​​Designing Circular 3D Printing Ecosystems from Waste Plastics: Material Culture, Consumer Behaviour and Systems Thinking for a Sustainable Future.​

​This research seeks an individual from Industrial/Product Design and involves baseline data, co-design strategies, design of new products and materials experimentation. This research is associated with the AHRC Funded Future Island-Island project (AH/Y003780/1). Consumer product design using plastics, has significant implications for sustainability and responsibilities of the profession. Climate and ecology threatening litter is a key issue, where plastics account for 81% of regional marine litter (KNIB, 2020). These issues directly relate to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG12, and SDG14) and several DAERA waste management policies.

​Through design thinking and practice, the researcher is asked to consider waste plastics as a commodity within a 3D print ecosystem, serving repair and product innovation cultures, potentially reducing oil processing for virgin plastic, and carbon emissions from incineration. Here, plastic waste may be harvested to create new circular ecosystems. There is potential for domestic repair services within recycling centres or manufacture independence for rural (Oyinlola, & Kolade, 2023) or offshore island settings through ‘village level fabrication’ (Pearce et al 2010), with a low carbon footprint. Recycled plastics can be problematic for filament extrusion due to impurities and processes, however, within this research this will be mitigated through a methodology for similar issues with glass-filled filaments. Tailored 3D print filaments, sustainably sourced from local waste, may be developed to suit the environment where these resulting new products are to be used (McGarrigle et al 2017, 2019).

​Norman (2004) identifies the Emotional Domain framework that drives consumer behaviour; however, it also has potential to affect behaviour change where barriers to waste recycling exist (Roy et al 2022). Therein, the researcher will be expected to use a Systemic Design framework (Design Council, 2021) to consider 3D filament material culture, ease of adoptability, socio-cultural acceptance, and compliance challenges as 3D printing consumer demand increases.