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Towards a more sustainable industrial design sketch modelling practice: An overview of associated materials and their life cycles
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This review paper looks at the environmental and health impacts of materials used to make quick prototype models in industrial design, like foam and paper. The researchers found that foam materials commonly used by designers are made from petroleum and release tiny plastic particles (microplastics) into the air when cut or shaped—particles that can be breathed in by students and workers. Since this modeling practice is taught early to design students, switching to safer, more sustainable materials now could reduce harmful exposure and waste across the entire design industry for years to come.
This study supports the shift towards more sustainable industrial design sketch modelling (the making of expressive models for problem solving) by detailing the material needs and sustainability concerns that result from the practice’s disposable nature. This transition also provides another opportunity to embed sustainable thinking throughout industry, as sketch modelling is taught early in a designer’s education. This study is centred around an overview of the literature on the roles and life cycles of commonly associated materials, with a focus on paper derivatives, polystyrene and polyurethane foam. The polymer foams, in particular, can result in widespread environmental harm, from their petroleum-derived production to the generation of microplastic dust during modelling. Beyond emphasising that future material recommendations should be more specific, such as suggesting “fully recycled unbleached paper” instead of just “paper”, more specialised environmental data is needed alongside presenting it in a way that best supports design practitioners and educators.
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Study of the release of microplastics during the use phase of products from the plastics industry
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Researchers investigated microplastic release during the use phase of plastic consumer products across multiple product categories from the plastics industry, examining how ordinary use conditions generate plastic particles that enter food and the environment. The study contributes to understanding the full microplastic lifecycle as the plastics industry transitions toward reuse-oriented product models.
Being Plastic
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Plastic is everywhere now — even in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat — with tiny plastic particles finding their way into our bodies. This paper points out that buildings and construction are a huge source of this problem, since 14% of all plastic made each year goes into building materials, and calls on designers to use natural materials instead of synthetic plastics to help protect our health and the environment.
Developing the Styrofoam Systems Education Model (SSEM): An Integrative Critical Review and Conceptual Framework for Mitigating Polystyrene Foam Pollution
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This review paper summarizes existing research on foam plastic (Styrofoam) pollution, covering its environmental and health effects, policy, and education efforts. The authors propose a new framework for teaching about foam plastic that links five areas of knowledge and action, but note this model has not yet been tested for its effect on actual foam use or pollution.
Microplastics and human health: Exposure pathways, toxicological impacts, and sustainable risk management
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Tiny plastic particles called microplastics are getting into our bodies through the food we eat (especially seafood), the air we breathe, and even our skin, and once inside, they may cause cell damage, inflammation, and can carry other harmful chemicals along with them. This review paper pulls together what scientists currently know about these risks and points out that we still don't fully understand the long-term health effects of repeated exposure over time. The takeaway: cutting back on plastic use and pushing for better food packaging and policies now could help protect our health before we know the full picture.
Integrating impacts of microplastics in Life Cycle Assessment modelling: the work of the MarILCA group
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This paper describes the work of the MarILCA group to incorporate microplastic impacts into Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) modeling, which evaluates the environmental footprint of products and processes. Currently, most LCA studies ignore plastic leakage to the environment, creating a blind spot for the real-world impacts of plastic production. Integrating microplastic impacts into LCA could help guide more sustainable material choices and policy decisions.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.