Step 1: Determine the facts in the situation

• A low-cost syringe must be designed for use in the developing world.
• Adding an auto-disable feature significantly increases the cost. However, without the safety feature, there is potential for spread of disease.

The ethical issue is that with the safety feature, the syringe may be inaccessible to some hospitals and clinics, affecting the quality of care that patients in those hospitals can receive. On the other hand, not including the safety feature presents an opportunity for the syringe to be used more than once, contributing to the spread of disease. In either case, lives may be at risk.

Step 2: Determine the Stakeholders

• hospitals and clinics
• doctors or nurses using the syringes
• patients
• company manufacturing the syringes
• designer.

Step 3: Assess the motivations of the stakeholders

The hospitals and clinics want syringes with a low cost, so they are attainable. They also want to avoid the spread of disease and any associated liability. The doctors and nurses want to ensure that their patients have the highest survival rate possible. The patients also want to ensure their survival and do not want to contract any diseases. The company manufacturing the syringes wants to ensure the success of the product and does not want to be held liable for their failure. They also want to ensure they can make a profit. The designer does not want to be responsible for causing any deaths, or the spread of disease, with a poorly designed product.

Step 4: Formulate alternative solutions

1. Adapt the syringe design so that it can be sanitized and has a replaceable needle, so it is appropriate for multiple uses. This solution would increase the amount of labor necessary because the syringes would need to be sanitized, but it may reduce the overall cost to the hospitals because new syringes will not need to be purchased as frequently. This would keep the syringes attainable while decreasing the likelihood for disease, fulfilling the needs of the hospitals, doctors, and patients. Reuse of syringes would be discouraged because clean ones become more accessible.
2. Creating educational material for the individuals using the syringes, sharing the dangers of using a syringe more than once. This solution reduces liability for the designer and the manufacturing company because they explicitly advised against multiple uses of the syringe and presented the associated risks for disease. However, this option would still allow a used syringe to be used again to treat a patient in a life-or-death situation where the spread of disease may not be the top priority. In this option, the syringes remain affordable for hospitals, allowing doctors to perform safe procedures and patients to receive good care.
3. A “pay what you can” system could be adopted, allowing the syringes to be sold at a lower cost to clinics with less funding. This option allows the safety feature to remain intact while removing the cost barrier. The doctors will still be able to provide proper care, and patients will not have to worry about contracting diseases. The manufacturer can still profit because the overall cost of the devices will still be covered, the price will just be adjusted based on ability to pay. The designer cannot be held liable for the spread of disease.

Step 5: Seek additional assistance, as appropriate

The Aravind Eye Hospital uses a business model reliant on each patient paying what they are able toward the cost of their treatment. Additionally, economics dictates that market efficiency is achieved when individuals are charged their full willingness to pay. This is evidence that the “pay what you can” model is viable.

Step 6: Select the best course of action

The best course of action seems to be redesigning the syringes to be conducive to reuse. The new design could reduce the cost to the hospitals and clinics, making them more accessible. The syringes will still function as intended, allowing doctors and patients to achieve their goal. This model is profitable for the manufacturer. This syringe design would still allow them to be used more than once, opening up the possibility for the spread of disease; however, the decreased overall cost would reduce the cost barrier that is typically the motivation for reuse of syringes.

Step 7: What are the implications of your solution on the venture?

This solution will require more technological expertise because a sanitization chamber or method will need to be designed in addition to the syringe itself. Producing fewer syringes because they can be reused will decrease the environmental impact of the venture because a lesser volume of raw material will be required. It is important to note that sanitizing the syringes for reuse may create hazardous waste that could create environmental contamination if not handled properly.

1.Refine the detailed income statement for your venture for two years (at six month intervals) or a more appropriate time scale. Explicitly state the assumptions that underlie your financial model ——Shown Above

2.Refine the Business Model for your venture based on your revenue model. You may use the Osterwalder BMC to refine your business model but prepare one or more visuals that explain how your venture will work and accomplish your BHAG.

1. Customer Segment

• Entrepreneurs: See the opportunity in obtaining cheap raw material that can be used to create a higher-value product to be sold back into the marketplace
• Non-profits: organization previous clean beaches and discards the collected plastics into the landfill, which goes back to the ocean. The venture provides them a methodology that ensures plastics from returning to the environment
• Donors:
  • Barangay/government is interested in providing financial aid to motivate people in starting the venture because it diverges post-consumer plastic waste from the landfill while providing employment opportunities.
  • Plastic manufacturers are interested in providing financial aid as a way to offset their negative environmental image to the public.

2. Customer Relationships

• Service plan that offers maintenance of the recycling machinery in the facility
• Junkshop: Connects junkshops to ventures as suppliers to ensure the venture’s success
• Machine Manufacturer: Offers a business opportunity for manufacturers to earn an income in selling the machinery to us

3. Channels:

• Website- connect to people, provide entrepreneurs with information on the venture

4. Value Proposition

• We provide the Filipino community a sustainable approach to reducing plastic pollution by offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to transform post-consumer plastic waste into higher-value products that can be sold back to the community.

