At Impact on the Beach, a business festival focused on innovation and future-oriented thinking, discussions centred on how industries can better manage materials, products and resources throughout their lifecycle.
During the event, we had the opportunity to contribute to a dialogue hosted by GBN Group, exploring the role of product design, material recovery and value retention in the development of future resource management strategies.
Value retention as a design principle
One of the key themes discussed was value retention. As industries increasingly examine how products are designed and processed at end-of-life, preserving the value of materials becomes an important consideration.
The discussion highlighted how product design influences future processing options and how material composition can affect the ability to recover and reuse valuable raw materials.
Collaboration across the value chain
Another important topic was the role of collaboration throughout the value chain.
Effective material recovery often depends on cooperation between manufacturers, installers, users, collectors and recycling partners. By sharing knowledge and aligning processes, organisations can better understand how products move through their lifecycle and how materials can be managed after use.
The event provided an opportunity to exchange experiences and explore how different stakeholders can contribute to more efficient material management systems.
Looking beyond recycling
While recycling remains an important part of resource management, the discussions also explored the role of product design in determining future recovery options.
Design for Recycling principles encourage manufacturers to consider end-of-life processing during product development. Factors such as material selection, product composition and ease of processing can all influence how materials are managed after use.
For ONE-DNA™, this approach is reflected in the use of polyethylene (PE) as the primary polymer throughout the product structure.
Continuing the conversation
Impact on the Beach provided a valuable platform for discussing how product design, material recovery and collaboration can support the development of future resource management approaches.
The event demonstrated the importance of bringing together different parts of the value chain to exchange knowledge, challenge existing assumptions and explore practical solutions for the years ahead.
Update, October 2026: this article reflects the ONE-DNA™ range at the time of publication, based on polyethylene (PE). ONE-DNA™ now also includes a 100% PO route; see Technology for the current material routes. Earlier references to a take-back programme have been revised; ONE-DNA™ does not currently operate a take-back programme in any market.
Related: Sustainability · Technology
