Video reflection: How it is made

It is imperative that all Industrial designers are knowledgeable in how things are made, as this information will help them to fully resolve their designs. The video series 'How it is made' portrays a succinct overview of how different everyday household items are manufactured and processed. It gives an overview of how packaging develops from its initial raw material form and then the processes it undertakes to become the final product. These packaging includes cardboard boxes, packaging tubes, tetrapak, aluminium cans, plastic bottles/jars and glass bottles. The series give us as designers a concise insight about the various production processes related to packaging or other product designs. Some interesting facts I took out of the videos were:

• the cardboard box was invented by accident
•   Tetrapak's have a 1 year shelf life without refrigerating
•  plastic is graded into various bins
•  aluminium cans can be infinitely recycled
• recycle glass endlessly, uses less energy than producing metal or plastic
• recycled plastics lose some of their properties

Three take home messages from this series I'd mention are:

1. It is important for designers to understand how packaging is made and manufactured, as it seems to be a necessity with everyday products
2. Packaging should be either recyclable if disposable, or reusable. This limits the environmental impact and allows consumers to get the most out of the products, including the packaging
3. Packaging can at times be a major necessity in relation to health and safety impacts, so its function and purpose should not be overlooked or ignored  

Video reflection: Giving packaging a new life

Industrial designers should watch 'Giving packaging a new life' as it gives a succinct analysis into the recycling process of everyday consumer products and packaging. The series looks at the six main types of packaging materials used in the world. It details how these are sorted and then the recycling process they undergo to become 'new' raw materials for other products. By watching the series, industrial designers can learn what materials to make their products from to make them more recyclable and have less of a damaging imprint on the Earth. Some interesting facts I took out of the videos were:

•  waste paper accounts for 60% of material for new paper
•  remaining plastic and aluminium in tetrapaks are used for cement
•  steel scrap makes up 40% of the raw materials for steel productions
•   magnetic fields separate aluminium cans from other waste
•  glass bottles need to separated by their colour before being recycled
•  plastic packaging used to be incinerated or sent to land fill

The final video in the series looked at the future of recycling and sorting innovations. The world's first fully automatic sorting plant is established in Hannover, Germany. A large sieve drum separates most of the recycled materials based on size and shape. A large magnet then removes the cans from the remaining recycled waste. Paper is removed in large washing drums, whilst aluminium is removed using an endocurrent separator.

Three take home messages from this series I'd mention are:

1. It is imperative that us as designers and consumers choose to create or purchase products whose materials can be safely and efficiently be recycled. This reduces the amount of raw materials needed to produce other items which is important as we need to sustain our natural resources as the world population continually expands.
2. Countries need to get to the same standard as Germany when it comes to the level and promotion of recycling. It seems everyone in Germany is doing their part to recycle as much as they can. In Australia consumers just throw all glass bottles into one bin, whereas in Germany consumers have to sort them by colour.  Also Germany has the world's first fully automatic sorting plant.
3. More investment and incentives need to occur in some countries to promote recycling. Generally we are doing okay in terms of recycling, but we can do much better. Incentives could include cash rebates for the amount you recycle. This would be aimed more at large businesses that go through a large sum of recyclable materials.