Design for Durability Seminar
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03.26.06
In 1988 Australia introduced the world’s first polymer bank note, to celebrate its Bicentenary. Not only did it greatly reduce counterfeiting, but extended the life of bank notes four to five longer than paper notes. Now there are said to be “more than three billion polymer notes in use in more than 22 countries.” And when the notes have done their time buying ice creams and movie tickets, their polypropylene substrate makes them perfect for recycling into compost bins, of all things. The green design profession can sometimes be blinded by the light of exotic new recycled or biodegradable materials, when simply creating a more durable product could indeed be the more environmentally benign option. An upcoming seminar will investigate this theme, at the Design Council in London on Tuesday 11 April. “The aim will be to explore the responsibility of designers for our throwaway society and their potential contribution to more sustainable consumption patterns through the development of longer lasting products.” ::Design for Durability Seminar via Eco PSFK.
Cripes - we've been doing this for years making gear that wears in - not out (www.cactusclimbing.co.nz) - if only people would listen....the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) should be Reduce, Design for longevity, Reuse, Repair, Reuse, Repair, Recreate, Recycle - or something like that....
As well as introducing the polymer note, Australia also did away with the most useless of currencies: THE PENNY. [I believe this was roughly 20 years ago]
it's not only australia. romanian bank notes are also made of polymer. :)