Abstract:

The current approaches referred to the design of new sustainable materials are related to the existence of a greater awareness of energy dependence and the unfavorable consequences for the economy. The increase in environmental regulations for consumers forces the industry to look for new production technologies and environmentally friendly products. Multiple experiences have been carried out in academic research projects that integrate students and researchers, to train conscious professionals on the relevance of reframing approaches related to the use of polluting materials and the need to replace them with new sustainable materials. This, added to the search for more environmentally friendly alternatives, increases the value of the development of actions of this type. However, a scarcely addressed subject is the development and implementation of management models for an effective use of these materials, wasting the opportunity to make a change in the conceptual and detailed design of products with a market vision. The objective of the research is to define a management model that provides parameters for the manufacture of sustainable materials made in the laboratory, based on household waste Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The concept of industrial symbiosis is applied, which is a form of intermediation to bring organizations together in innovative collaborations, finding ways to use waste from one entity as raw material for another. It can reduce the need for conventional raw materials and the generation of waste without reuse visualization, closing the material circuit, a fundamental characteristic of the circular economy and eco-innovative solutions.

The methodology includes six stages for the creation of a management model that has as a case study a material designed with Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) waste, a 100% recyclable plastic that is mainly used in the manufacture of bottles:
1. Identification of PET waste collection systems for home use, using territorial mapping software;
2. Collection logistics;
3. Distribution to the place of processing;
4. Material manufacturing;
5. Material distribution logistics to the final product manufacturing site;
6. Distribution of the final product.

The conclusions allow visualizing a management model that implies the coordination of actions between the cycles of waste deposit by users and the logistics of manufacturing and distribution with market projection. The experience allows to obtain collaboration guidelines between academic research projects and the training of university students, beneficial for future eco-innovative actions related to the integration of sustainable materials in final product manufacturing chains. The results define the logistics and production process for the elaboration of a material made with PET waste, times, equipment, logistics and associated costs, which show data related to the viability of the proposal

Keywords:

Eco-design, education, industrial design, material design, research project sustainability.