Meet The Woman Who’s Turning Plastic Waste Into Essential Goods

While volunteering abroad with a nonprofit engineering group, Samantha Snabes noticed piles of discarded medical and electrical equipment degrading in the hot sun. She wondered: “What if this plastic waste could be thought of as a resource instead of sitting in a landfill or polluting our oceans?” That question became the starting point for re:3D, an eco-friendly social enterprise that makes affordable, industrial-size 3D printers for problem-solvers around the world to create everything from prosthetic hands to industrial components.

Today, re:3D sells printers in more than 50 countries and offers free units to innovators who are making a difference in their communities. The business has grown with the support of JPMorganChase and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families’ CEOcircle program, a peer mentorship accelerator for military entrepreneurs.

Click below to read more about how re:3D is creating stronger communities, one pile of plastic waste at a time.