Sustainability has quickly become the new standard in business. Coupled with the push for more environmental regulation and calls from consumers for greener practices and greater transparency, many brand manufacturers are completely rethinking their supply chain and manufacturing processes to be more efficient in terms of sourcing and production waste and overall impact on natural resources like water and land. Alongside this, businesses are reviewing product development to consider alternative materials and modular designs that enable easier repair, recycling or upcycling of core components to keep them in use and out of landfills. 

Within this report, PSFK unpacks opportunities in sourcing methods from science-backed efforts and regenerative agriculture to programs that recycle old products into high-quality materials. On the product side, we explore the viability of on-demand production as an antidote to mass manufacturing and consider the benefits of open source design. It’s an important topic and one we’re excited to share.

Published June, 2021 #eco-conscious #operations #papers #recycle #snapshots #176301106 #upcycle