5. Key Activities:

• Maintaining connections with all the recycling facilities that start their plastic venture
• Providing the training needed to operate the recycling machinery
• Provide the installation service needed to start the recycling facilities
• Reach out to other entrepreneurs to start their venture
• Conducting business with the manufacturing company to provide our customers with the machinery to start their venture
• Network with junk shops to connect them to our customers as suppliers

6. Key Partners:

• Machine Manufacturer
• Mold Maker
• Government (ensure our plastic products meets standards)

7. Key Resources:

• Machinery Fabrication facility
• Junk shops
• Connections with entrepreneurial groups

8. Cost Structure:

• Machinery
• Machinery installation, maintenance, training
• Traveling for network maintenance and opportunities
• Overhead

9. Revenue Stream:

• Business in a box package: establish facility, training, and connections to ensure success in business
• Service plan: machinery maintenance
• Advanced machinery training

3. Develop an M&E plan for your venture.

• Clearly list all assumptions.
  • Entrepreneurs will only produce the products that we decide for them (wall system)
  • Entrepreneurs would run their facilities at the classical 8 hours per day rate
  • Entrepreneurs will honestly report their sales on a monthly basis
  • Entrepreneurs will reveal the amount of plastics they purchase from the junk shop
• Identify short-term and long-term success metrics.
  • Short term:
    • The number of plastic bricks sold on a monthly basis
    • The number of facilities in Manila per volume of plastic waste
  • Long term:
    • Amount of post-consumer plastic that are turned into products and sold
    • The number of micro recycling facilities that have been built and have recovered their capital investment
• Identify specific methods to measure the metrics.
  • Provide some sort of benefit, such as a discount towards service plan (machinery maintenance), for entrepreneurs who report
    • the amount of bricks they sell
    • the amount of post-consumer plastics obtained from junk shops

1. Develop a detailed income statement for your venture for two years (at six month intervals). Explicit state the assumptions that underlie your financial model.

Revenue Stream:

• Business in a Box
  • Sale of machinery
  • Installation fee
  • Initial training fee (entrepreneur and staff)
• Service Contract: Maintenance plan
• Additional/advanced training for new staff

Cost Structure:

COGS:

• Machinery
  • Cost of machinery, purchased from fabrication shop
• Personnel (Employee):
  • • Assembly of and quality check on machinery
    • Dispatch people to do maintenance
    • Training of new entrepreneurs and laborers
    • Commission for sales team
  • Travel for installation, maintenance, and trainings
  • Cost to ship machinery

Operating Costs (Overhead):

• Staff
  • Marketing and sales
  • Public relations/grant-writer
• Operations
  • Office space rental
  • Utilities
  • Office supplies (e.g. computer, stationeries, etc.)
  • Travel for maintenance of network

2. Identify two SPECIFIC funding sources for the design phase of your project and two SPECIFIC funding sources for the dissemination (implementation / distribution / commercialization) phase of your project. For each funding source, explain why this is a good fit for your project, and what SPECIFIC aspect of your project might the funding source support.

• • • Venture Well (Design Phase): Venturewell provides funding to tech startups during their early stage. PlasTech Venture is in their early stage where the team is working on finalizing a wall system design. Funding from VentureWell can go towards testing the effects of contamination on the material properties of recycled plastics. In addition, the funding can also go towards prototyping the machinery to produce the plastic products.
    • Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation (Design Phase): DRK provides 3 year funding of $300,000 to early stage startup ventures (1-3 years old) whose goal is to provide solutions to big problems that will create lasting positive impact. PlasTech Venture fits the primary requirement for DRK. Funding will go towards prototyping machinery and products, testing contamination concepts, and aid in travel costs for the venture.
      1. https://www.drkfoundation.org/apply-for-funding/what-we-fund/
    • Roddenberry Foundation -The Catalyst Fund (Implementation Phase):The fund is geared towards small/ early stage ideas that need capital to launch or prove viability. PlasTech Venture is an early stage venture and will need funding to launch the first venture in Paradise village Manila, Philippines. Funding will subsidize some of the cost to the first (maybe more, depending on the funding) entrepreneur who will be interested in investing in PlasTech Venture’s business in a box strategy. The money will be used to offset some of the cost associated with installing the machinery at the facility and providing training to workers in operating the machinery. 
      1. https://roddenberryfoundation.org/our-work/catalyst-fund/
    • Government/Barangays (Implementation Phase) – Barangays in the Philippines have a decentralization law in place that breaks down waste at the barangay level. Future funding for implementation could come from this source. Since barangays already took the initial necessary step to help combat the plastic waste crisis, they will likely fund our community-based recycling model to encourage a larger scale of people to turn their plastic waste into something that can be used again. This funding could assist PlasTech Ventures in covering some of its costs or could incentivize local citizens to use one of our machines; the government could enact a reward system for citizens that bring their used plastic materials to a facility that has our machines to promote community-based recycling. 

3. Identify five specific partnerships that you need to forge to advance your project forward with the ultimate goal of positively impacting at least one million people. Describe exactly how that partnership might help you achieve scale and why that entity might be willing to work with you.

1. 1. 1. 1. Manufacturing Company (Caterpillar, Inc.?): The partnership with the manufacturing company would be beneficial to the team by acting as a supplier for the machinery component of our business in a box strategy. The Manufacturer would be willing to work for our company because they earn a profit for each machinery they build. These machinery will receive a quality inspection. 
         2. Philippine Plastic Industry Association: The partnership will aid the team in making sure that the products that will be manufactured and the machinery operation process will meet Philipino standards. PPIA will be willing to work with PlasTech Venture because they are interested in minimizing environmental impacts associated with plastics along with ensuring the well-being of Flippino. 
         3. Plastic Tides (NGO): This partnership will help us by becoming the first entrepreneur to invest and purchase our business in a box solution. Plastic Tides will be willing to work with us because we share a common goal of eliminating plastic pollution. The business in a box package will allow the company to ensure that the plastic that is collected from the beach will not end up back in the ocean. Plastic Tides would also obtain another source of income to sustain the organization.
         4. Local Construction Company in Manila Philippines (Gold Leaf Construction?):This partnership would allow us to promote our products to the construction company and establish credibility in the industry. The construction company would like to partner with us because they would be interested in alternative construction materials that can meet their needs while reducing their material costs and increasing their ease in assembly.
         5. A junk shop in Manila (Jirah Junk Shop): This partnership would allow the venture to establish a plastic supplier for our clients who will purchase our business in a box package in order to create products out of plastic. The junk shop will be willing to work with us because this is a business opportunity for them to sell their plastics.

