Revista 006 - A guide to low-impact materials

If you’re looking to shop with environmental consciousness, a reliable way to siphon out suitable products from greenwashing is to find out what their materials are made out of. But this is easier said than done. The terms used to describe such materials sometimes are not easy to understand. No singular material is the answer to all our environmental troubles. But, if we break it down, it becomes that much simpler to understand and make informed purchases.

rPET

PET is the abbreviation for polyethylene terephthalate. Complex name aside, it is a plastic. rPET, in extension, is recycled PET. PET is an extremely common material used in bottles, food containers, and packaging. The material is extremely versatile and can be found across a wide variety of products. For many, it is a desirable product due to its environmental and cost benefits. rPET is an environmentally smart choice because it not only reduces the carbon footprint of PET, it significantly lowers energy costs for production. rPET is also commonly used for fabric. In fact, at SURU, we use discarded plastic to turn into rPET for our durable yet soft fabrics.

rPMMA

Next up on the list is PMMA. PMMA is short for polymethyl methacrylate. It is better known as acrylic or organic glass. Like rPET, it is another thermoplastic. While PET can be used in fabrics. PMMA is commonly used in optical products or a glass alternative.It is known for its durability and its transparent properties. From car windows to the screen on your cell phone, PMMA may play a role. As you may be able to infer, rPMMA is recycled PMMA. It is useful for tasks such as diffusing light in lamps. SURU turns to rPMMA for our lamps for its strength and to reduce the environmental impact of our Teula line.

LED

This term may be more familiar, as it often shows up in lighting products. It stands for light emitting diode. LED has a high energy efficiency, meaning it does more with minimal energy. It can produce the same amount of light as other kinds of lightbulbs without using as much electricity. It drastically reduces energy costs and saves large amounts of money in the long run. Not only does it produce less heat, they last much longer as well. LED lights are suitable for a circular economy given its long life cycle and energy efficiency. For this reason, SURU uses LED lighting for our lamps to support our key pillar: circularity. 

Monomaterial

We‘re venturing into broader terms. Monomaterials isn‘t a single kind of material, but a term used to describe the materials of a product. If a product only has one material that it is made out of, whether it is glass or paper, it is considered monomaterial. The reason that this term makes the list is because monomaterials are much easier to recycle when it‘s only made up of one thing. Since only one material is needed, then monomaterials are also cheaper in general. Picture a package delivered to your doorstep. Not only is there the cardboard box, there may be bubble wrap or paper and plastic wrapping your product. That packaging alone equals several materials that each leave its carbon footprint. But you can mitigate this effect by only using one. And this is exactly what SURU does. Our Diari line, for instance, is made entirely out of cellulose board.

As a bonus, cellulose board is another environmentally friendly alternative. Not only is it effective insulation, its production process has a much, much lower energy cost. Even better, it is made out of recycled materials, mainly paper. It prevents tons of paper and the carbon it would release from reaching the landfill and leaking into the air. However, perhaps its primary benefit is that not only does it have an extended life cycle, when it reaches the end of it, it is compostable.

This short list only covers some materials with a lower environmental impact, but it is suitable for setting a foundation. Often, when we use environmentally superior materials, we not only help the environment, but we help ourselves because of the lower energy and production costs. The next time you go shopping, consider purchasing products made out of materials that have a lower impact.