linear Production-consumption System Systems for Material Sustainability The Challenges The Institute and Its Goals Contact Us 3 1 of 34

4. The Linear Production-Consumption System This is the linear production-consumption system that we have in the world today. This system, although it provides a good lifestyle for some, consumes resources and produces garbage. There is no incentive to conserve. 2 of 34

5. Landfills Are Growing 5 Most people are aware of growing landfills, garbage dumps and islands of trash in the oceans … 3 of 34

6. Resources are Being Depleted But resource depletion is becoming a greater threat to the continued production of all the things we consume. 4 of 34

7. Linear Systems Are Unsustainable 7 Essentially, this linear system is not sustainable in the long term. A sustainable system must be cyclical, self-contained and self-perpetuating. 5 of 34

8. Eliminate Extraction and Disposal The main thing we must do is eliminate the extraction (of inorganic materials) and disposal from the system. x x Then we take the remaining roles and connect them in a circle. This may sound a little crazy at first, but we’re eventually going to have to do it—if we want to continue to produce and consume. We believe it is possible. We’re going to show you how. 6 of 34

9. 9 Systems for Material Sustainability Next we’re going to see a few examples of systems for material sustainability. There are two main kinds of systems, one for inorganic materials (metals, minerals and plastics) and one for organic (agriculture, etc.) The chief difference is that organic materials are composted to provide soil nutrition. Let’s take a look… The Linear Production-consumption System Systems for Material Sustainability The Challenges The Institute and Its Goals Contact Us 7 of 34

10. New, Sustainable Systems This is a generic version of a system for material sustainability. The materials that make up all the things that we produce and consume are contained within this system. Note that extraction and disposal are eliminated. 8

11. Inorganic Materials System This version of the system applies to things such as appliances, some furniture, electronics, vehicles, and buildings. Things such as these are made of inorganic materials— metals, minerals, plastics and industrial and household chemicals. These kinds of materials must be engineered to be 100% recyclable. 9 11

12. Two Important Roles Let’s look at two of these roles: the disassembler and the materials processor. These two roles exist now but they will be greatly expanded in the new system. 10

13. Disassembler 13 The disassembler is a factory for taking things apart. First, the plans for assembling and disassembling products are developed by the producer. The producer collaborates with the disassembler to design the disassembly factory and select equipment. It may even be possible to use the same factory for assembly and disassembly. 11 of 34

14. Reuse, Repair or Reprocess The disassembler uses a computerized system to automatically route products to the correct equipment to be disassembled. The disassembler then sorts the parts into three types: reuse as is, repair and reprocess. Parts that can be reused (after repair) are sent back to the producer. Parts that can’t be reused are sent to the materials processor. 12 of 34

15. Materials Processor 15 The materials processor is a facility that reprocesses unusable parts into stock. These parts are transformed by various means (e.g., melting down) and made ready for use in new parts and products. Here again, the plans for (re-) processing materials must be developed by the producer, who then collaborates with the materials processor to design the facility and select equipment. 13 of 34

16. Organic (Biological) Systems Naturally, some products are organic, meaning that their source is biological. Organic raw material producers are farms, logging and fishing operations, orchards, vineyards, meat and dairy producers. Things like wooden furniture, natural fiber cloth and food waste are routed to compost and then to fields and forests to provide nutrients to new crops. Let’s look at an example of a sustainable system for a product that uses both organic and inorganic materials: blue jeans… 14 of 34

17. Organic and Inorganic Products 17 In this system, the product, blue jeans, is made of cotton and metal (snaps and zippers). Since clothing may pass through several hands, the consumer is responsible to turn in items that are no longer usable. The cloth is shredded and used in agriculture and the metal returns to the producer. 15 of 34

18. Organic-only Products If the product (e.g., blue jeans) was made completely of organic materials like natural fiber cloth, wood, bone or even biodegradable plastic, it could go from the consumer directly to the materials processor. 16 of 34

19. More Information on Systems 19 These systems are explained in depth in the book, Recycle Everything—Why We Must, How We Can. This book is available on Amazon and other online booksellers. View the first third of the book in Google Books. Let’s move on to the challenges… 17 of 34

20. The Challenges The Linear Production-consumption System Systems for Material Sustainability The Challenges The Institute and Its Goals Contact Us Naturally, there’s a lot more to making sustainable systems successful. Let’s look at a few of the challenges… 18 of 34