A. Refine your Business Model Canvas:

• Include a Visual Canvas

For the Venture:

For the entrepreneur:

• Extremely specific notes for each block

Customer Segments – Our primary customer segments are Junk Shops and Entrepreneurs in Manila. When selling our “business in a box” model, it will appeal most to individuals trying to boost their personal income by starting a business because the business model is already laid out for them, they just have to implement it.. Targeting junk shops will give them the opportunity to create value from the cleaned and recycled plastic they are already collecting; however, not all junk shops will have the real estate and manpower to expand into manufacturing. Entrepreneurs may be more likely to start from scratch and purchase a facility and hire individuals to work the machines, while partnering with junk shops to source their plastic.

Customer Relationships – At steady state, forming a Community for the junk shops and entrepreneurs that comprise the community-based recycling system will allow individuals to learn from each other, increasing the sustainability of the venture. Reducing the need for intervention from PlasTech Ventures, except for the initial purchase and installation of machine, will help the communities to reach a new equilibrium that does not foster dependency.

Channels – We will rely mainly on indirect channels to reach our customers. A website will be used to spark interest and provide information on both the recycling technology and business opportunity. We will utilize  our connection with the UPD to further expand our venture in the Philippines.

Value Proposition – We help Filipino entrepreneurs earn a profit by providing them the technology and a business model that will transform plastic waste into higher value products that can be sold back to the community.

Key Partners – The partners that will be essential to our ventures success are the companies that manufacture the machinery and molds for the brick design that are included as part of the “business in a box.” Our partnership with the UPD gives us credibility and allows us to tap into the existing connections that  UPD has with the Filipino communities.

Key Activities – The key activities for the venture at steady-state will be overseeing the network of community-based recycling facilities and educating new entrepreneurs. The team will stay connected with all of the recycling facilities to provide direct support and ensure that the operation runs smoothly. The team will need to develop an on-boarding strategy and machinery training for new entrepreneurs. In order to reach the steady-state point, the PlasTech Venture team must first develop the product suite, develop the technology to produce the products, and establish a business network for the venture in the Philippines.

Key Resources – One key resource for the steady-state operation of our venture is the junk shops that supply the plastic for production. Another key resource is the on-boarding instruction which will play a crucial role in familiarizing the entrepreneur in operating the machinery and business. The machinery itself is also a key resource that will be important in order to produce the goods that will be sold in the market.

Revenue Streams – PlasTech Venture’s  primary revenue stream will be selling the “business in a box” model to entrepreneurs in the Philippines.  This model will include the machinery and mold to manufacture bricks, an installation fee, and a training fee

Cost Structure – The majority of the costs at steady state for the venture will come from outreach both to the entrepreneurs and market for recycled plastic products, research and development, and maintaining partnerships and supply chains. Installing the machinery at the recycling facility and providing the necessary training to operate the machinery will also contribute to the cost.

• Explain how exactly you will deliver an end-to-end solution.

1. Reach out to entrepreneurs and junk shops in the Philippines to generate interest in starting a collaboration with  PlasTech Ventures in their region.
2. Collaborate with the entrepreneur to network and establish a steady supply of clean and sorted recycled plastics for the facility
3. Provide the machinery to the entrepreneur and help them install the machinery in the facility
4. Provide a machinery maintenance plan and training for operating the machinery
5. Maintain connection with the entrepreneur/junk shop to provide technical support when requested

B. Ten practical lessons from the business (revenue) models of ventures we reviewed today (or others you research) as they relate to your venture.

1. Envirofit: Display the value proposition that is specific to both the customer and other stakeholders. On Envirofit’s website, the “Reducing GHG emission by 60%” is appealing to groups such as the government while the “$2.50 savings per week” is appealing to the customers who will be using the technology
2. Greyston Bakery: Doing socioeconomic good that allows the company to give back to the community. In return customers become more willing to make purchases from the company knowing and trusting that the company is doing good for the community. 
3. Reel: Providing an opportunity for customers to not only grow their own produce in a simple way but to also save valuable resources (80% less water).
4. Barefoot College: “You are certified by the community you serve. You don’t need a paper…to show that you are an engineer”. There is a greater significance and value in taking action and showing your capabilities rather than stating what you may potentially achieve. 
5. Value propositions are short and to the point, making them very compelling. The value proposition can simply pitch the impact.
6. The business model for Greyston Bakery is focused on “creating prosperity all along the value chain.” This allows the business to profit, but also benefits the community. This starts with the open hiring process. Their slogan, “we don’t hire people to bake brownies, we bake brownies to hire people,” confirms that their motivation for starting the business was not just profit.
7. By simplifying the gardening process, Reel Gardening expanded their reachable market by eliminating the need for skilled labor.
8. Business innovations do not always have to be technological, it could be an improvement in a company’s hiring processes that offer human support and introduce a new frame of thinking. In Greyston Bakery’s case, they gave previously imprisoned people the opportunity to rebuild their life, from providing affordable housing to even providing childcare for employees. 
9. This college only for the poor (Barefoot College) redefined professionalism – Roy wanted to illustrate that its students’ knowledge and skills were universal and relevant, even if they were not learned in the form of a traditional education. This new educational institution offered opportunities for people that would not have otherwise had the opportunity to attend school. This encourages entrepreneurs to think differently and look out for opportunities to help underrepresented people as we can learn a lot from the skills they offer, even if they may be different from the skills we have.  
10. In the Barefoot College example, I thought it was really interesting that he used sign language to train the three women to become solar engineers. This shows that language barriers will not deter dedicated workers from making progress and making real change happen. The initial training created a ripple effect that perpetuated the spread of knowledge to multiple communities, since these women were able to communicate what they learned to their community that spoke their own language. Roy also mentioned that people don’t have to look for solutions outside – they can look for solutions within, and people should always be willing to listen to others, because people may just have solutions right in front of them. 

