3D-PVC (by Octagon 3D)

Nearly 300 million tons of plastic is wasted or thrown away annually, the majority of which end up polluting our oceans. There are 7 major types of plastics, some of which (ex: PVC) cannot / are difficult to be recycled. This contributes to a meager 9% of plastic waste being recycled annually.

3D-PVC aims to revitalize these plastics. Using a simple, cost-effective and scalable process, we are able to break PVC down into pellets without producing toxic fumes. The created pellets are strung into wires and spooled for sale to an industry at the forefront of technological innovation: 3-D printing. Additionally, we use the filament to print a modern line of recyclable fashion products.

Profits furnish sponsored workshops in schools, aimed at providing youth with “essential” tech skills (i.e. coding, CAD design) and promoting good recycling habits. Ultimately, we hope this will increase the amount of plastic recycled worldwide.

1. Non-recyclable plastic: Our primary goal with 3D-PVC is to integrate PVC, renowned for its economical and versatile strengths, into the circular economy. As the world’s third-most widely produced synthetic plastic and with 40 million tonnes of the product being produced each year, PVC is one of the primary plastic pollutants. PVC is also a particularly toxic form of plastic, especially when ingested by oceanic life. In the North Pacific alone, fish ingest 12000 to 24000 tons of plastic annually. The main method of PVC recycling is mechanical, meaning the plastic is simply broken into small pieces. This limits the use of these pellets, as they can only be used to manufacture products which they came from. 
2. Contamination: Even if PVC was made recyclable, other issues plague the recycling process. The EPA estimates almost 75% of waste is recycled, but only 34% is. This is due to, for example, mixing multiple types of plastic (due to the nature of PVC, it cannot be recycled once contaminated).

The solving of these issues would represent a major step towards a more sustainable and responsible world, while curbing pollution and taking strain off our oceans and landfills.

The implications of reduced plastic waste are vast and wide-reaching. In turn, reducing the amount of PVC plastics in waste can impact millions worldwide. This is due to the simple fact that less PVC waste means less exposure to the toxins in them, for humans and oceanic life alike.

Through the establishment of our company, we additionally hope to indirectach many others. For example, we hope we can serve as an inspiration to other young entrepreneurs and designers out and encourage them to pursue their dreams. One of the first ways we will work with this target population is by establishing an annual design competition; the challenge will be to design a 3D-printable fashion product. Winners will have the opportunity to have their designs refined and featured for sale. This enables us to reach out and continue to inspire the future generation while also keeping our catalog of designs fresh.

As our company grows, we will also establish special workshops focused on the technological skills of tomorrow and promoting good recycling habits. Through this, we hope to equip the future generation with the tools necessary for the development of a more sustainable world.

We adopt a two-pronged approach in our solution to increase the recycling of PVC:

Better recycling methods: In order to viably recycle PVC, it must be broken down without emitting any toxic gases. Our simple and cost-effective solution is to add sulfuric acid while heating the PVC (acid added just below PVC’s melting point). This causes sulfonic acid units to be added to the backbone of the polymer, thereby allowing it to be heated further without producing toxic fumes. In short, the simple addition of sulfuric acid allows the PVC to be broken into pellets without emitting toxic fumes. Next, the pellets are placed in the extruder (melted), strung into wires, cooled and spooled to create the final product: 3D printer filament. The filament itself (as well as our fashion products made from it) will be fully recyclable themselves, thereby closing the loop. Perhaps the best part is that this solution is fully scalable; tests have demonstrated that it may be viable on other types of plastics, such as those used in plastic bags.

Improving recycling habits: As mentioned previously, a large amount of PVC which could be recycled is often diverted to landfills due to contamination. This is the case for many other types of plastics as well. Through our workshops, we hope to reach out to schools and children across the world and educate them about topics such as which kinds of plastics are recyclable, what contamination is, and how to prevent it. We also hope to teach them about the tech skills of tomorrow, such as coding and CAD model design. By fostering these positive skills in the young, we strongly believe we are securing a more sustainable future for our planet.

Our business utilizes multiple novel and cutting-edge processes and technology. The first such example is the addition of sulfuric acid to hamper the production of harmful fumes. When creating filament out of the pellets, we utilize the traditional filament manufacturing process (heating, extruding, tensioning, cooling and spooling). Finally, we use 3D printing technologies to create our apparel products.

MK1 prototype of the first product in our fashion line: the 3D bowtie

Previous attempts to reduce the amount of plastics have attempted to tackle the problem at the “end of the chain.” Such solutions include technologies to clean plastics off the surface of the ocean. Solutions which have tried to tackle the problem at its roots have often failed, due to the difficult of recycling certain plastics, low customer appeal towards the recycled products, and the associated difficulties of working with plastic: an unyielding material in design.

3D-PVC changes the plastic recycling game radically. By choosing to sell specialized recycled products to a customer base which has already demonstrated a need for them (i.e. 3D printer owners and our recycled filament), we establish a low-risk and viable stream of revenue. A unique selling point is the fact that we utilize a seemingly non-recyclable material to create our filament. However, to "open up" 3D printing to consumers without printers, we decided to create fashion products from the filament. Specific, tailored products (i.e. bow ties) help us reach out to the previously-untapped audience of adolescents and younger buyers, and thus, hopefully cementing our social media presence.

