9.1 cleaner design and technology

product design a level

sustainable product life cycle

access and evaluate impact of a product from cradle to grave through extraction of raw materials, production, distribution and use to final disposal

material selection

key issues for designers when considering use of materials for products and packaging are the economic and environmental costs of raw materials
use less materials, use materials with less environmental impact
consider recyclable materials
adhere to relevant legislation
use fewer different materials
consider origins of material

timber

raw material - tree
extraction - deforestation, environmental degradation of forest areas, distribution
processing - chemical pollutants used in chemical wood pulp production

metals

raw material - bauxite = aluminium, iron ore = steel
extraction - impact of mining, energy use, open cast mining, transportation
processing - vast amounts of energy to process with CO2 emissions

polymers

raw material - crude oil
extraction - impact of drilling activities, energy use, destruction of habit
processing - vast amounts of energy to refine and produce polymers with resulting CO2 emissions

using recyclable materials

reduces demand on finite resources, use of recycled materials requires less energy, less waste needs to be disposed of in landfill, reduces the need to incinerate waste, reduction in affecting wildlife

manufacture

minimise energy use, simplification of processes, reduce waste, use natural resources efficiently, avoid surface treatments, reduce number of parts

• identify energy hungry manufacture processes

• reduce the number of components

• ensuring that effective quality control measures are in place

• ensure production is set up in a manner that requires minimal material movement

• ensure machines run efficiently

life cycle of aluminium can

1. raw materials extraction

2. raw material processing

3. manufacture

4. distribution

5. user

6. disposal

distribution

reduce or lighten packaging, reduce size of and lighten product, reduce transportation distances

biofuels

biomass is food for the next trophic level in a food chain, can also be used as a source of renewable energy, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, to help reduce air pollution, using biomass still puts CO2 in atmosphere but its the same that was taken as the biomass was produced = carbon neutral
inexpensive, sustainable, carbon neutral, controlled combustion significantly reduces carbon emissions, alternative vehicle fuel
fuel used by machinery to produce energy is not carbon neutral, limited availability, ecological damage, vehicle engines need modifications, expensive processing procedure

use

increase durability of product, use ‘green’ credentials as a positive marketing strategy, promote efficient use of product

energy efficient products

eu energy label gives information about energy efficiency of product, rates from dark green to red
shows total energy consumption, water consumption
fridges, washing machines, light bulbs, ovens, TVs etc.

repair and maintenance

extended life time, less cost to repair than replace, sentimentality, avoid waste/disposal, saved data

end of life

make reuse and recycling easier, easier to separate parts for recycling, reduce overall waste to landfill, mark different polymers for correct sorting

recycling

finite resources are preserved, cheaper than extraction, saves energy, reduces CO2 emissions, less waste disposed, reduced deforestation
pollutants are produced and energy used by the recycling process, most recycled materials end up as lower grade materials, materials can only be recycled a finite number of times, products made from recycled materials are more expensive, some materials are difficult to recycle

reuse

decreases amount of waste and preserves natural resources, reduces consumption of new materials and saves energy
fewer products will be thrown to landfill, reduces pollution, manufacturer has reduced need for raw materials
system to reprocess product needs to be setup, consumers expect a lower price, less new products will be sold, often costs more to reprocess than manufacture new, need to be more robust

energy recovery

devices incorporated into high temp-emitting machines in order to collect heat that is usually released into the atmosphere
also make for lost energy in multiple stages of operation
reduce operation cost, limit wear and tear to machinery, decrease CO2 and VOC emissions, reduced heating/cooling costs

WEEE directive

many electrical components contain fluids and capacitors containing PCB, mercury containing components, toner cartridges, asbestos waste, lead, RCF, radioactive substances