“When we started 3D printing 10 years ago, circularity was not a topic, it was about printing. Now it is about the sustainable options we offer.” After years of experimenting, Hans Vermeulen sees how you can create new interiors with empty milk cartons. It is increasingly possible to use waste in 3D printers.
Millions of milk and drink cartons are sold in the Netherlands every year, about 60 percent of which are collected with PMD waste. But what happens to it afterwards? The vast majority of the pack consists of cardboard, which is used to make toilet paper. A quarter of the drinks carton consists of plastic and aluminum and Hans Vermeulen uses these parts to print special wall panels.
Sports shoes, expensive cars and jewelry, all these products are presented in shops and showrooms made from, among other things, old milk cartons. The most exotic designs are created on the computer, which are patiently printed into panels by a large 3D printer. This creates special walls and that is exactly what Hans Vermeulen’s customers want.
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But special and striking is a relative concept in our fast-paced society. Before you know it, as an entrepreneur you are hopelessly behind and the interior has to be replaced with a new and even hipper one. This will become a lot more sustainable with the new technology. Because discarded wall panels disappear into the shredder, which turns them into ‘pellets’ again. Those grains can be put back into the printer, which turns them into something new.
“We can repeat that ten times at this point,” says Hans. And this saves a lot of raw materials. Because the customers of the Amsterdam company operate worldwide, the wall panels can be made anywhere with a suitable 3D printer. Currently mainly in Amsterdam, but: “We think it’s great that you can produce ‘locally’ anywhere in the world.”
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In addition to empty milk cartons, experiments are also being conducted with other types of waste. The panels will soon also be able to be printed with wood waste. The sawdust mixed with a resin can be used in a 3D printer. Electronics waste, such as plastic parts from laptops, can also be processed in the future.
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In addition to technical highlights, you can also create a more sustainable store interior with common sense and smart design. Designer Sandy Bruns has devised a modular system that allows retailers to present their goods. It looks simple, but adapts effortlessly to the wishes of the retailer.
Think of it as a library of Lego blocks. You take out what you need and build a practical presentation piece in no time. With a monthly subscription you can get all the parts you need. As a starting entrepreneur, Sandy is currently focusing on the fashion world, but her system can be used in almost all stores.
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Sandy worked in retail for a few years and saw that existing presentation furniture far too often ends up in the waste container. Then it no longer fit in with the new ‘store concept’. Her solution adapts to current fashion and is made of durable steel tubes that last a long time and can be supplied in any color.
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More and more North Hollanders are taking action to combat climate change. Residents are changing their lifestyle, buying responsibly and insulating their homes. Entrepreneurs see opportunities and break new ground with sustainable products and services. You can see it every Tuesday on TV in the Pak An Groen program.
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