That’s why they encourage creative solutions to turn waste into valuable, freely available products and solutions.

The Open Call for Sun Powered Plastic Recycling already began last year and explored two distinct pathways: designing products for this technology and expanding the capabilities of the machine system itself.

For 2025, it is taking a more focused approach that emphasizes the real-world impact of these solutions.

They are inviting creators to propose a collection of 3-5 products that work together to serve a particular community setting (educational, non-profit, or community organization)

These product collections should:

• clearly illustrate the opportunities and value created within their intended context
• extend beyond sun factory’s inherent alignment with distributed design values
• demonstrate creative approaches to contextual implementation
• address real community needs and challenges

A panel of experts in design, making, and sustainability will evaluate submissions based on:

• contextual relevance and impact
• design innovation
• sustainability and scalability