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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
raw materials extraction
raw material processing
manufacture
distribution
user
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