1. Develop a Business Model for your venture using the Osterwalder Business Model Canvas.

Business Model for Venture:

Value Proposition:

• We help Filipino entrepreneurs earn a profit by providing them technology and a business model to be used to transform plastic waste into higher value products that can be sold to the community.

Customer Segments:

• Junk shop owners in Manila
• Entrepreneurs in the Philippines (Paradise Village specifically)

Channels:

• Plastic supplier from waste management facility
• Junk shops or other retail stores to sell the finished product 

Customer Relationships:

• Nanays in Paradise Village
• NGOs
• Junk shops & entrepreneurs

Revenue Streams:

• US: Selling the manufacturing technology and business model
• Entrepreneur/junk shop: Selling plastic bricks to people

Resources:

• Equipment for testing at Mountaintop
• Recycled plastics
• Junk shops and entrepreneurs
• Nanays
• UPD
• Lehigh University facilities and staff

Partners:

• Machinery manufacturing company
• Junk shop
• Entrepreneurs
• UPD

Activities:

• Oversee system of community-based recycling facilities
• Develop the technology (the machineries and molds) that entrepreneurs and junk shops will need in order to produce the recycled plastic products.
• Educate entrepreneurs/junk shop how to operate the machineries
• Help the entrepreneurs/junk shop in obtaining the machineries to produce plastic products
• Negotiate with manufacturers to produce the machineries and molds that will be sold to the entrepreneurs/junk shops

Costs:

• The tools and equipment necessary to develop the prototypes of the machine
• The material and testing facility to test the wall system made out of recycled plastics
• Prototyping the building blocks out 
• Machinery cost
• Cost of installation
• Training cost

Business Model for Junk Shops/Entrepreneurs:

Value Proposition:

• We reduce the amount of plastic entering landfills and oceans by turning recycled plastic into high-value products and selling them to the community

Customer Segments:

• NGOs
• Private citizens hoping to use bricks to build structures for their own use

Channels:

• People collecting waste plastic

Customer Relationships:

• Nanays in Paradise Village
• NGOs

Revenue Streams:

• Selling plastic bricks to people

Resources:

• Machinery
• Business model
• Plastic
• Nanays
• UPD
• Lehigh University facilities and staff

Partners:

• Machinery manufacturing company
• Nanays
• Lehigh University
• UPD

Activites:

• Oversee system of community-based recycling facilities
• Produce higher-value products from plastics
• Educate entrepreneurs/junk shop how to operate the machinery
• Help the entrepreneurs/junk shop in obtaining the machinery to produce plastic products

Costs:

• Machinery
• Operating costs (e.g. electricity)

2. List ten lessons from the Business and Operations model of the Aravind Eye Hospital

1. You must create ownership in the community of the problem and engage them as partners. There have been many cases where people identify a large scale issue and attempt to implement a solution without consulting or engaging the community involved. Community members may not appreciate this effort without being engaged. For instance (outside of the US), there was a case where the government decided to build houses to natives as an effort to provide housing. At the end of the construction, no native moved into the house since the housing structure was completely different from the values the natives held. All the efforts and materials were wasted from the lack of consultation to understand the needs of the native.
2. No matter how successful a business or operation appears to be, you must take a step back and evaluate the big picture. There was a point in Aravind Eye Care System where the group was providing examinations and glasses per person every 20 minutes. In addition if eye surgery was necessary, the service was provided the next day. From the perspective on the rate that services are provided to patients, it appears as if the company is doing great! However, after analyzing the efforts from a bigger perspective, the company found that they have only reached 7% of the people in need of eye care or service. This number pointed out that the company was not meeting their goal of adequately addressing the bigger problem and expanding their service to a larger population. 
3. You must work around the pre-conditioned situation and environment of the existing issue. When Aravind Eye Hospital first started out, their goal was to provide low-cost eye care to millions. As they expanded, the group faced the challenge in reaching out to people outside of their 5 hospitals. Many patients were unable to travel the long distance in order to receive the treatment they needed. Aravind Eye Hospital identified the travel barrier and developed the solution of sending out vans to provide the treatment patients needed in their hometown. 
4. You must be willing to expand outside of your expertise in order to achieve your goals. Aravind Eye Hospital failed their negotiation with a tech company in order to obtain the necessary tool to provide low-cost care to their patients at one point in time. The failed negotiation led the company to expand their service only company to the manufacturing industry. The company did so well in reducing the cost of production that they eventually managed to reduce the cost of the technology to 2% of its original cost.
5. They get glasses in the frames of their choice. Even when starting a social venture like this, it is still important to consider demand in the market. The company even stated that people were willing to pay more for frames they liked. This not only increased the surplus, but also provided those who needed glasses with a pair they felt confident in.
6. Using the producer surplus gained from market inefficiency allows them to provide services for free. This increases the portion of the market that the venture can reach, but does not exclude those in need because they cannot pay.
7. By taking advantage of economies of scale by producing a diagnosis device in-house, rather than purchasing them from another vendor, they were able to keep costs down. This allowed them to expand within India and eventually to other countries.
8. They focused on the value propositions of quality and timeliness; people were able to get high-quality spectacles in just about 20 minutes. Also, if a person needed repairs on their glasses, they were available to fix their glasses right there at the campsite. For people that needed surgeries, they had buses waiting to take them to the base hospital, they received surgery the following day, then they took a bus back to where they came from. Focusing on these two qualities, while also providing the services at a low cost, improved engagement within the community.
9. Logistical support may not always be readily available; Aravind ensures that there will be buses ready to take patients to the hospital right away. If it weren’t for this easy accessibility, many people would probably never get these services. Accessibility is important to consider when developing our own venture because even if people do want our product, there needs to be a clear plan on how they will receive it, and these resources may not always be readily available. 
10. The productivity of Aravind’s staff was significantly higher than anyone else’s – they had excellent quality assurance systems that significantly lowered the complications of their processes. This was one of the reasons why their costs were significantly lower when compared with the UK’s costs as well. PlasTech Ventures can look into developing a similar set of activities that determine the most effective procedures and standards to develop our products – more specifically, we can look into auditing the quality of our machines frequently and training people on how to use the machines properly. 

