Ultimaker, a leading 3D printer manufacturer, works with the Better Future Factory’s Perpetual Plastic Project to reduce the world’s plastic waste and production by repurposing would-be garbage into sleek 3D prints and a unique new 3D printing filament called ReFil. The Better Future Factory is a multi-disciplinary design, environmental and engineering company that finds and develops creative yet realistic and sustainable solutions to the most pressing issues at hand.

Only 10-12% of the world’s plastic is ever recycled, resulting in massive amounts of non-biodegradable waste littering oceans and landfills. Jonas Martens, co-founder of the Better Future Factory recognized that 3D printing’s surge to the mainstream represented a new kind of Industrial Revolution so the Perpetual Plastic Project was designed, helping minimize waste by turning discarded plastic products into recycled 3D prints and filaments.

ReFil is produced through a simple process. Discarded plastic is first cleaned then ground into small pieces to make it easier to melt. After heating, the plastic is about the density of a stick of gum and can be pushed through a nozzle to create 3D printing filament of varying sizes. Then, the ReFil can be either sold to makers or printed using an Ultimaker in the Better Future Factory’s studio. Ultimaker’s open system design made it easy for the Better Future Factory to print using the new filament, since it allows users to use materials of any type to print high-quality designs with minimal waste.

ReFil can be purchased on their website: http://www.refil.nl/shop.html

To hear Jonas Martens and Perpetual Plastic Project’s story visit: https://ultimaker.com/learn/100-recycled-filament-from-perpetual-plastic-project

About Perpetual Plastic Project

Perpetual Plastic Project was successfully launched in 2012 by Jonas Martens and 5 other engineers. The project is an installation the gives people an incentive to hand in their waste: a cup for a newly 3D printed ring. PPP uses the Ultimaker 3D printer to show visibly show users and change the relationships people have with these everyday waste products. Recently PPP won Best Product and Environmental Education at the Mini MakerFaire in Trieste, Italy and Best Innovation in Materials for 3D-printing at IDTechEx 2015. To learn more about Perpetual Plastic Project visit: http://www.perpetualplasticproject.com/.