Trailblazing material scientist Veena Sahajwalla is internationally renowned for her pioneering work in uplifting waste and recycling it into valuable resources. As the founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology (SMaRT) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, she is leading the charge in producing a new generation of materials and products predominantly sourced from waste. In this episode of Design Emergency, Paola Antonelli discusses with Veena some of her contributions to the science, technology, and culture of recycling, such as the Green Steel process, which ingeniously harnesses waste tires that would otherwise languish in landfills as a substitute for coke in steelmaking. Her innovative approach has paved the way for a plethora of waste-to-value solutions that tackle some of the world's most challenging waste streams– including electronic and automotive waste, not to mention batteries––and transform them into materials that can be reintegrated into manufacturing processes. One of her most notable accomplishments is the establishment of the world's first e-waste microfactory in 2018, followed by the launch of a plastics microfactory in 2019. These microfactories––“small, bespoke, adaptable modular recycling plants,” she explains, “located wherever waste may be stockpiled”––provide local communities with cost-effective means of producing essential products, materials, and resources from local debris, thus contributing to a more sustainable, decentralized approach to manufacturing. With her dedication to the whole life cycle of materials and her vision for localized and community-centric supply chains and production, Veena Sahajwalla is making significant strides towards a circular economy and ecosystem. In other words, towards a better future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.