Ecobox Solutions: Creating sustainable fertilizer from cardboard
category
Design services
sector
Sustainability
Date
October 2024
ECOBOX SOLUTIONS is a project of the circular economy that addresses two key issues in the Dominican Republic: the accumulation of waste cardboard from the meat industry and the scarcity of organic fertilizers affordable. The initiative proposes the transformation of cardboard boxes thrown in the compost of high-quality, promoting sustainable agricultural practices and reducing environmental impact.
The design challenge
The central challenge consisted in designing a service model that integrates actors various – importers, processors, waste and agricultural sector – in a system of shared value. The research identified that farmers faced high costs on fertilizers imported ($161 million in annual imports) while meat companies assumed expenses for the final disposition of a material with the potential of recovery.
The design challenge was beyond the technical to address cultural aspects and perception: it was necessary to redefine the cardboard of “waste” to “secondary raw material” in the mindset of all stakeholders, considering that only 25% of the cardboard is recycled in the country.
Methodology and process
1. Research and validation of the hypothesis
Interviews were conducted with meat industry and agricultural companies that validated the project’s critical hypotheses. The process included structured surveys that confirmed that 8 out of 10 companies would be interested in cardboard box recycling programs.
2. Market analysis
Market research revealed a significant business opportunity. In total, companies in the country purchase fertilizers worth $10 million per year.
We set a goal to achieve $250,000 in sales during the first 5 years, which would represent 10% of this accessible market.
3. Design of the composting process
We developed a composting process with ratio 30:1 out of cardboard and organic waste, using local materials such as remains of fruit, banana skins and coffee grounds. The design included stages of collection, sorting, shredding and composting controlled.
4. Prototyping of the operating model
We designed an efficient collecting system capable of processing 1,004,000 kg cardboard annual (22.8% of the total volume generated), using 5 graders, 2 crushers and 15 compostadoras industrial with a capacity of 7,500 kg per cycle.
Outcome and impact
The implemented solution generates 763,040 kg of compost annually marketed by two models: bulk sale to farmers and bags of 10kg for urban gardening.
The service establishes new symbiotic relationships between industry and agriculture, demonstrating the feasibility of circular models in emerging economies and laying the groundwork for the expansion and replication of the model.
The role of design
The design methodology based on rigorous research and empirical validation showed that it is possible to transform environmental challenges into sustainable economic opportunities. ECOBOX SOLUTIONS represents a documented case of successful implementation of circular economy in the context of emerging markets.
