WASHINGTON, DC, Sept. 1, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI), the Voice of the Recycling Industry™, today released a call for entries for the 2016 Design for Recycling (DFR) Award®. The DFR Award is ISRI's highest award given annually to the most outstanding contribution to products designed with recycling in mind. It recognizes proactive steps made by manufacturers who have actively incorporated DFR principles into products and processes.
"The Design for Recycling Award recognizes those manufacturers that go above and beyond to ensure their products can be recycled in a safe and responsible manner," said Robin Wiener, president of ISRI. "This effort begins at the very early stages of a product's design. It includes making sure a product can be recycled from both economic and environmental standpoints, and with no safety risk to recyclers. While recyclers would like to see more manufacturers take this approach, we are encouraged that since the inception of this award, the competition has increased each year."
ISRI began the award more than 25 years ago. Previous winners include Cascades Fine Papers Group, Coca-Cola Recycling Company, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dell Inc., and last year's winner LG Electronics.
To be eligible for ISRI's Design for Recycling Award ®, a product must be designed/redesigned and manufactured to:
- Contain the maximum amount of materials that are recyclable.
- Be easily recycled through current or newly designed recycling processes and procedures.
- Be cost effective to recycle whereby the cost to recycle does not exceed the value of its recycled materials.
- Be free of hazardous materials that are not recyclable or impede the recycling process.
- Minimize the time and cost involved to recycle the product.
- Reduce the use of raw materials by including recycled materials and/or components.
- Have a net gain in the overall recyclability of the product while reducing the overall negative impact on the environment.
Interested parties can enter online (http://www.isri.org/about-isri/awards/design-for-recycling#.VeSn1PlVhBe) before the January 15, 2016 deadline. The winner will be announced at the ISRI 2016 Convention and Exposition to be held April 2-7 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Last year's winner, LG Electronics, was recognized for its 4K ULTRA HD OLED and LED TVs. These products were designed with the following recycling-friendly traits in mind: mercury-free display panels; use of recycled and recyclable plastics; inclusion of PVC and BFR-free components; small and lighter packaging; ease of disassembly and label/seal separation; and standardized materials and connection types.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ISRI represents more than 1,600 companies in 21 chapters nationwide that process, broker and industrially consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides safety, education, advocacy, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development.