About the Sustainable Materials Library in Taiwan
The Sustainable Materials Library (SML) was established by the Plastic Industry Development Center in 2020. From a material life cycle perspectives, SML considers the material that polluting the environment, the consumption of energy/resources, and difficulty in recycling, etc., and further select and sort into seven different materials, such as plastics, fibers, rubbers, metals, minerals, natural materials, and others. Through the SML platform, the designers can look, touch and feel the special features of each material, also the developers in materials can grasp the information about market demands.
Sustainable Materials defines as all materials that are in the stages included from collect the raw materials, product manufacturing, the process of use, and recycling of reusable materials with a minimum loading and harmless to the global environment and human health. The following is the features of sustainable materials:
1. Low hazards material: eight heavy metals, plasticizer, pollutant emissions
2.Energy-saving resources: low carbon, low materials consumption, foaming (lightweight), less volume (can disassemble or fold), natural materials (renewable resource), water-saving, durable (or increase of service life)
3. Easy to recycle: recycled materials, single material, easy to disassemble, recycling system, decomposable…
To stimulate a new mindset on sustainable environmental protection, SML will be matching the industrial chain collaboration, also provides the service on manufacturing the prototype, begin with a concept or idea, material selection, and then produce a small amount of prototype, to fulfil the sustainable design concept on the product.
