The conventional acrylic trophy has an undisputed problem: standard virgin PMMA is a material with a high production footprint and no circular economy mechanism.

The acrylic trophies from Sustain Awards change that equation: a single block of 100% recycled cast acrylic, manufactured in Barcelona using chemical recycling, with the same technical properties as virgin material and approximately 3,000 kg less CO₂ per ton produced. No mixing with virgin material, no partial percentages, no asterisks.

Why the manufacturing process matters

Not all acrylic labeled as recycled is the same. The difference lies in how the waste is processed.

Policril REC uses chemical recycling: the leftover material is broken down to recover its original monomer, MMA, from which the sheet is then manufactured again. It is not regranulated. It is rebuilding PMMA from its basic unit, which guarantees a purity that other mechanical recycling processes cannot achieve.

The single block as a design standard

The monolithic block is not a limitation: it's a design decision based on three principles.

• Functional: 25 mm thickness ensures inherent stability without additional support. Laser engraving, four-color printing, transparency effects — everything is executed on the single piece without losing any design possibilities.
• Aesthetic: A single-block piece reflects a more modern and refined aesthetic than the conventional mass-produced trophy — generic base, engraved metal plate — a solution inherited from mass production that is now visually obsolete.
• Technical: Without assemblies, there are no failure points in mounting, no adhesives that age, no joint fatigue. Protective packaging is also simplified.

The polished edge is part of the design, not a functional finish. With over 90% transmittance and 1% turbidity, the side of the piece acts as an optical frame and replicates the front design with a depth that no opaque support can achieve.

The material the industry hadn't questioned for decades

The corporate awards sector has gone decades without questioning the material. Technically high-quality recycled acrylic — with chemical recycling, European manufacturing, and properties identical to virgin material — changes the rules: for the first time, it's possible to deliver a piece that makes no compromises on either performance or material origin.

Sustain Awards achieves this through design. Not as an afterthought, but as a starting point: each piece is an opportunity to create an object the recipient will want to display, not hide away in a drawer.

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