For more than a decade, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries has been honoring manufacturers and product designers with its most prestigious recognition: the Design for Recycling Award. The award is based on ISRI’s Design for Recycling® principles and focused on those products designed with recycling in mind.
“Effective recycling really begins at the point a product is first conceived,” said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. “The Design for Recycling® Award recognizes companies, designers, and manufacturers with clearly established mindsets that stand above others when producing products that can be recycled both safely and efficiently. When their product reaches the end-of-life stage it can be recycled in a manner that benefits the environment and the economy.”
To be eligible for ISRI’s Design for Recycling® 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 newly designed 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 not recyclable or impede the recycling process.
- Minimize the time and cost involved to recycle the product.
- Reduce the use of raw materials by including recycled materials and/or components.
- Have a net gain in the overall recyclability of the product while reducing the overall negative impact on the environment.
“Lexmark provides sustainable solutions throughout the entire product lifecycle—from sustainable design to efficient use to responsible recycling,” said John Gagel, Chief Sustainability Officer for Lexmark, winner of the 2020 award. “Sustainable design is one of Lexmark’s key CSR pillars. Winning the DFR Award validates our commitment to using materials derived from sustainable sources that are designed to have minimal impact on the environment throughout the print lifecycle.”
Interested parties can apply online for the 2021 award on or before the February 19 deadline. Applicants will be notified by March 22, 2021.