21. Materials, Products, Costs, Experts and Mindset 21 These are some of the challenges that we face in implementing systems for material sustainability: Materials must be engineered to be recycled and reused. Material processing plants must also be designed, equipment created and processes defined. Products have to be designed to be disassembled easily and cost-effectively. Disassembly factories must be designed, equipment created and processes defined. The entire system must be optimized to be cost-effective. Some of the roles may be combined (disassembler, used-parts broker, materials processor, producer-assembler) to reduce floor space, equipment needs and transportation costs. For this effort to be a success, we’ll need a lot of help from experts in various fields. Everyone needs to adopt a new mindset of borrowing products (leasing, to be exact) rather than owning them. The Institute for Material Sustainability (i4ms) is working toward these changes… 19 of 34

22. The Institute and Its Goals The Linear Production-consumption System Systems for Material Sustainability The Challenges The Institute and Its Goals Contact Us Now we’re going to look at the Institute for Material Sustainability and its plans for making these systems a reality. 20 of 34

23. The Four Goals The mission of the Institute for Material Sustainability is to help industries make the transition to systems for material sustainability (s4ms). The institute plans to accomplish four main goals: Develop 100% recyclable materials for industry Design products using these new materials and new processes for material recovery Construct working models of systems for material sustainability Establish a consulting agency to work with industry to co-develop and implement these systems 23 Let’s look at each of these briefly… 21 of 34

24. Develop 100% Recyclable Materials First, we need materials that are 100% recyclable. We plan to solicit materials engineers worldwide to develop these materials through R&D challenges and prizes. 22 Prize for Innovation of 34

25. 25 R&D Challenges Here’s an example of a product with several challenges to be solved by materials engineers. First these materials have to be created, then the product can be designed. Challenge #1: Rigid plastic. Requirements: Challenge #3: Steel. Requirements: Non-toxic, no leaching 100% recyclable Washable Durable Stainless 100% recyclable Additional challenges: Requirements: Challenge #2: Glass. Requirements: Heating element Electronic controls Tempered 100% recyclable 100% recyclable 23 of 34

26. Design Products for Recycling Product designers and manufacturing engineers work together to design a product that is easy to assemble. Now they must also design the product to be easy to disassemble. Here are some of the things to consider: Factories and equipment must be designed for disassembly Processes must be optimized and documented All joins between parts must be reversible Parts must be designed to be recoverable and reusable Parts must be designed to have separable materials (for material reprocessing) Disassembly and reuse must be made cost-effective 24 of 34

28. Materials

29. Engineering designs

30. Parts

31. Assembly plans and processes

32. Assembly facilities

33. Disassembly plans and processes

34. Disassembly facilities

35. Materials processing plans and processes

36. Materials processing facilities

37. Parts creation facilities

38. Experts in process optimization (lean manufacturing)

39. PersonnelLet’s take a quick look at the test model… 25 of 34

40. Alpha and Beta Tests Start: System test team provides materials and parts designs to new parts suppliers Here is an example of an alpha test for a 100% recyclable product. The distributor/collector and consumer would be added in the beta test. Materials Processorreprocesses materials into stock for new parts Disassemblerdisassembles product s into parts, sends usable parts to producer; non-usable parts to materials processor New-Parts Suppliercreates parts needed for products Unusable parts Reprocessed materials Reusable parts Used products New parts Testingtests products and documents any issues Producerassembles parts into finished products New products 26 of 34

41. Consulting, Collaborating with Industry 29 After the Institute has developed a knowledge base, its experts will establish a consulting agency to work with industry to co-develop and implement these systems. 27 of 34

42. There’s Much More Detail in the Book The book, Recycle Everything—Why We Must, How We Can explains everything we discussed in this presentation in much more detail. The book puts these concepts within the reach of managers and enables them to apply the concepts in their organizations and supply chains. Please look for the book on Amazon.com and other online booksellers. Let’s work together to make the concept of recycling everything a reality… 28 of 34

43. The Linear Production-consumption System Systems for Material Sustainability The Challenges The Institute and Its Goals Contact Us 31 Contact Us We’re looking for people to support the work, discuss the ideas and provide expertise in several areas. 29 of 34

45. Assembly and disassembly

46. Equipment and facilities design

47. Finance

48. Business consulting

49. Website design

50. FundingPlease contact us if you can help. 31 of 34

51. Help Us Spread the Word We need popular support to spread the word that it’s possible to recycle everything! Here are some things you can do to help: Buy the book, read it, recommend it to others (buy it on Amazon) Share the website with others (www.rebk.org) Share this presentation with others Like and share our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/recycle.everything) Tell others! 30 of 34

52. More About Us Contact us here… Email: janet.unruh@i4ms.org Check out… www.rebk.org www.facebook.com/recycle.everything www.slideshare.net/i4ms (this presentation is available here) We look forward to hearing from you. 32 of 34