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Last week I shared some photos from my recent trip to Taiwanese textile factories. While there I Taiwan, I was able to go to Ariaprene’s scrap recycling facility. The scrap recycling was really amazing to see in person, however hopefully the following photos will give you a sense of the facility minus the scorching heat!

What stood out to me, was how much left-over foam is normally thrown away. The end scraps and cutting loss make up a significant amount of foam as you’ll see from the images below. Other synthetic rubbers cannot be re-pressed into recycled sheets the way Ariaprene can, which means that all the scraps you see below, would normally end up in a landfill. Thankfully, we’re continually finding new uses for our Ariaprene scraps, from planters to baseball cap bills.

I was over in Europe a couple years ago, and was pretty impressed with some of their green infrastructure. What I mean by this, is that life was structured so that it’s easier to follow certain green practices than not. Getting around by public transportation whether it’s on the metro, bus or bike, is typically easier, faster and cheaper than taking a car. Grocery stores charge to use one of their bags for your groceries. A couple times of having to pay for your bags, not to mention the stigma felt being the ‘foreigner using plastic bags’, and soon you never forget to bring your own. I’m not suggesting that Europe’s got it figured out by any means. Europe is now considering a plastic bag banfollowing suit of certain US cities like San Francisco and Long Beach. I’m proud of San Fran for taking a risk and creating a prototype that could be followed by other cities, countries and continents around the world.

Image Credit iguide

Lately I’ve found myself in a number of conversations talking about American identity within the world today. Some countries are strong in manufacturing and some in agriculture & farming. While we have somewhat of a presence in the agricultural markets, what’s made America strong in the past has been our ability to innovate. As a people, we invent, we problem solve, and we push the limits. We might not have made it or grown it, but we can come up with new ways to use it and adapt it. So shouldn’t we be the ones to push the limits for green practices? Why can’t we find ways to make it better and easier to go green? As a country, we need to find new ways to make the green choice become the simple, obvious choice. With infrastructure like city bike stations, laws like plastic bag bans, and new inventions and adaptations like Ariaprene, we need to step up to task. There are products and solutions out there, that are cost effective, technically superior and greener than their standard counter parts. Why would we not make a switch?

Leave a comment below with your suggestions about the green product you couldn’t live without. Tell us why you love it and where to find it!

Scrap Recyling

American Innovation