1. List five compelling take-aways from the Art of the Start.

• “The best reason to start a company is to make meaning.” This can be accomplished by increasing quality of life, righting a wrong, or preventing the end of something good. Thinking about our project in this light was reassuring and affirmed that are intentions are good. By attempting to tackle the plastic waste crisis in the Philippines, our team hopes to both increase the quality of life of those affected by the pollution and to right the wrong that is plastic pollution. While this makes some aspects of our project more complicated because our goal is so multi-faceted, the outcome will hopefully be incredibly impactful.
• “Weave a MAT” where MAT stands for Milestones, Assumptions, Tasks. While it is sometimes frustrating to fit a long-term GSIF project into the two-semester box intended for capstone, this type of planning is critical. Our team has found our weeks most productive when we break down our goals (milestones) into actionable items (tasks). We have also had to rely on SWAGs for a lot of our initial guesses, which qualify as assumptions. Hearing this approach reiterated was a helpful reminder that success when addressing such a huge problem will only come with careful planning and communication among the team.
• “Hire infected people.” When speaking to members of our team, it is clear that each of us has a passion for sustainability and addressing plastic pollution. This desire to make an impact allows our team to be successful and persevere even when we face adversity and failure.

2. Articulate your value propositions for your diverse customer segments.

• PlasTech Ventures value proposition: We help Filipino entrepreneurs earn a profit by providing them technology and a business model to be used to transform plastic waste into higher value products that can be sold to the community.

3. Discuss your Total Available Market and Total Addressable Market. List all your assumptions and hypothesis.

• The total available market for PlasTech Venture is the entire Philippine population, 104.9 million people. Currently, only 20% of the plastics produced in Metro Manila (1360 tons) are recycled. This shows that there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of recycling and diverting plastics from the landfill. In addition, it is extremely common for people in the Philippines to have 3 jobs to support their families. These two indications show that there is an extraordinary market for turning recycled plastics into products that can be sold to generate income. In addition, there is a strong labor force since many people are willing to go as far as maintaining three jobs for money to support their families. The total addressable market is the barangay Paradise Village, who have been known to have done a good job in sorting out their plastic waste before recycling or trashing it (in comparison to other barangays). Of the 1360 tons of plastics, the team and I  will increase the recycling rate from 20% to 23% upon implementing the venture in the Philippines. More than 40 tons of plastics will be diverted from landfills per day assuming that people will purchase the building blocks made from recycled plastics for residential construction. In order to maintain production, 5 people will be hired at each manufacturing facility at the standard wage level. The employment of the 5 people will lead to an increase in their well-being and encourage more spending in the market (economic boost)

1. Summarize and report out on the results of the SKS exercise.

When talking amongst each other about our team dynamics, we identified things we want to “Start”, “Keep”, and “Stop.”

Start

• Holding ourselves and each other accountable for the tasks we commit to. It can be difficult to ask your peers to contribute more (or less), and to communicate this constructively. By improving upon this skill, we will collectively accomplish more and advance the project forward more quickly.
• Setting clear objectives with dates. Our team has done a good job so far of setting objectives for the end of the semester and identifying weekly goals necessary to meet these objectives. However, adding more deadlines throughout the semester to ensure appropriate progress is being made will help us stay on track and avoid going in circles.
• More team bonding! By spending time together outside of project meetings, we will have a better idea of the strengths and weaknesses of our team members, outside of an academic setting. This will help us to avoid the functional fixedness bias.

Keep

• Being open, honest, and willing to ask for help. Our team has done a good job so far about being honest and open with the rest of the team about when we are having a particularly challenging week and are unable to contribute to our normal extent. By communicating this honestly, it allows the entire team to adjust their expectations and objectives for the week accordingly.
• Being enthusiastic about the project. Each member of our team has different but similar motivations for joining the project. We all share a similar level of enthusiasm that is helpful for encouraging each other when we face adversity.
• Divide and conquer tasks to reach the desired end goal. This team is unique in that we have diverse majors and skill sets. By allowing team members to take responsibility for tasks they are passionate about and have experience with, we ensure that all tasks are completed well.

Stop

• Waiting until the last minute to complete assigned tasks. As we are all busy and have different schedules, sometimes a lack of communication results in leaving tasks to the last minute. If nobody is able to start an assignment until the day before it is due, we are not able to complete it to the quality that we could have if we started earlier. By communicating more clearly about a timeline for individual assignments, all of our work will be done to a higher quality.
• Going around in a loop, as it slows progress and lowers morale. This is tied to our goal to start setting clearer mid-semester goals to act a progress marker.

