According the想象2050年报告，三个关键行业的公司站在浪费的材料和能源的矿山中，价值50亿美元，这仅在英国。该报告是由Veolia开发的，Veolia是一家在全球范围内运作的资源优化咨询公司。
根据该报告，食品和饮料，制造业和化学品是具有减少浪费并在此过程中产生新收入流的巨大潜力的三个行业。为了实现这一目标，公司必须采取措施，以避免，再利用，回收和重新制造浪费，以加入循环经济的概念。
Circular Eco
Circular Economy, a term coined by David Pearce and Kerry Turner, is a concept that seeks to make optimum use of resources in order to avoid waste. This approach means thinking how resources move in a much more systemic way. A truly circular company doesn’t really have any waste, since it finds a way to make a product out of every element created throughout its manufacturing process.
我n contrast, the traditional economic model, that could be described as linear, is only concerned with a“take, make, sell, dispose”很少从废物中受益的机械师。
Enter the Tech
3D打印在对未来的愿景中起着关键作用，以及机器人技术的兴起和材料技术的改进。这些技术的组合可以使制造业的灵活性更高，同时还可以减少废物。
‘The same factory might be able to produce an automobile, followed by a washing machine, followed by a dishwasher, followed by an industrial crane. That all comes from the concept of 3D printing,’says Veolia contributor Richard Worzel, Senior Futurist of Futuresearch, and leading trend analyst.
Material World
目前在材料技术方面的研究意味着材料变得越来越轻巧，更可回收。新材料将允许使用更少的材料和能量生产结构。“Graphene and nanotubes are several times stronger than steel and will be fairly cheap by 2050. They’ll help us make structures much more elegant, and use far less material”Futurizon的伊恩·皮尔森（Ian Pearson）写道，还为2050年的Imagine报告做出了贡献。
材料科学的进步对于增材制造而言，由于它扩大了生产能力，因此特别重要。例如，如3DPI之前报道的使用增材制造技术制成的永久磁铁现在优于传统磁铁。This allows designers and engineers to reconsider the possibility of using 3D printing to create electric motors while avoiding waste of valuable minerals such as neodymium.
Manufacturing Everywhere
Another distinct advantage of flexible manufacturing is the possibility of bringing localized production to urban spaces. As reported by Veolia, 70% of the population will be living in cities by 2050. The growing trend of Makerspaces and Fab Labs are seeking to cover this ground by democratizing manufacturing capabilities.
A combination between the growing population and advances in technology are shaping the world, forcing us to reconsider our current production model. By leveraging the current technological trends, embracing economical changes like Circular Economy, and ideological ideals such as the Maker movement, we stand a chance at creating a thriving global society.
特色图片显示塑料废物via PBS.
