in new products
PHOTOGRAPH BY BY JON MORGAN
ADVANCES IN MANUFACTURING such as 3D printing technology are also creating promising new opportunities for creative and sustainable plastic sourcing . SmileDirectClub , for example , uses HP Multi Jet Fusion 3D printers to create molds for its custom teeth aligners — producing millions every year . Since each set of aligners is personalized for a specific individual , the molds that shape them can ’ t be reused . Instead of discarding them , SmileDirectClub sends them back to HP . The used molds are then chopped into pellets that become the source material for new plastics primarily used in the automotive industry , including fuel-line clips in Ford Super Duty F-250 trucks .
Alternative materials for making plastic is still a wide-open field , but the future impact could be large .
“ We ’ re at a perfect time — from consumer expectation , to the necessity of Earth health , and a fundamental science perspective — to really begin to tackle these grand challenges ,” says ASU ’ s Long . “ We have to get to the point where we view garbage as a resource .”
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