Today, when global climate change is becoming more and more serious, circular economy has become the focus of attention of all walks of life. Recently, Shao Binbin, assistant professor of the School of Design and Art of Hunan University, led a group of sustainable and ecological design students to Hunan Vary Tech Co,Ltd. Twenty students from the College of Design and Art of Hunan University had an in-depth discussion on sustainable eco-design with Wang Jianbo, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Director of Sorting Together Technology of Vary Tech, and experienced the journey of combining theory and practice of sustainable design.
The research team first visited Vary Tech's low-carbon exhibition hall and the blue system of the two-network integration, gaining an in-depth understanding of the company's advanced technologies in plastic recycling, sorting, and reuse. Subsequently, both parties engaged in a lively discussion on various aspects of circular design, covering topics such as sources of recycling, the recycling and reuse of disposable food containers and plastic bottles, the establishment of a plastic recycling system, challenges in the recycling of takeout packaging, the recycling value and difficulties of different materials, the recycling system for small appliances, and the reuse of clothing recycling.
In the discussion, Vary Tech focused on sharing the establishment of a recycling system and elaborated on the sustainable recycling of waste plastics from the dimensions of physical and chemical recycling.
When the country strongly advocated waste classification, Wanrong Technology began to build a ‘Blue house-Blue car-Blue island (green sorting centre for renewable resources)’ two-network integration of the blue system, and has already achieved the recycling of all categories of renewable resources, including waste plastics, waste paper, waste metals, waste glass, waste rubber, waste textiles, waste home appliances, bulky waste, garden waste, business secret carriers and decommissioned equipmentm,etc. and its services cover large shopping malls, schools, organisations, factories, enterprises, districts and the residential end of the spectrum.At the same time, a comprehensive digital management system has been set up, including environmentally friendly carbon account management, collection and transportation management, traceability management, sorting management, visual data management, etc., with real-time feedback. The system provides real-time feedback on the situation of placement, collection, transport and sorting, and provides real-time and accurate data support for the supervisory and management departments.
This innovative model has been applied in various places in Changsha County, Wangcheng District, and Liuyang City in Hunan Province, with remarkable results especially in Changsha County. Changsha County has been rated as a national demonstration county for domestic waste sorting and resource utilization, and has become a benchmark for rural waste management models in the national ecological civilization construction demonstration area, attracting attention from central and local mainstream media. Its Blue Island is also the first certified green sorting center for renewable resources in Hunan Province.
For high-value waste plastics, such as old refrigerators, Vary Tech adopts physical recycling method. First, through advanced complete sets of equipment for harmless treatment and resource recovery of waste refrigerators, efficient separation of plastics, copper, iron, aluminum, foam, and other resources from the waste refrigerators is achieved, with a plastic sorting rate exceeding 97%. Next, the sorted plastics undergo a combination of processes including crushing, washing, and melting, ultimately transforming into high-quality recycled pellets, which are then widely used in the manufacturing of small home appliances, computers, laptops, mice, and other products. For mixed waste plastics, Vary Tech adopts a chemical recycling approach, converting them into resources such as oil, gas, and carbon through an oxygen-free pyrolysis facility, and then further processing for end-use applications. At the same time, Vary Tech shares some of its waste material treatment experiences, such as waste textiles and waste plastic bottles. These practical cases provide valuable industry insights for students.
Assistant Professor Shao Binbin from the School of Design and Art at Hunan University pointed out that this field trip provided students with a rare opportunity to integrate what they have learned in the classroom with industrial practice. Sustainable design is not just a design philosophy; it is a core competence that future designers must possess. This field trip has contributed to the formation of the concept of sustainable design and has provided some inspiration for the development of the subject.
Li Chengbo, a doctoral student at the School of Design and Art of Hunan University, stated that the recent inspection has given her a deeper understanding of circular design. The forward-thinking approach of circular design is crucial for maximizing resource utilization and improving energy efficiency.
Wang Jianbo stated that Vary Tech welcomes more university students to come for on-site learning and research, hoping to cultivate more future designers with sustainable design thinking through industry-academia cooperation.
This exchange not only strengthened the cooperative relationship between Hunan University and Vary Tech, but also allowed students to deeply understand the concepts of circular economy and sustainable design through hands-on experience. As an important part of the "Sustainable and Ecological - Thematic Design" course, this field trip provided students with abundant inspiration and practical foundation, which will help them apply sustainable concepts in future design projects, create more environmentally friendly innovative products, and contribute their creativity and wisdom to solving environmental issues.