A final innovative facet of our solution is the fact that we look towards and consider the future. This is evident through the previously-mentioned establishment of workshops in schools. Reaching out to future generations is a strong path forward to achieving a sustainable planet, and a tactic that very few solutions already implement.

Top view of MK1 prototype bowtie

The main technology that 3D-PVC utilizes is 3D printing and its associated technologies, such as the filament manufacturing process. 3D printing is one of the newest examples of additive manufacturing, representing the true crossroads between design and technology. We utilize our own 3D printers and CAD (Computer Aided Design) to design and produce our fashion products. Another technology / process which is utilized is that of filament manufacturing (heating, extruding, stringing and cooling) with one important modification. The pellets used for the filament are derived from PVC. In order to do so, sulfuric acid is added during the heating process to allow the plastic to be heated further without releasing fumes.

• The IOT will be used to seamlessly facilitate movement of data (i.e. print data to the 3D printer) in our solution, eliminating the need for excess hardware such as SD cards. The IOT (through sensors) will also be used to constantly monitor each stage of the filament manufacturing process, as well as to monitor the 3D printers for any print errors. This allows us to catch any errors early and reduce material wastage.
• As our company grows, we will look into investing in research and development of one of the most interesting marriages in technology - machine learning and 3D printing. This is a very interesting field of research, as it could reduce print times.

There are multiple ways we believe our solution can address the issue of plastic and recycling, on a wide and impactful scale:

• Activity: New recycling method for PVC and other plastics 
• Outputs: Allows a hard-to-recycle plastic to be transformed into a new, useful product (filament) which will be sold to a largely-established customer base
• Short-term impact: Revenue to kickstart our company and launch our second revenue stream for a wider customer base - sale of fashion products
• Long-term impact: Reduces amount of PVC, and other plastics, sent to landfills; takes strain of landfills and oceans

• Activity: Introduction of tech & recycling workshops in schools
• Outputs: Educates future generation on "essential" tech skills of the future workforce (such as coding and CAD design); also teaches them about good and proper recycling habits
• Short-term impact: Increases % of plastic able to be recycled by preventing contamination; also increases % of our fashion products which are recycled
• Long-term impact: Equips next generation with tools to progress towards and maintain a sustainable Earth in the future

• Activity: Targeting of younger buyers through specific fashion products (i.e. bow tie)
• Outputs: In addition to normal customer base, younger people and adolescents begin to buy our products
• Short-term impact: Cement our social media presence, as younger people are known for spreading news of new products very rapidly on social media
• Long-term impact: More people become aware of our company and our mission, encouraging them to buy our products and allowing us to make a bigger impact

Currently, we are serving 0 people as we are still in the prototype stage of development. Within one year, we hope to have worked with 100 students, adolescents and young people through our educational programs and design competition. In 5 years, we estimate this number will rise to a total of about 2000.

Within the next year, through the MIT Solve program, we hope to refine our idea and business model and begin showcasing our product to focus groups. This refinement will include perfecting designs and achieving a consistent quality for our filament. Depending on the success of these focus tests, we may begin a seed round within the next five years to raise capital for the project before proceeding to grow our service. Scaling will be done by adding to our fashion product line, expanding filament production services by utilizing other types of plastic, researching / developing new 3D printer technologies to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Within one year, we also hope to launch our coding-and-printing education session in at least one school. Within 5 years, we hope to expand our program, launch our design competition and begin production of filament with other types of plastic.

The two main short-term barriers (1-3 years) standing in our way are age and refinement. 

Refinement: If we are to be successful in the business world, we require a refined and clear-cut business model and strategy. Currently, we have not had our business model reviewed by any professionals or experienced professionals. Additionally, we currently do not have access to a community of people willing to assist us in making our product the best it could be. 

Age: As minors, we are restricted in our ability to raise capital, and apply for the appropriate registration and licensing for our company.

Longer-term barriers (5+ years) include the stability of our fashion product line.

Stability of fashion line: When entering the fashion market with one product, it is easy for the product and company to become a trend and "die down" after a few months or years. This can cause a drop in profits, leading to us needing to scale-down production and educational workshops.

Refinement: We will contact business model professionals and start-up incubators, which can assist us with refining our business model and strategy before deployment. We hope that with our participation in MIT Solve, this will facilitate access to the aforementioned community of experts and entrepreneurs. 

Age: To rectify our age issue, we will reach out to and surround ourselves with experts, mentors and other experienced professionals in the fields of design and business. Their expertise can, additionally, lend credibility to our business to help secure capital. We can also create a detailed schedule outlining how we will balance our business and school work (i.e. deciding how many hours per day we will focus on each), to effectively manage our time. We will investigate the possibility of our parents registering the business on our behalf. In this case, they can act as an authorized signer on contracts, resolving a major issue.

Stability of fashion line: After we begin to generate revenue, we will expand our team and hire designers who will work to diversify our product lineup. The annual design competition provides an exciting opportunity for our customers / target audience to get involved in the process, all while keeping our designs fresh.

