About the Ethical Filament Foundation and current status

1. Ethical Filament Foundation
Investing in the future of socially
sound 3D materials sourcing
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2. Objective
•
The objective of the EFF is to benefit the world’s 15 million waste pickers who are among the
lowest income groups globally, by encouraging the use of ethically sourced recycled materials
to meet the rising worldwide demand for 3D printing materials.
•
We propose to do this by establishing an ethical filament product standard and associated
certification process that ensures the quality of the materials and the ethical sourcing of this
material
•
Materials that meet these requirements will be able to be branded as such for marketing
purposes and to signal the quality and ethical values of the materials to production
companies and consumers
•
The Ethical Filament Foundation has been established and is embarking on a live proof-ofconcept stage over the next 18 months
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3. Value ($/kg)
Value Creation
Typical value creation for filament
from recycled plastic
Waste picker’s earnings
($0.15/kg)
Processed plastic (shredded)
($3/kg)
Filament product
($30/kg)
Material sourced from waste pickers currently
makes up 0.5% of cost of filament
The unifying idea
• A unique offering with filament sourced directly from waste picker groups in
developing countries
• Filament is produced ethically on a ‘fair trade’ basis, from recycled waste
• Enabling the waste pickers to receive more income from the waste they collect
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4. Background: 3D Printing
•
3D Printing (or additive manufacturing) is a process of converting a
digitally designed or scanned object into a tangible three dimensional
solid
•
Unlike traditional manufacturing, it is an additive process whereby
objects are built from the ground up, layer by layer, with no or very
limited material waste
•
Main end markets are currently healthcare (e.g. about 90% of hearing
aids are 3D printed), automotive, industrial (e.g. aerospace) and
consumer
•
3D Printing is already a $2bn industry and growing rapidly
•
The four segments of the market are:
– Systems (the printers)
– Parts
– Software
– Materials
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5. In Pictures – some examples
Spare parts
Unique designs
And typical filament used…
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6. The 3D Printing Market
Revenues
USD (mn)
18.6
16.4
361
Industrial machines
13.4
295
Aerospace
10.2
6.8
5.2
114
Architectural
3.9
86
Other
3.6
100
618
741
889
1,067
1,281
20%
218
266
327
423
528
660
825
1,032
25%
550
676
865
1,040
1,269
1,550
1,893
2,312
22%
184
260
412
624
780
975
1,218
1,523
25%
336
392
440
540
675
844
1,055
1,319
25%
50
652
852
1,164
1,455
1,818
2,273
2,841
25%
1,070
1,327
1,717
2,204
2,724
3,368
4,166
5,154
24%
79
Total
538
150
Government/Military
410
225
Academic
332
410
Medical/Dental
201416
CAGR
480
Motor vehicles
2016
E
USD (mn)
21.8
2015
E
Services
total
Consumer products
2014
E
Service &
parts
%
2013
E
TOTAL
Revenues by end market (2012)
2012
Direct
parts
• 3D printing is critical in a range of manufacturing
and production environments already
2011
Products
total
• Materials use expected to double to $1bn+ over
next three years
2010
Materials
• Total market size estimated to $5bn by 2016
2009
Systems
• 3D Printing is a substantial industry already and
set to grow significantly over the new few years
2,200
Source: Credit Suisse
“A revolution [that] will change the world as much as the personal
computer did”
Chris Anderson (Wired)
“…[3D printing] is going to revolutionize design and
manufacturing in the 21st century.”
Elon Musk, CEO Tesla, Chairman Space X
Source: Wohlers Associates
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7. EFF initial focus: The Consumer Market
• The consumer market is moving from
early adopters to the main stream
Units
• Access to 3D printing either through
inexpensive printers (<$500) or via highstreet businesses
Consumer printer shipments
• The 70,000 printers to be sold this year
are a tiny fraction of the addressable
market and should double in three years 1)
• Materials still dominated by plastics, but
metals and other materials growing fast
2012 Material Sales to End Customers
($420mn) 2)
Photo-polymer
Laser-sintered
polymers
Metals
Other
1) & 2) Source: Credit Suisse, Sep 2013
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013E
Source: Wohlers, Credit Suisse
A number of established vendors have transitioned away from machines
aimed at hackers and makers into the prosumer domain, where machines
and associated services are now being marketed at a business-tobusiness level
53% of users stated their primary purpose for ownership was related in
some way to their livelihood
Econolyst White Paper
The two primary concerns about the viability of wide-scale use of low-cost 3-D
printing are (1) print quality and thus the suitability for market applications and (2)
the ease of use..
