Proud investors and contributors to the Green Ceramics initiative
May 26, 2022
The SMaRT Centre has developed a Green Ceramics MICROfactorieTM at UNSW to not only conduct ongoing research and development on its ceramics technology and capability, but to advance its collaboration with industry and the community as part of its continuing work.
The UNSW Green Ceramics MICROfactorieTM has developed ceramics that have been used in numerous industrial and community settings, and commercial and community MICROfactories are now either established or are being established by independent operators.
The ceramics are used as kitchen benches, table tops, floor tiles, furnishings and for other applications.
One highlight and application for this ‘waste to product’ technology was in the collaboration with Mirvac.
Mirvac collaboration – Marrick & Co
As part of its Marrickville residential development, Marrick & Co, the first One Planet Living (OPL) community in NSW, Mirvac sought to highlight the benefits of using recycled waste in the home environment. Having succeeded in diverting 95 per cent of waste from landfill in the construction of Marrick & Co, just short of the zero waste target in its “This Changes Everything” sustainability strategy, Mirvac wished to turn the spotlight on one of the OPL principles relating to materials by transforming waste products into beautiful and useable furnishings for the home.
Mirvac Marrick and Co table
Mirvac introduced Australian designer Emma Elizabeth and Coco Republic, to the SMaRT Centre, and together the team produced a series of furniture including a dining table, side tables, and artworks, made from waste plastic, glass, corflute and textiles sourced from local supply chains. The textiles include a designer dress donated by Emma Elizabeth, and the waste Corflute banners came from promotional posters on campus at UNSW that would have gone to landfill. The products formed the centrepiece of a Mirvac-hosted media event to launch the development and display apartment.
Read more about the collaborative project in The Domain, on the Mirvac Residential website and watch Mirvac’s video while below is the UNSW SMaRT Centre video on the Marrick & Co collaboration.
*copied from https://www.smart.unsw.edu.au/technologies-products/microfactorie-technologies/green-ceramics with permission.