2. Develop a detailed Collaboration Plan for your team clearly articulating your Goals (Small g and Big G), Roles,Procedures, and Relationships.

Goals

What are the personal goals (small g) of each member on this team?

• Laura: Use the technical skills I’ve developed through my coursework at Lehigh to  make positive change on global scale
• Susan: To change the way people currently live to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly through my mechanical engineering and product design background.
• Kelly: Using my experience to manage the distribution channels of plastics to ensure there is consistency in the types of plastics used, so that the bricks ultimately can be of high quality to the population of the Philippines. 

What is the Project GOAL (big G) we’re all committed to achieve together?

• To divert solid plastic waste from landfills and prevent plastic pollution in the oceans

Is our Project Goal scaled to our resources (dreams, materials, skills, differences, etc.) and constraints (assignment, time, skills, etc.)

• No, the project goal is extremely massive (the entire country), which is the size of our dreams. However, with our current resources we are not ready to change the entire country all at once. Therefore we are taking little steps, starting with a small community in Manila, where we are able to more effectively apply the skills and knowledge of a five member team from all different backgrounds to not only combat the plastic crisis but to also develop a business opportunity for Filipinos living in poverty. Scalability will be assessed at a later stage in the project.

What are the metrics for success for what we’re producing?

• Pounds of solid recycled plastic waste diverted
• Quantity of products made from recycled plastics
• The number of women employed
• The number of entrepreneurs who adopt our business model
• The number of junk shops who adopt our business model

Roles

Who is responsible for which deliverables?

• Paper on compressive strength of recycled PET
  • Laura
• Paper on junk shops
  • Kelly
• Wall system prototype and machinery design 
  • Susan and Andy
• Manufacturing Process
  • Ellie

Which deliverables that require collaboration, subgroups & individual work? Who does each person depend upon to succeed?

• All the deliverables will require some sort of collaboration with at least another team member. For the wall system design and prototyping, Susan will be leading the effort with Andy supporting her. Andy will be incharge of redesigning the machinery with Susan and Ellie providing support along the process. Kelly will be conducting the supply chain and junk shop investigation with side support from the entire team. Laura will be conducting testing on the compressive strength of recycled plastics (with different contamination levels) over the summer at mountaintop and Kelly will be assisting her in the effort. 

Do we need a project manager to coordinate?

• The team has been coordinating well with each other. At the end of every meeting we determine the next steps that are required to progress the project and delegate the tasks according to people’s assigned role on the team. Each member thus far has done a good job in completing their tasks by the deadline.

What are the deliverables each person is accountable to produce?

1. Laura: Research results and a written paper on the compressive strength of recycled plastics at different contamination levels.
2. Susan: Develop 3 wall system design, produce prototypes of wall system, create building block in solidworks for FEA
3. Andy: Develop mold for wall system, develop machinery needed to produce the wall system, fabricate the machinery
4. Ellie: Develop the manufacturing process plan to produce the building block
5. Kelly: Develop the financial model and supply chain of the recycling business 

Procedures:

Decision Making – What process shall we use: consensus, majority rules, deference to expert, default to the loudest, or?

• Decision making will result from mainly a team consensus.

Effective Meetings – Focus on key, timely decisions together vs. status/update (offline);

• Meetings occur every Friday where each team member presents their work for the past week. The team analyzes the result of all the team members work and determines the next steps as a group. The team then divides and conquers the tasks needed to achieve the next steps by the next week deadline. 

Meeting roles: scribe, facilitator, time keeper

• The team rotates on being the scribe. The team goes around one by one on the work they have done to further the project. Brian acts as the facilitator and asks key questions to push the team forward.

Communication – FTF: frequency, time, location; type of technology: (Googledocs, Zoom, Hangout, etc.); expectations for responsiveness; ‘best time to work’ (AM, PM, weekends?)

• The general meeting between the team, advisors, PI, and sponsors occur on Fridays from 11am-12pm on Zoom. The team communicates with each other through Slack anytime of the day and expects a response whenever another team member reads the message.

Relationships

Team Diversity – What is the diversity on our team? Disciplines to tap for solutions;  individual learning styles for the stages of invention; overall team learning style strengths and places to supplement;  cultural backgrounds , work experience, dreams to leverage for scope & impact of goals, new roles, better procedures; languages for more diverse customer set, bigger market;

• Currently our team is composed of people from all kinds of backgrounds that has contributed to advancing the PlasTech Venture forward. First, the majority of the team is pursuing a different major. Andy and Susan are mechanical engineering majors (Susan is also pursuing a product design minor) and have been really involved in making various designs of wall systems and the machinery to produce the wall systems. Ellie is an ideas major (mechanical engineering and environmental studies) who has been investigating UV degradation on plastics to understand how the wall systems will be impacted by the sun over a long period of time. Laura is a material science engineering major who will be conducting research on the pressive strength of recycled plastics at different contamination levels. Lastly, Kelly is a supply chain major and is playing a major role in determining the movement of plastics in the Philippines. 

Listening – Notice my binary thinking, auto-rankism, and go beyond it.

• When developing different designs of the wall system, the team brainstormed and sketched designs for a week. During the Friday meeting of sharing all the designs that were created, the team provided critics on the designs and took best practices from each other. The team listens closely to each other’s ideas and provides feedback/ideas to advance the project forward. If the team were to run into binary solutions, we would split into two and investigate the two solutions in order to gather information for the team to consensually agree on the best solution. 

