E CO S TAPLER FOR

Staples® Global EcoEasy Cha!enge 2010

UC Berkeley: Explosi-Divas 2010
 I DENTIFYING THE M ARKET
Stapler
Adhesive Notes
Index Cards
Scissors
Adhesive Tabs
Rubber Bands
Tape
White Correction Ink
Ruler
Hole Punch
Planner
Paper Shredder
Labels/Label Makers
Clipboards
Bulletin Board
Other
0 15 30 45 60
C URRENT E CO -P RODUCTS

DCI: Decor Craft Inc.- $25 Elmer’s Products, Inc. - $3

Wood Housing 80% Recycled Plastic

Made By Humans - $8
Staple-less
 W HY DID YOU PURCHASE
YOUR CURRENT STAPLER ?
Inexpensive

Ergonomics

Aesthetics

Portable

Staple Remover

Vertical Stance

Durable

Other
0 15 30 45 60
M EET THE E CO S TAPLER
Cork Bamboo

EAF Steel

Bamboo
M ATERIALS

Bamboo Cork Steel

M ATERIALS : B AMBOO
Our stapler uses bamboo housing in place of
conventional HDPE plastic casing.

Renewable resource: bamboo grows naturally and

extremely fast, up to 1.2 meters per day.1

Unlike trees, if harvested correctly bamboo will

regenerate and does not need to be replanted.

Processing is usually carried out locally with

technologies that require little fossil fuels.
M ATERIALS : B AMBOO
Material properties of bamboo are comparable to
conventional stapler plastic (HDPE) housing

HDPE2 Bamboo3
4
Young’s Compressive Tensile Yield Strength
Modulus Strength Strength (Elastic Limit)
(GPa) (MPa) (MPa) (MPa)

HDPE 0.915-0.961 23.2-32.2 17.2-29.6 19.3-26.9

Bamboo 15-20 60-100 160-320 35.9-43.9

M ATERIALS

Bamboo Cork Steel

M ATERIALS : C ORK
Renewable resource:
Harvesting cork bark does
not involve cutting down
cork trees

Similar use: Cork is

currently used for tool
handles5

Resistant to moisture
damage or decay6
M ATERIALS

Bamboo Cork Steel

 M ATERIALS : S TEEL
Amount of Recycled Steel Used in Blast
Furnace vs. Electric Arc Furnace
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

Blast Furnace

Electric Arc Furnace

M ATERIALS : S TEEL

Carbon enriched coal and coke are energy intensive

and environmentally harmful.
7

Waste plastics and

rubber can be used
instead, diverting waste
plastics from landfills.
M ATERIALS : S TEEL

Carbon enriched coal and coke are energy intensive

and environmentally harmful.
7

Waste plastics and

rubber can be used
instead, diverting waste
plastics from landfills.
M ANUFACTURING
M ANUFACTURING
M ANUFACTURING
M ANUFACTURING
M ANUFACTURING
M ANUFACTURING
M ANUFACTURING
M ANUFACTURING
U SE -P HASE B ENEFITS &
E ND OF L IFE
Bamboo and cork are more
carbon neutral than HDPE.

Unlike HDPE, bamboo and cork

do not emit harmful toxins such
as dioxin, a carcinogen, when
burned.8

Bamboo has 14% of the carbon

footprint of HDPE
 L IFE -C YCLE A SSESSMENT :
HDPE VS . B AMBOO
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) stapler housing (15
grams) replaced with Bamboo alternative (23 grams)

Embodied Energy (MJ) CO2 Footprint (kg)

110 9

82.5 6.75

55 4.5

27.5 2.25

0 0

HDPE Bamboo & Cork Bamboo HDPE Bamboo & Cork Bamboo
C OST -B ENEFIT A NALYSIS
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) stapler housing replaced
with Cork and Bamboo alternative

Material Cost per Construction Cost Total Cost per Total Cost per
Stapler per Stapler Stapler 1000 Staplers

HDPE $0.0357 $0.00267 $0.03837 $38.37

Bamboo
$0.0605 $0.00119 $0.06169 $61.69
& Cork

Bamboo
$0.0522 $0.00116 $0.05336 $53.36
(only)
C ONCLUSIONS
Cork and bamboo are durable
and sustainable.

EAF is the most economical and

eco-friendly steel making
process.

This could be modified to take

advantage of local woods to
reduce transportations
emissions and costs.
A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you Prof. Agogino, Prof.

Dharan, Prof. Dornfeld, Prof.
Komvopolous, Dr. Masanet,
Mick Neuford, Gordon Long,
Carol Schoon and Meltem Etol.

Thanks to all the judges and

moderators at this event!

Thank you Staples for this

amazing opportunity!
Q UESTIONS ?
R EFERENCES

[1] “Environmental Control.” Smith & Fong Plyboo | Bamboo Flooring & Plywood. Web.
19 Mar. 2010. <http://www.plyboo.com/environmental-control.html>.
[2] Sangmin, Kwon. "Tensile Property and Interfacial Dewetting in the Calcite Filled
HDPE, LDPE, and LLDPE Composites." Polymer 43.25 (2002): 6901-909. Science
Direct. Web.
[3] Representative results from research done by Professor C. K. Hari Dharan.
[4] Granta Material Intelligence Software: CES Selector 2008.
[5] Knipex Witte 5 Piece Screwdriver Set with Slip Resistant Natural Cork Handles.
[6] Cork Flooring 09460. Environmental Works Community Design Center:
Architecture and Planning. 5 Apr. 2010. <http://www.eworks.org/pdfs/CorkFacts.pdf>.
[7] “Attempts to extract iron.” Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. 5 Apr. 2010.
<http://www.teara.govt.nz/files/di5885enz.jpg>
[8] Jackson, J., “Citizen Concerns with Waste to Energy Incinerators,” Proc. of Canadian
Institute Conference on Waste‐Based Energy. 23 Nov. 2009.