Different coloured rectangular pieces of FORMcard. — FORMcard aims to be easier to use and more accessible so that people can make their repairs wherever they are © FORMcard

The bioplastic that is easily moulded for repairs

June 2016

Launched on Kickstarter in November 2015, British designer Peter Marigold’s FORMcard innovation successfully raised the money needed to go into production on its first day. The malleable plastic has since been used to fix thousands of everyday items around the world.

A person cutting a piece of yellow FORMcard with scissors over a cup of water outside. — FORMcard is small enough to fit in a wallet. Once heated, it becomes sticky and pliable, allowing it to be moulded into various shapes before hardening © FORMcard

FORMcard is a colourful credit-card-sized piece of bioplastic that melts in boiling water and can then be moulded when hot and pliable to fix a number of items, from screwdrivers and toys, to car wing mirrors and bumpers.

Designer Peter Marigold has worked on gallery displays, installations and public art projects. After becoming interested in plastics that melt at low temperatures and looking at how they could be adapted to be used in the home, he developed the idea for FORMcard.

The cards are produced entirely in the UK and are made from a high-molecularweight thermoplastic linear polyester derived from a bioplastic monomer. The thermoplastic is non-toxic and uses powder pigments instead of universal pigments containing styrenes, which can be hazardous to humans. These types of thermoplastics are usually supplied as granules, which have to be squashed together before using and result in a bulky piece of plastic. It isn’t convenient for people to carry round bags of the granules with them, so FORMcard aims to be easier to use and more accessible so that people can make their repairs wherever they are.

The reusability and accessibility of FORMcard aims to provide people with a simple fix for their items rather than them having to be thrown away, so it is an eco-friendly and sustainable solution

When it is very hot, the plastic becomes sticky and can stick to other plastics, such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), polyester, vinyl and acrylic, allowing it to fix and modify items. Once the plastic cools down slightly, it loses its stickiness but can still be moulded into various shapes before hardening, such as mobile phone stands or wall hooks that can hold up to 10 kg. It can be reheated and, once it has served its purpose, melted again and used to fix something else.

The reusability and accessibility of FORMcard aims to provide people with a simple fix for their items rather than them having to be thrown away, so it is an eco-friendly and sustainable solution. Since it went on sale in December 2015, more than 60,000 FORMcards have been sold and agreements have been made with distributors in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the USA.

For more information, see formcard.com

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This article has been adapted from "The quick fix day solution", which originally appeared in the print edition of Ingenia 67 (June 2016).

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