Elsevier
Mechatronics June 2013
A recent survey by Statistical Studies of Peer Production showed object quality
the number one area for improvement in 3D printing
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8. Sourcing the Materials
Input materials
Quality & ‘recylability’
• Current materials (the filament) is
sourced mainly from virgin (new) plastic
• Using recycled materials for filament
production would reduce the need to
produce new raw material – estimated to
be 1.5 million kilos for consumer use
alone in 2014
• There are 15 million waste pickers
globally who recycle and sell plastic
• Employing waste pickers can create a
reliable source of local supply of
sustainable materials
• Working with waste picker organisations
is most efficient route to signing up
suppliers
Dual aims:
Empowering waste pickers by
providing fair incomes and
higher value jobs
• Inconsistent quality is a major issue
for 3D producers
• A high-quality, globally consistent
production standard requires a
certification process that specifies
grading of various materials for use
in 3D printing
• A clear brand – à la Fair Trade –
with recognised
economic, environmental and
social standards, will build
awareness and demand for ethical
filaments
• Actions to facilitate and encourage
recycling for 3D printing such as
reduction of label use and printing
directly on bottle.
&
Improve ease of recycling for use in
3d printing and achieve
consistent, documented quality for
end users
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9. The Value Chain
Production
Raw materials
collection or
production
Processing
raw materials
for filament
production
Distribution
of processed
materials
Production
of 3D
printing
materials
Distribution
of printer
ready
materials
Branding
and
marketing of
materials
Lobbying
industry and
governments
Establishing
3D printer
operation
3D
printing
Collection
and
sharing of
3D print
designs
Sales to
end-users
Business development
Incentivising
and training
waste pickers
to recycle
materials
R&D for
recycling
different
materials for
3D printing
Materials
standards
and
processing
requirements
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10. The Foundation
The Ethical Filament Foundation aims to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Create and brand an ethical filament production standard and a certification process that
guarantees the quality and ethical value of any certified filament to a third party consumer.
Certification is process independent and only focuses on the quality of the final product and the social
benefit generated in the process.
Advertise and market the Ethical Filament Standard and certification process.
Promote the concept of recycling to produce Ethical 3D Printing Filament that is sold to improve the
livelihoods of waste pickers and their communities worldwide.
Sponsor research and development to improve the process for waste recycling at the grass root
level for use in 3D printing. All such research will be released to the Public Domain for use on an
unrestricted basis by social benefit organisations.
Create an information repository to make public domain information regarding current research
easily available to individuals or organizations.
Release research to the public domain for use on an unrestricted basis by social benefit organisations.
Our Vision:
•
•
We believe there is an opportunity to create an environmentally friendly and ethically
produced filament alternative to meet the needs of the rapidly growing 3D Printing market
We also believe that by doing this we can open up a new market for value added products
that can be produced by waste picker groups in low income countries
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11. The Next Steps
Key developments next 18 months:
•
Establish the Foundation that will be the guardian and promoter of the
ethical filaments brand and production process
•
Generate initial industry awareness and buy-in
•
Establish partnerships with 2-3 industry partners to conduct a proof-ofconcept
•
Enlist support and expertise from leading academic institutions
•
Engage with investors and funders to raise finance for a proof-of-concept to
fund:
– Launching the brand and promoting the concept
– Materials research to develop an acceptable standard of ethical
recycled filament for the consumer market
– Building a working model for entire value chain with a minimum
production output and distribution of 500kg of filament per month
– Development of a Blue-print for global roll-out
– Basis for funding of the ongoing operation
Started
http://ethicalfilament.org
Ongoing
3D Print Show London, Amsterdam
event, misc. press coverage *
started
ProtoPrint in India, Others in
discussion
Started
Michigan Tech, ICTP Trieste
Started
* http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/07/ethical-additive-manufacturing/
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