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ADVERTISEMENTEvery year, millions of tonnes of electronic waste end up in landfills, largely because small devices are built from materials that are nearly impossible to separate and recycle efficiently. At just 24 years old, Austrian industrial designer Franziska Kerber is working to change that: She has developed PAPE, a sustainable, paper-based alternative to plastic and fibreglass used in the casings of small electronic devices.
Thanks to her work on PAPE, Kerber has been recognised as one of the top ten winners – called Tomorrow Shapers – of the 2025 Young Inventors Prize, awarded by the European Patent Office.
Transforming electronics with paper-based components
“Electronic waste is the fastest-growing waste stream worldwide and most electronic products are not designed in a way for them to be recycled,” Kerber explained. “So I was aiming to create a product that not only improves recyclability, but creates a full circular system around it.”
Unlike conventional plastics, which often trap valuable materials inside a device, PAPE is designed to dissolve in a targeted process. This allows manufacturers to retrieve electronic components without the need for shredding or chemical separation. PAPE is made from unused paper fibres, is durable and biodegradable, and was designed from the ground up with material recovery in mind.
Combining design and sustainability to increase recyclability
Kerber’s commitment to sustainable design was shaped by both family and education. Her father, a physicist and award-winning inventor, introduced her to dissolvable electronics at a young age. While studying industrial design at FH Joanneum, she became increasingly focused on circular systems and material reuse – realising that solving e-waste requires more than just one recyclable component.
“Even if researchers create dissolvable, recyclable circuit boards, it doesn’t really change anything if the rest of the product just ends up as waste again. The whole design has to evolve – otherwise, we’re just shifting the problem instead of solving it,” she said.
To develop PAPE, Kerber experimented with compressed paper fibres, refining the product through iterations that tested heat resistance, airflow, and durability. PAPE was specifically created for small consumer electronics like WiFi routers and smoke detectors, which are widespread but rarely recycled properly.
“I hope that this invention reaches a point when people talk about which WiFi router they should buy next, they will think about PAPE because it’s just the better sustainable option and I love the design,” Kerber added.
She is now working with startups and companies developing recyclable PCBs to bring PAPE to the market, aiming to shift the consumer electronics industry toward truly circular solutions.
Moreover, Kerber’s work contributes directly to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) – highlighting how thoughtful design can reduce waste and help shape a more sustainable future.
