Plastic is perhaps the most common material in the entire world now. It has replaced wood, metal, and even fabrics like cotton and wool in a lot of different manufacturing areas. However, we can no longer pretend that plastic is a reasonable material to be used, due to the effect it has had on the environment.
The good news is that there are a lot of attitude changes happening in the world of manufacturing, and the effort to make more sustainable materials more common.
TechQuarters, the managed services provider London offers more environmentally focused and looks at helping companies reduce their ecological impacts.
There are a few eco materials that you can expect to see in your home in the future.
Renewable Wood
Whilst not a new or ground-breaking material in any way, wood was replaced by plastic in a lot of items during the course of the 20th century. Of course, deforestation remains a major issue that needs to be addressed, there are ways in which wood and timber can be made a sustainable materials.
Sustainably managed forests do exist, and ensure that as many trees are planted as the ones that are cut down – this is a similar principle to carbon offsetting. With this approach, as well as the fact that wood can be recycled in a relatively clean way, renewable wood is an infinitely better material to use than things like plastic.
Green Phones
We’re not talking about color choices here, but with smartphones being one of the most common items in all households, it seems important that they start to be manufactured with more sustainable materials.
In fact, Samsung has already made progress in this area. They have produced a number of smartphones that are made with up to 80 percent post-consumer waste materials. There is new IT support for solicitors solutions that suggest companies use Green Phones to do business.
Recycling material for phones is an excellent way to make them more sustainable. Samsung has even made a solar-powered mobile phone. It seems almost inevitable that these types of practices will become the norm, even among flagship smartphones.
Sustainable Leather
We prize items made with leather – such as furniture and shoes – for having superior quality and longevity. While it is true that leather, when taken care of properly, can last a lifetime, it doesn’t mitigate the fact that comes from an unsustainable source. Livestock has a very large carbon footprint. But, another material you undoubtedly know of is becoming a popular alternative to leather.
In Cork, which is flexible, strong, and comes from a tree and therefore more renewable, and has a smaller carbon footprint than leather. A material you probably haven’t heard of is, mushroom leather; and what about coconut leather?
There are many, many innovations happening in the materials sector, to find vegan and renewable materials that offer the same aesthetic and durability as leather.
So, with sustainability becoming a major trend in everything from business, technology, manufacturing, and even music, don’t be surprised if the houses, gadgets, and clothes of the future are made with more sustainable materials than unsustainable ones.