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Currently, we have 2 people working on our solution team.

While some may believe being teenage entrepreneurs makes us seem naive, or puts us at a disadvantage, we think otherwise. We believe we bring a unique skill set to business; the ways in which these skills were acquired is even more interesting. Between us, our accomplishments include:

• 5 Explor-a-vision Honorable Mentions
  • Competition in which we had to develop (skill: brainstorming and creation of ideas), research and write an essay about a novel scientific invention (skill: written communication)
• 1st place in Cities in Space
  • Same as EnergyCity, except centered around space
• 1st place in Energy City
  
  • A competition in which we created a virtual model of a futuristic city (skill: using CAD software), built a physical model (skill: hands-on design and 3D printing), wrote an essay (skill: written communication) and presented to an audience of professionals (skill: verbal communication)
• 3rd place in Future City
  • Higher grade version of EnergyCity
• 4 Presidential Academic Excellence Awards & 6 High Honor Rolls
  • To gain these awards, we had to demonstrate an immense amount of academic excellence (skill: academic excellence, showing how we are capable of handling our school work)
• Participation in IMTA (International Modeling & Talent Association)
  
  •  Intensive week of activities to show potential of becoming an actor / model (skill: verbal communication)

Due to the experience gained from these competitions, we believe that we have proven that we are able to pick up a variety of skills quickly and that we have the drive required to start and maintain a business.

Currently, we have not partnered with any organizations.

Initially, we will be looking to raise investment capital to jumpstart our company. A seed round / taking on debt will only begin once our business model has been refined and edited by the Solve community of experts (which we hope to gain access to if we win).

Our main business model will consist of 2 main for-profit revenue streams. In the first, we provide recycled PVC filament to 3D printer owners. In the second, some of the manufactured filament is used to print a series of fashion products (the first of which is the 3D bow tie) for sale to a wider customer base).

A certain percentage of profits (undecided amount yet) will go towards funding our annual design competition, setting up and carrying out workshops in schools, as well as donations towards STEM education organizations. Our ultimate goal through the provision of these services is to furnish adolescents and teenagers with skills pertaining to up-and-coming tech (such as design on a CAD software and coding) as well as the importance of good recycling habits. After all, it is the future generation that will inherit the Earth!

Our revenue model is mainly a service subsidization model with elements of the organizational support model (elements of target population is the customer).

As mentioned above, 3D-PVC will consist of 2 for-profit revenue streams which will financially sustain our company. The first will be the sale of filament. This can be considered a low-risk, initial method through which we will generate revenue. as we are offering an already-existing product (filament) with, of course, our own USPs to an established customer base (3D printer owners).

The second revenue stream kicks in the long run and consists of our sale of fashion products made from the recycled filament. The first of these products will be the bow tie. The goal with this second revenue stream is to appeal to a much larger customer base and "open up" 3D printing / its products to those who do not already have a printer at home. This is a slightly riskier revenue stream as we will be introducing completely new and unique product. This also ties back to the purpose of the first revenue stream: to anchor the second stream while it grows and develops.

A certain percentage of profits garnered will be used to finance our social programs: the annual design competition and workshops mentioned above.

We are applying to MIT Solve 2019 for multiple reasons. The first is that we believe the nature of the competition (geared toward start-ups in earlier stages of development and centered around technology) as well as this year’s theme of a Circular Economy are a strong fit to our company and its mission.

Solve also provides us a great platform to showcase our solution to the world, especially if we are selected as finalists and pitch in New York! For young entrepreneurs such as us, it is often quite difficult to be offered such an opportunity of this scale to promote our product and explain our mission.

Next, are the invaluable prizes available if we were to win. In addition to the monetary prizes, more valuable to us is the community of Solve and MIT experts which we will gain access to (as mentioned multiple times throughout our application). These benefits are particularly advantageous for us as young entrepreneurs, as it is quite difficult to secure funding / mentoring due to our age.

Finally, is the uniqueness of our application. If we win, we will be the first teenagers in competition history to have done so. We hope this will inspire other young entrepreneurs to be bold, follow their dreams and showcase their untapped potential.

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We would like to partner with 3D printing and filament production companies, such as MakerBot, AutoDesk and Filabot / Felfill / ReDeTec. These organizations can facilitate access to 3D printers and maintenance parts, which are required to print our fashion products and produce filament.

Secondly, we would like to partner with NGOs such as the Global STEM initiative to cement our support and commitment towards helping children learn about the tech skills of tomorrow. Another NGO we would like to partner with is Plastic Oceans for the same reasons (cementing our mission statement and helping keep plastic out of our treasured oceans).

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We strongly believe that our solution is a viable example of how even the hardest-to-recycle materials, such as PVC, can be integrated into a circular economy. Winning the GM Prize on Circular Economy will allow us to purchase more equipment and increase our recycled filament production capabilities. Increased sales from the filament would, in turn, allow us to initiate more workshops in schools more rapidly. These will educate children about proper recycling habits, as well as the tech skills of tomorrow, and help progress towards a better future for our planet.

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