Recycled Content of Filamentive’s 3D Printing Filaments in Accordance with ISO 14021 Standard

According to UK-based 3D printing material startup Filamentive, 90% of all the plastic used in the world comes from non-renewable sources, which means there’s definitely a major environmental need for recycled 3D printing filament. That’s why Ravi Toor, the startup’s founder and director, decided to launch Filamentive back in 2015, with support from the University of Leeds.

Toor realized that the 3D printing materials market needed to change, and put his environment-based degree, and experience running a 3D printing business, to the test. He founded the startup in order to offer more sustainable filament that can address both environmental impact and the need for high quality materials at the same time.

“As 3D printing becomes more popular, plastic production and consumption will increase, causing many environmental impacts,” the startup notes on its website. “Filamentive was set-up to address the environmental concerns in 3D printing – committed to using recycled materials where possible, without compromising quality.“

Filamentive is an ethical brand, committed to both social and environmental sustainability, which is why it is so proud to announce the news that the recycled content of all of its 3D printing filament products are now in accordance with the ISO 14021 standard.

Toor said, “It is becoming evident that all consumers – from hobbyists to large businesses – are becoming increasingly environmentally-aware and so we will continue to set high targets for recycled content and the recyclability of our packaging.”

The Filamentive 3D printing material products listed below have all been evaluated by the International Organization of Standards (ISO) according to BS EN ISO 14021:2016 – Environmental labels and declarations — Self-declared environmental claims (Type II environmental labelling).

Filamentive has responded to the ever-growing issue of harmful waste plastic, and the rise of plastic usage due to the 3D printing industry, by remaining steadfast in its commitment to use a higher percentage of recycled materials in all of the products it manufactures and sells. In addition, the West Yorkshire startup is committed to creating recyclable spools and packaging, thanks in large part to the empty spool return initiative it launched in 2017.

“Due to FDM/FFF 3D printers using plastic materials as feedstock, unfortunately as 3D printing becomes more popular, plastic production and consumption will increase, causing the industry to exacerbate the global problem of plastic. Filamentive specialise in sustainable 3D printing filament materials. The company was founded to address to the environmental need to use more recycled plastics in 3D printing, and also alleviate market concerns over quality and long term sustainability,” Toor stated.

While 3D printing is actually far less wasteful than more traditional methods of subtractive manufacturing, such as CNC machining, using plastic as a feedstock could actually, according to the startup, “exacerbate the global plastic epidemic.”

Thankfully, there are many initiatives around the world that are set on using 3D printing to lower the amount of plastic that we waste, by making things like prosthetic limbs, furniture, shoes, and filament out of the used material. Filamentive is obviously focusing on the latter, and was also founded in order to challenge the common thought that products made from recycled materials are somehow of lesser quality.

The startup knows that high quality prints can only come from high quality filament, which is why it has committed itself to “strict waste selection and manufacturing procedures” so the 3D printing performance of its users isn’t impacted. The news that its 3D printing filaments are now in accordance with the ISO 14021 standard will only serve to help Filamentive continue its mission.

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