On Dec. 16, 2024, the Recycled Materials Industry (ReMA) opened applications for the 2025 Design for Recycling® (DFR) Award. The DFR Award is ReMA’s highest recognition given annually to the most outstanding product designed with recycling in mind. The award recognizes the proactive steps made by manufacturers who have actively incorporated DFR principles into products and manufacturing processes.
Begun more than 30 years ago, ReMA’s Design for Recycling® initiative encourages manufacturers to account for the end of a product’s useful life, by considering what else it can become, during the design-stage of a product’s development.
“The concept of ‘design for recycling’ started in the 1980s with making sure that consumer durables, like appliances, could easily be recycled at their end of life,” said Dr. David Wagger, ReMA’s chief scientist/director of environmental management. “As the concept has evolved and changed to account for both the supply and market of recycled materials, we’ve taken a more holistic approach to the award.”
Designing with recycling in mind means recognizing that a product’s usefulness does not end because the original intent for the product has run its course. By designing with this methodology, manufacturers use recycling and repurposing to plan out the product’s new lifecycle, which reduces reliance on natural resources.
To be eligible for the award, a company’s product(s) 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.
The following are examples of products made using the Design for Recycling concept from 2020 to 2024. Each is a winner of ReMA’s DFR Award:
The REMADE Institute – 2024 Winner
REMADE is the only national institute focused solely on developing innovative technologies in sustainable product design, recycling, systems analysis, and related areas to increase the supply and use of recycled materials.
EnviroSense® PaperBlister™ Packaging – 2022 Winner
Sonoco Alloyd
Made entirely from renewable resources, the mono-material EnviroSense® PaperBlister™ package is plastic-free and completely recyclable in the paper stream. EnviroSense PaperBlister packaging offers a recyclable alternative to traditional retail plastic-to-card blister packaging – all without the need for costly new sealing equipment lines.
The Design for Recycling® Award is ReMA’s highest award that is offered annually to the most outstanding contribution to products designed with recycling in mind. It recognizes the proactive steps made by manufacturers who have actively incorporated Design for Recycling® principles into their products and manufacturing processes.
EcoCart™ – 2021 Winner
Cascade Engineering
EcoCart™ is the first cart ever manufactured with residential bulky rigid plastics from curbside collection, like. It delivers the same durability, shape, and performance and is recyclable.
Lexmark Toner Cartridges – 2020 Winner
Lexmark
Lexmark Toner Cartridges are designed with recyclability in mind by planning cartridge design and selecting materials that work well in Lexmark’s recycling process for reusing and recycling all parts at Lexmark.
“We hope to see submissions from a variety of industries like automotive, textiles, or home goods,” said Natalie Messer Betts, ReMA’s assistant vice president of sustainability. “This award is open to both members and nonmembers, and we’re excited to see what kinds of products manufacturers have created.”
The winner will be recognized at ReMA 2025 – The Show on May 12, 2025, in San Diego, CA. The deadline for submission is March 3, 2025.