Team Name–What’s a team name that captures who we are and what we’re going to do?

PlasTech Ventures! The team is utilizing technology to create products out of recycled plastics in order to diverge plastics from the landfill and ocean. The business model that the team is currently developing will provide entrepreneurial opportunities to Filipinos.

Does your work require IRB approvals? If Yes, articulate your detailed IRB strategy. If No, explain why you don’t need IRB approval and identify situations when you might need IRB approval.

Yes, our work requires IRB approval. First, the PlasTech Venture activities satisfies IRB’s definition of research. The team is conducting a systematic investigation on recyclable plastics and developing methodologies to diverge the plastic waste from the environment. Information generated from this research will contribute to generalized knowledge because it has the potential to improve the well-being of a community upon implementation. Second, the research does involve human subjects. The team needs to conduct stakeholder interviews to gather information that are crucial to the project, such as determining the needs of FIlipinos and suggestions on the project’s implementation. Even though PlasTech Venture satisfies IRB’s definition of conducting research and involving humans, the project may be qualified from an exception due to minimal risks involving humans. The people being interviewed will not receive any harm or discomfort greater than ordinary encounters in daily life.

Develop an outline for your mid-semester presentations.

1. Problem/Opportunity being addressed from macro level
   1. Currently 1,360 tons of plastic are being produced in metro Manila alone every single day. Only 20% of this plastic waste is recycled while the remaining 80% goes into the Philippines environment. As a result, environmental issues that contribute to the well-being of Filipinos are on the rise. For example, 50% of the waterways in the Philippines are contaminated with plastic wastes. 
2. Problem/Opportunity being addressed from micro level
   1. The PlasTech Venture team plans on combating the plastic crisis by diverging plastics from the landfill and ocean. In order to achieve this goal, the team is looking to develop value-added products made from recycled plastics. Besides combating the plastic crisis, this approach also gives Nanays (a growing demographic unemployment group) an opportunity to re-enter the workforce and improve their well-being. 
3. Explain approach and how proposed solution will work
   1. The team is giving entrepreneurs in the Philippines an economic opportunity to turn plastic waste into low-cost raw material that can be used to manufacture a higher value product for profit. Plastic waste materials will first be collected, cleaned, and scrapped in junk shops. The plastic waste will then be melted and formed into a valuable product to be sold. Money generated from this process will be used as salary to improve the well-being of nanays living in poverty. 
4. What larger system does the project exist in?
   1. The project exists not only in the recycling system in the Philippines but also globally in other countries.
5. Discuss work that has been done so far — research
   1. First, the team has conducted market research in the Philippines to determine the kind of products that will not only sell, but also meet the needs of Filipinos. From this investigation we determined the following products meets our criteria: nipa huts, rain management, building materials, and tiles. From this list, we narrowed down our product suite to the following items: riles/pavers, rain management system, and wall system. In order to determine whether or not the products will be feasible in the Filippino market, we need to conduct further research in the following fields:
      1. Material properties: The team needs to investigate plastic material’s reaction under tension and compression. In addition, the team will also be conducting an investigation to determine the acceptable contamination tolerance in our products.
      2. Composition of waste stream: The team needs to investigate the composition of plastic waste stream in order to determine what types of plastics are available and their abundance. This information is crucial in determining which plastics certain products will be made out of. 
      3. Machinery/processing options: After finalizing the design of our products, the team will need to investigate the process and machinery design needed to manufacture the product. 
6. Identify challenges in research and design and plans to address them
   1. One challenge the team faced in research was identifying the metrics the products will have to achieve. In our building material product, for instance, we conducted an investigation on existing building codes in the Philippines to determine the strength requirement of our building block product. The team was surprised to find that there were essentially no building codes in the Philippines. Furthermore, there is no existing information on the compressive strength of recycled plastics. So the team is now facing the challenge of starting from the ground up. Another challenge is identifying appropriate market interest. We managed to generate a product suite solely from our observations and online research on the Philippines. However, there is no way of knowing exactly how acceptable our products are without contacting or conducting a survey on the target customer (residential Filipino). 

What supporting evidence will you provide for each point?

*included in outline

How will you boost your credibility every step of the way?

To boost credibility, we will try our best to not look at the slides (as shown in various videos in lecture). Also, we will let each presenter speak about their strong suits and areas of interest in the project (what they know the most about/what they have researched) to be sure a group member is not forced into talking about something they didn’t do a whole lot of research on.

List ten things that make you feel human.

1. Sun on my face on a warm day
2. The heaviness of the air and the breeze as a summer thunderstorm rolls in
3. Being hugged by loved ones
4. Really good (spicy) food
5. Pride in an accomplishment
6. Shared smiles with a stranger
7. Making other people happy
8. The feeling you get after running
9. Fear of losing a loved one
10. Crying

Articulate your philosophy of engagement as it pertains to your work with the GSIF / LVSIF.

The plastic waste problem is global, but the Philippines is particularly affected. As a low-resource country, many people are unemployed or low-income and thus living in poverty. I should engage because my background in materials, economics, and sustainability allow me to understand the complex plastic waste problem and its effect on communities. By understanding the complexities, I will be able to find a wholistic solution that results in a systematic change. I should engage because I have access to resources that will enable me to develop technology and a process that allows for systematic change.

I must engage in a way that is sensitive to indigenous knowledge and Filipino culture. Finding a culturally appropriate solution will ensure long-term sustainability of the project and an increased likelihood that the desired outcome will be achieved. Our group is considering the possibility of manufacturing building materials. One of the first possibilities we researched was traditional nipa huts and the feasibility of manufacturing them from plastic. However, we decided that it may be difficult to find a market for plastic nipa huts, as the traditional method is low-cost and engrained in the culture.

