An investigation into the utilisation of recycled plastics for design applications

M.Tech. (Interior Design)In an endeavor to achieve, the activities of many industries will need to transform and design is no exception. Commercial design has played a substantial role in contributing towards waste-generation, pollution and the exhaustion of non-renewable resources. Fundamental to achieving sustainable development is the need to determine design's contribution to economic growth in relationship to social development and environmental preservation, as these issues are completely interdependent (and need to be considered as such) if sustainability is ever to be achieved. Although much theoretical information about sustainable design has been made available, little evidence exists to prove that this theory is being put into practice, specifically in South Africa. It is also unlikely that the solutions engineered in some of the more developed countries can simply be transferred into the context of a developing nation with its own very specific social, economic and environmental conditions. This seems to justify the need to research practical and contextualized methods of implementing sustainable design theory. The main research methodology implemented in this project has taken the form of applied or practice-based research, in order to determine the feasibility of implementing established ecological design theories. Initially, theoretical research was conducted to establish the principles of sustainable design; these principles were then contextualized according to South African specific conditions and manifested in a practical application in the design and manufacture of artifacts. A consumer sampling was also undertaken to determine consumer response and economic viability of these products..