2.6: Eco-design

eco-design

A design strategy that focusses on three broad environmental categories – materials, energy, and pollution/waste.

• This makes eco-design more complex and difficult to do.

UN on eco-design

The UN released a manual on Eco design in 1996. It outlined major considerations:

• reduce the creation and use of toxic materials

• increase recyclability

• reduce energy consumption

• increase use of renewable resources

• increase product durability – reducing planned obsolescence

• reduce material requirements for products and services

timescale for implementing eco-design

• Some factors that can influence the timescale include:

  • cost, available technology,

  • radical or whole system overhaul,

  • eco-design is more complex

• all of which can add to the timescale.

cradle-to-grave

A design philosophy that considers the environmental effects of a product all of the way from manufacture to disposal.

• It is a key principle of the linear economy.

cradle-to-cradle

A design philosophy that aims to eliminate waste from the production, use and disposal of a product. It centres on products which are made to be made again.

• It is a key principle of the circular economy.

  • Made to be made – is when a product is designed it is conceived in such a way that it can be made again using the same/most materials/resources of the original product, once it has been disposed of.

Life cycle analysis

The assessment of the effect a product has on the environment (LCA) through five stages of its life: pre-production; production; distribution (including packaging); utilization; and disposal.

• Designers use LCA to assess and balance environmental impact over a product’s life cycle.

• It can highlight areas with opportunities to reduce the environmental impact.

• It makes the designer to think about changing product design to reduce the impact such a green or sustainable product designs

LCA stages (5)

• pre-production

• production

• distribution including packaging

• utilization

• disposal

pre-production

• is the obtaining of natural resources;

  • it can be very polluting (strip-mining) or can have a smaller effect on the environment (shaft mining),

  • includes transporting the raw material to processing industries

production

• is the processing of the resources and shaping etc. to make the product.

  • Once again it could be damaging to the environment (such as a large factory spewing out smoke) or have a small impact (a carpenter hand crafting children’s toys)

distribution including packaging

• includes taking the product from the factory to the warehouse, from the warehouse to the store, and the package.

  • It could have a large impact (as is the case with an imported object from around the world in a Styrofoam box) or a very low impact (made and sold in the same place with a biodegradable box or no packaging)

utilisation

• is about the product’s use and the effect that has on the environment.

  • A diesel generator for example will pollute air and make noise pollution while a solar panel will make next to none.

disposal

• depends on both the product and the method of disposal. Recycling one aluminum can will make less environmental problems than throwing one away even if they are identical.

  • Biodegradable objects can be reused, recycled, or left to be broken down and add nutrients to the soil, depending on the object one or the other would be preferable.

  • Paper is best recycled because of the chemicals used to make it and the logging of forests to obtain the pulp while a banana peel is completely useless for anything but compost.

environmental considerations

• water and soil pollution

• water and soil degradation

• air contamination

• noise

• energy consumption

• consumption of natural resources

• pollution and effect on ecosystems.

internal drivers for eco design from economic perspective

• manager’s sense of responsibility

• need for increased product quality

• need for better product and company image

• reduce costs

• innovative power

• increase personal motivation

external drivers for eco design from economic perspective

• government

• market demand

• social environment

• competitors

• trade organisations

• supplies

What does CAD allow designers to do?

to perform life cycle analysis on a product and assess its environmental impact

converging technologies

the synergistic (combination) merging of nanotech, biotech, information and communication tech and cognitive science (different tech) to create more opportunities for product innovation.

examples of converging tech

smart phone- materials required to create it, energy consumption, disassembly, recyclability and portability of the devices it incorporates

What is the difference between green design and eco-design?

Green design and eco-design both focus on environmentally conscious principles in design, but they emphasize different aspects.

• Green design typically refers to designs that prioritize energy efficiency, renewable resources, and minimal environmental impact throughout a product's lifecycle.

• Eco-design, on the other hand, encompasses a broader approach that considers not only environmental factors but also social and economic aspects, such as ethical sourcing, social equity, and economic viability.

circular economy

An approach that seeks to minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency by promoting the continual use and reuse of materials in a closed-loop system.