Canadian entry Polyformer is the 2022 James Dyson Award's Global Sustainability Winner
The brief for the James Dyson Award is simple: design something that solves a problem. And this year's Global Sustainability Winner does just that. Polyformer is an open-source machine that recycles waste plastic (like plastic bottles) into 3D printer filament. Swaleh Owais from McMaster University, Canada, and Reiten Cheng from ArtCenter College of Design, USA, joined forces to create Polyformer, which aims to solve two problems: recycling plastic waste and accessibility to 3D printing. Polyformer takes one standard 500ml plastic bottle and produces three meters of 3D printer filament.