The materials I am using for this project are not as sustainable as they could be, this is something I aim to improve on in future projects. My current materials are electronic components, a PCB board, Wood, Plastic speakers.
I am preparing to make this change in my process by researching sustainable alternatives to PCB “Electronic waste, with printed circuit boards (PCBs) at its heart, is the fastest-growing category of hazardous solid waste in the world.” (Ogunseitan, Oladele A Schoenung, Julie M Lincoln, Johnny, Biobased materials for sustainable printed circuit boards, 2022, Nature Reviews Materials). In the future I aim to use the Soluboard made by JIVA Materials, a fully recyclable PCB alternative.
Using wood for the enclosure instead of plastic like the original stylophone is a sustainable choice as wood is a regenerative resource, it also will allow for me to develop woodworking skills which I can transfer into other projects such as amplifier building and creating guitar pedals.
Whilst sustainability has not been the main focus of the project I have done, I at least wanted to show it some consideration as using sustainable materials that do not impact the earth in a negative way is important to me.