As sustainability efforts grow across industries, understanding the mechanical reliability of recycled plastics becomes increasingly important. This course will explore the comparative performance of post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymers and their virgin counterparts under various environmental aging conditions. Using polycarbonate (PC) as a model material, we examine tensile strength, strain behavior, and degradation trends under controlled high temperature, high humidity, and outdoor UV exposure. Key findings highlight that recycled plastics can maintain mechanical properties similar to virgin materials before aging and under moderate conditions, though higher stress environments can lead to greater degradation. Notably, outdoor-grade recycled plastics demonstrated superior durability under harsher aging stresses. Attendees will gain insights into the mechanical behavior of recycled materials, factors influencing their long-term reliability, and implications for design and material selection in sustainable engineering applications.

The future of engineering is sustainable — but only if we can trust the materials we use. This course cuts through the hype and delivers real-world answers about the mechanical reliability of recycled plastics. You'll learn what works, what fails, and why, backed by hard data and accelerated aging studies. Whether you're building next-gen products, shaping sustainability strategies, or driving innovation, this course will give you the critical edge to design smarter, greener, and more resilient solutions. Don’t just follow the trend — lead it.

Materials Engineers – especially those working with plastics, composites, or sustainability initiatives.
Reliability Engineers – who assess long-term material performance under environmental stresses.
Product Design Engineers – who need to select reliable, sustainable materials for consumer or industrial products.
Sustainability/ESG Professionals – who want to understand technical trade-offs when pushing for more recycled content.
Manufacturing and Process Engineers – working with injection molding or extrusion of recycled plastics.
Quality Assurance/Quality Control Specialists – ensuring consistent material performance across product life cycles.
Research Scientists and Academics – studying materials science, mechanical reliability, or aging behavior.
Regulatory and Compliance Teams – involved with certifying recycled materials for specific applications (automotive, aerospace, electronics, etc.).

Are you unsure whether recycled plastics can truly match the performance of virgin materials?
Have you struggled to predict how recycled polymers will behave under real-world aging conditions like heat, humidity, and UV exposure?
Are you being asked to design more sustainable products—but worried about the long-term reliability of the materials you're expected to use?

If these sound like your daily challenges, this course will give you the answers you need.

Everyday Problems You’ll Address:
How do recycled plastics really perform compared to virgin materials under stress?
Can I trust recycled materials for applications exposed to heat, moisture, or sunlight?
What degradation trends should I expect in recycled polymers over time?
How do I select the right recycled material for demanding, long-term applications?
What data-driven strategies can I use to confidently incorporate recycled plastics into my designs?

What You’ll Learn:
A clear comparison of post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymers versus virgin counterparts under various environmental aging conditions.
Deep insights into tensile strength, strain behavior, and degradation trends—with a focus on real-world performance, not just theoretical claims.
Key findings that show when recycled plastics maintain properties similar to virgin materials, and when they start to degrade under high-stress conditions.
Surprising results showing how outdoor-grade recycled plastics can outperform expectations under harsher aging environments.
Practical implications for design, material selection, and sustainable engineering decisions.
Real-world data and lessons from accelerated aging studies, not just marketing claims