As you read this, you may notice that you are surrounded by several items made of plastic. This omnipresence is no coincidence; the versatility of plastic has made it suitable for a variety of applications, and was described by its inventor—Leo Baekeland— as “the material of a thousand uses.” However, when it comes to environmental impact, the problem lies in its very qualities: it is so durable, adaptable, and easy to produce (430 million tons per year) that, according to UN data, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the oceans, rivers, and lakes every day.
In the built environment, plastic has been incorporated into various materials, products, and construction systems, contributing to an environmental crisis that seriously affects the well-being of millions of living beings. Faced with this problem, one possible direction is to shift away from utilizing it. The search for plastic-free alternatives is marking a path toward a future where architecture is progressively disassociating itself from these polluting materials, promoting sustainable solutions that reduce our dependence on it and contribute to preserving the environment.
In this context, moving away from plastics is not a simple task that can happen overnight. Nevertheless, it is encouraging to see how proposals are emerging progressively and promoting the responsible management of resources, offering us alternatives to the use of plastics. So, to delve deeper into these innovations, we talked to specialists who are actively involved in their development, offering a broad vision that highlights their potential, scalability, and applications in architecture.
Bio-Based Tiles
Inspired by nature—particularly the ocean where bacteria within coral reefs have long been sustainably producing natural cement without emitting carbon—Ginger Krieg, the founder of StoneCycling, started investigating an alternative to Portland cement. In collaboration with Biomason, they developed a tile suitable for interior wall cladding, flooring, and exterior facade cladding.
Through this collaboration, they have achieved a significant milestone by building a factory to produce tiles on an industrial scale, marking a key breakthrough in the transition to more sustainable construction. The team emphasizes, “It required many iterations to make this happen in a technically and aesthetically sound way." At this stage, they are ramping up production, further showcasing the power of this technology.
StoneCycling emphasizes that the use of low-carbon and high-quality materials is essential in making the transition towards more sustainable construction, aligned with its mission to drive the development, adoption, and reuse of aesthetically appealing and environmentally friendly building materials. Moreover, it underscores the significance of making a resounding statement and showcasing the feasibility of alternative materials.
Zero-Carbon Bio-Cement
This material arose from the need to use local and easily transportable resources to build infrastructure in resource-scarce environments. Developed over five years by four professors at the University of Colorado Boulder, the process to create zero-emission bio-cement uses chlorophyll-rich microalgae.
The Prometheus Materials process replicates biomineralization to produce bio-cement sustainably, without carbon emissions. Mixed with aggregates, the bio-cement forms a carbon-free bio-concrete with mechanical, physical, and thermal properties comparable or superior to Portland cement-based concrete. In a few words, the product can be applied like traditional cement and concrete, extending to precast products such as modular blocks, acoustic panels, paving stones, and grass pavers.
For scalability, it's being considered a model that will license the technology to the world’s existing concrete manufacturers, who can use their existing equipment to mix it with local water, sand, and aggregates. In addition, they are actively fundraising to overcome a common challenge for green technologies: requiring larger upfront investments. Moreover, when thinking about the future of the construction industry, Prometheus Materials states, “We can make a profound difference in decarbonizing the most hard-to-abate sectors by using the gifts that nature provides.”
Acoustic Byssus Core Tiles
The development of mussel beard-based materials began in April 2021 when a documentary on mussel farming inspired the founder of Seastex. While observing the cleaning process, where machines remove the beards, it became evident that the discarded material was destined for the landfill as it had no further utility. Over the next two years, research into it led to the development of the core tiles.
Byssus threads are natural fibers sustainably obtained from aquaculture waste streams, created by certain marine and freshwater bivalve mollusks, which use byssus to anchor themselves to rocks and substrates. As a material for use in architecture, they can be shaped into panels, offering acoustic and insulating properties, as well as being a natural fire retardant. In addition, they contribute to the achievement of multiple sustainable development goals.
As stated by Seastex, this material, which they call Seawool, "serves as an alternative to mineral wool and petroleum-derived materials." Compared to other textiles, mussels are a sustainable alternative as they do not require feeding, antibiotics, or pesticides, reducing the negative impact on ecosystems. In addition, mussels have the remarkable ability to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) during their growth, contributing to mitigating climate change.
Natural Clay Plaster
With a background in natural building techniques—specifically earth building—, the founders of Clayworks chose to explore clay because of its aesthetic soulfulness, environmental benefits, and functionality. Thus, they created their mix of unfired clay plasters, incorporating minerals and pigments, to provide healthy, breathable finishes for interior walls and ceilings.
The adoption of clay plasters presents a viable alternative to traditional gypsum plaster and paint for interior walls and ceilings across various sectors, including retail, hospitality, and residential spaces. Drawing inspiration from E. F. Schumacher's "Small is Beautiful," the team underscores that “the demand for our products is growing so we have grown year on year, but we are very aware that we want to do this sustainably."
Clayworks firmly believes that by providing an alternative to toxic high-carbon materials, they can make a significant contribution to a more sustainable future in the construction sector. By championing unfired clay finishes, they are advocating for positive change and showing the architectural and design community that these finishes represent a positive step in the right direction.
A Platform of Plastic-Free Materials
As a brainchild of A Plastic Planet, PlasticFree emerges as a response to the plastic crisis, recognizing the need for a platform where creatives can find plastic-free solutions. The platform adopts a solutions-focused approach to the plastic crisis, collaborating with media, scientists, innovators, industry, legislators, governments, and the United Nations to accelerate change at all levels.
The platform's applications focus on unlocking solutions to real design and material challenges, significantly reducing research hours. This is complemented by staying ahead of the latest trends, legislative pressures, and product innovations shaping the current design landscape, and implementing tangible changes to achieve SDG goals.
To reach a larger number of users, the platform grows through its circular design events, keynotes, and panels of materials experts emphasizing that "It’s important to be where the creatives are, listening to their biggest challenges and collaborating to find solutions." Overall, the platform results in faster collaboration on sustainable solutions, where the biggest challenge is the speed of innovation, and where their deep knowledge helps to spark ideas and accelerate them.
Each of these innovations demonstrates that every step towards reducing our consumption of plastics is a positive one. While there is a long road of effort and challenges ahead, simply initiating a paradigm shift is plausible. Considering that these advances will positively impact future generations, it's crucial to continue this work and keep imagining new possibilities for reusing plastic waste. It will undoubtedly become more scalable and comprehensive, always aligned with the principles that drive these innovations: reducing our environmental impact.
