Plastics

EcoStrate wins ISRI 2017 Design for Recycling Award

Arlington, Texas-headquartered EcoStrate SFS Inc. has received the 2017 Design for Recycling (DFR) Award from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), Washington, for its ability to create composite plastic products from postconsumer, high-polymer-content scrap materials that are difficult to recycle. (EcoStrate was profiled in the April 2014 issue of Recycling Today, available at www.RecyclingToday.com/article/rt0414-ecostrate-sfs-company-profile.)

ISRI describes its DFR Award as its “most prestigious award.” It is presented annually to the most innovative contribution designed with recycling in mind and recognizes proactive steps made by manufacturers that incorporated DFR principles into products and processes.

“ISRI is proud to present the 2017 Design for Recycling Award to EcoStrate for its innovative technology that demonstrates a commitment to sustainability in the design and manufacture of its products,” says Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “The revolutionary process developed by EcoStrate has the potential to open new markets not just for plastics recyclers but [also] for those who handle electronics, textiles and other commodities. It is a prime example of how manufacturers and recycling industry can work together to expand sustainable manufacturing and recycling.”

Through the development of a new process, EcoStrate manufactures traffic signs, indoor/Americans with Disabilities Act signs, flooring and other surface materials from polymer content derived from used electronics, textiles and various other scrap. Prior to use by EcoStrate, ISRI says many of these materials were entering the waste stream because of their incompatibility with recycling technologies. Through its new manufacturing process, EcoStrate has created the ability to pull new materials into the recycling stream. Furthermore, each of the products EcoStrate produces is recyclable.

“Using EcoStrate’s proprietary technology platform, we’ve worked hard to create products and solutions that utilize the more challenging polymer waste streams,” says Ron Sherga, CEO of EcoStrate. “EcoStrate products can utilize 100 percent postconsumer scrap from e-scrap, textiles and packaging that are fully recyclable back into numerous EcoStrate products. Our traffic signage substrates and other composite products improve safety, lower cost and create environmental offsets in large end markets. These end markets are capable of large volume waste diversion and support the reduced usage of harmful chemicals and virgin resources. Our material sources and product solutions have a global impact in developing markets as well as here in the USA.”

EcoStrate received the award April 27, during ISRI2017, the association’s annual convention, in New Orleans.

To be eligible for ISRI’s DFR Award, a product must be designed/redesigned and manufactured to:

• contain the maximum amount of materials that are recyclable;
• be easily recycled through current or new recycling processes and procedures;
• be cost-effective to recycle, whereby the cost to recycle does not exceed the value of its recycled materials;
• be free of hazardous materials that are unrecyclable or that impede recycling;
• minimize the time and cost involved to recycle the product;
• reduce the use of raw materials by including recycled materials and/or components; and
• have a net gain in the overall recyclability of the product while reducing the overall negative impact on the environment.

ISRI began presenting its DFR Award more than 10 years ago. Previous winners include Samsung, LG Electronics, Dell Inc., Cascades Fine Papers Group and Hewlett-Packard.