I must engage with those who are open to change. Our project is designed to allow entrepreneurs to invest in a system which will provide income and reduce the amount of plastic waste in communities. We are not trying to force new products into a market where there is no demand, but rather develop a process to engage community members if they choose.

I should care about the challenge of finding an appropriate market for our product. Our team is confident in our ability to manufacture goods from recycled plastic, but it is important to ensure that we design a product that will be profitable for the entrepreneurs that purchase our machinery. It will also be essential to create a product that will not exacerbate the plastic waste problem several years down the line, for this reason, product longevity is critical. Additionally, safety of producers and consumers must be considered due to the nature of plastic. Plastics are prone to flammability and failure due to creep, so these vulnerabilities must be addressed to preserve the integrity of our product.

My epitaph might read “driven by compassion and a desire to learn.”

Based on your life experience, skills and interests, what would a design process that is both uniquely yours and effective look like?

1. Empathize: People are exposed to an existing issue or system that brings them dissatisfaction or empathy towards the situation. People involved start to build up a desire and passion to take action in order to make an impactful change on the existing system in hopes of a better situation.
   • The plastic waste problem is global and even here in the United States, you can’t walk down the street without seeing an empty soda bottle tossed to the side or a plastic bag caught in a tree. This, as well as our group’s passion for encouraging a more sustainable society, sparked the passion we have for this project.
2. Explore: People investigate the current issue in-depth to see the big picture. People gain an understanding of the five Ws & H(who, what,  when, where, why, and how) towards the situation.
   • We are currently in this stage of the project where we are reaching out to our contacts in the Philippines and trying to better understand the role that plastic waste plays in their society. We are also conducting research on companies who are already profiting from re-purposing recycled plastic.
3. Define: People pinpoint and clearly define the problem that resulted in the existence of the current situation.
   • The global plastic waste issue is too big for our team to tackle alone. However, in the Philippines, plastic is often recycled and sorted, but ends up in a landfill which spills over into the ocean. Our team has defined this mishandling of already recycled plastics as the key problem that our project will try to address.
4. Ideate/Research: Develop initial ideas to combat the problem. Conduct research to determine whether or not similar problems exist(ed) in other areas and determine whether an existing solution has been applied. Develop a finalized solution to tackle the problem with initial ideas and information gathered from research.
   • In the initial stages of our project, our team believes that building machines that can manufacture a suite of products, such as plastic bricks that can lock up a large volume of plastic waste, is a solution worth pursuing further. There are several companies that already produce building bricks from plastic, so we are hoping to scale this to be viable in Filipino communities.
5. Prototype: Develop a prototype of the solution. Document and take note of any issue that arises from the production process.
   • We have a team with diverse skill-sets, which will allow us to develop a prototype while taking into account many factors. Susan, Andy, and Ellie are all mechanical engineers, but each with different interests. Kelly has experience in supply chain, and I am experienced with polymer processing and material properties.
6. Test: Conduct a trail of the solution in a small scale setting. Get the community involved in the trial for feedbacks. Make adjustments and changes according to the feedback. Repeat steps five and six as needed.
   • This step will come into play as we conduct field work this summer.
7. Implementation: Implement the solution at full scale. Make minor adjustments as needed.
   • This will hopefully come several years down the line if our project is successful and spreads to the barangays of Manila.
8. Feedback: Generate feedback from the community on the solution implemented. Look for improvement opportunities on the solution that was implemented. Communicate problems and solutions online for other communities to reference

Identify your three most important stakeholders and list five UNIQUE attributes for each one of them.

• Entrepreneurs/Junk Shops
  1. Demographics: Filipino, small business owners
  2. Socio-Economics: Lower class, low income
  3. Geographic: Philippines, rainy and windy climates, 1.78 million people in Manila
  4. Psychological Variable: Sees value in trash
  5. Behavioral: Buys trash from people
• Nanays
  1. Demographics: Middle-age married Filipino
  2. Socio-Economic: Unemployed low income class
  3. Geographic: Philippines, rainy and windy climates, 1.78 million people in Manila
  4. Psychological Variables: Middle-age women who have fulfilled their parental roles and are seeking employment to improve quality of life
  5. Behavioral: Purchase sachets due to low income
• NGOs
  1. Demographics: Filipinos of all occupations
  2. Socio-Economic: People from all classes and income level
  3. Geographic: Philippines, rainy and windy climates, 1.78 million people in Manila
  4. Psychological Variables: Banding together in pursuit of achieving a common goal such as diverting plastic from the environment
  5. Behavioral: Reducing plastic usage in day-to-day life

Identify three ways in which you will validate your project concept, technology, usability, and business model.

• Conduct experimentation to determine the allowable contamination level in recycled plastics for building blocks 
• Determine whether or not the junk shop business and market are willing to invest in our injection molding machinery for the production of recycled plastic products through research
• Create prototypes of building blocks designs to test whether they are secure and sturdy. Utilizes plastic’s flexible properties.

Give three examples of something very interesting you learned from a friend that was a completely alien concept to you.

1. I came from a predominantly Christian town, but a lot of my friends here at Lehigh are Jewish. I’ve learned a lot about a different religion and how it has shaped my friends’ world views.
2. Sort of an odd discovery, but nobody in my family uses toaster ovens, we all have upright toasters that are only good for bread and bagels. It was’t until I moved in with my friends at school that I came to appreciate the versatility of a toaster oven.
3. One of my friends that I lived with this past summer was biracial and she taught us a dance that her family always does at parties.