Product life cycle and sustainability

Sustainability

The managment of resources to minimise depletion and pollution

6 Rs

• Recycle

• reduce

• refuse

• repair

• rethink

• reuse 

Recycle

recovering parts and materials to be used again when products reach the end of their useful life

Reduce

minimising wastage, by ysing less material or eliminating excessive packaging

Refuse

avoiding designs which for example use materials which are harmful to the enviorment or are difficult to recycle

Repair

Desigining products that can be repaired rather than those that have to be thrown out if they are damaged

Rethink 

Considering carefully wether there might be more sustainable alternatives 

Reuse

making it possible to use products again rather than discarding them

Standarised system codes

these codes will have the labelling of materials to aid seperation for recycling, usually moulded into the product 

the environmental problems associated with extracting and processing raw materials

• Direct damage to the environment from extraction.

• High consumption of energy.

• High levels of emissions, such as CO₂.

• Potential for dangerous disasters (e.g., toxic gas escapes, dam bursts).

• Risks from finite resource depletion (e.g., crude oil).

• Deforestation and degradation from using natural materials like timber.

Why is crude oil, used to make polymers, a problematic resource?

It is a finite resource and can cause environmental problems during extraction and transportation.

the high-priority targets to address the issues with raw materials

• Higher rates of recycling

• Seeking alternative materials

• Organizing materials supply, manufacture, and product end-of-life in the most environmentally friendly way possible. (circular economy)

What is a major by-product of industrial processes like smelting

High levels of emissions, such as CO₂.

environmental downside of using timber as an alternative material?

Deforestation and environmental degradation.

What does the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) scheme promote?

The sustainable management of forest resources.

What is the main goal of reducing the quantity of materials used in products?

To minimise waste and environmental impact.

Reducing methods without sacrificing quality.

By reducing the weight of the ‘Easy Open Ends’ on its products

How can software help reduce material waste in furniture manufacturing?

By planning how to nest multiple parts economically in a sheet of material to minimise unusable off-cuts.

Why are rotational or blow-moulded, one-piece hollow mouldings efficient in toy manufacturing?

They are inherently strong and use the minimum possible amount of material.

circular economy

A way of organising materials supply, manufacture, and product end-of-life in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

Circular economy 

Understanding the impact of Product Design & Manufacture at every stage of the life Cycle;​

• Sourcing of materials​

• Transportation between each stage​

• Quantity of materials​

• Energy output during manufacturing​

• Energy output during use of product​

• Durability of materials​

• End of Life – Recycle

Why is the circular economy important?

For conserving dwindling resources and maintaining high-quality materials through more effective recycling.

upcycling

The creative reuse of unwanted products and materials into items of higher quality or value.

• Making furniture from old pallets, or bags and belts from discarded tyre inner tubes.

Biodegrade

the decomposition of materials in a natural environment 

• No energy required to dispose of materials.​

• No harm caused to the environment through its disposal.

Biopolymers

a biodegradable polymer

• Their degradation occurs due to the action of microorganisms, and the process produces water, carbon dioxide, biomass, and methane 

types of Biopolymers

• cornstarch polymer - natural, made from vegetables, high starch content, used to manufacture disposable cups, cutlery, takeaway packaging 

• Polyactide acid ( PLA) : derived from fermented sugar cane, corn kernels, creates acid used for bottles, nappies, medical products and 3D Printing

• Lactose - water soluble, fully compostable synthetic bipolymer used in medical applications and sachets for detergents

• PHB - bateria fermented sugar and carb based materials - used in packaging, not resistant to chemicals and has low impact resistant

• Bio batch - isnt a biopolymer but a additive, concentrations of one per cent render a range of conventional plastics like HDPE and PP, to biodegrade

Disadvantages of biodegradable polymers

• Methane gas release in landfills

• Contamination of recycled conventional polymers, reducing value and properties

• Higher cost, lacking economies of scale

• Specific disposal procedures required (e.g., PLA needs industrial composting)

• Growing their raw materials uses land needed for vital food crops.

• Poor decomposition in cold oceans, creating micro-plastics

Impact of the Designer on sustainability

• Selection of materials​

• Knowing the source of materials (Finite vs. Infinite)​

• Reducing the quantity of materials​

• Energy consumption of products during use​

• Redesigning products

Impact of the Manufacturer on sustainability

• Energy consumption of manufacturing processes

• Conduct energy audits and form in-house energy management teams.

• Adopt ISO 50001 (Energy Management) guidelines.

• Reorganize manufacturing to optimize workflow and quality.

• Schedule machine use outside peak hours to optimize energy use.

• Install energy-saving technologies (e.g., automatic lighting, heat recovery systems).

• Employ alternative energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines.

• Use dedicated machinery instead of CNC machines for high-volume production to improve efficiency.

• Use stock sizes of materials and standard forms for easier sourcing and processing.

What is Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS)?

A computer-based scanned barcode system for capturing data when consumers purchase goods.

examples of efficient packaging for distribution?

• Tessellating packages (e.g., Tetra Classic Aseptic Cube)

• Self-assembly flat-pack furniture

• Standardised carton and pallet sizes

• Concentrates, refills, and lightweight, recyclable materials

What is the purpose of a central distribution centre?

To be more cost-effective and have a better environmental impact than a dispersed distribution system.

What is the Logistics Emissions Reduction Scheme (LERS)?

A voluntary scheme for the UK road freight industry to record, report, and reduce transport emissions.

How can rail transport reduce the environmental impact of freight?

It can use electricity generated from solar, hydro, and wind sources.

What is FREVUE?

An initiative exploring the greater use of electric vehicles for freight in urban environments.

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

is a cleaner-burning alternative fuel that some container ships are starting to use

distribution states that

• The impact of carbon emissions from transportation of materials and products (end of life also).​

• Globalisation​

• Efficiency of transport is essential​

• Increase in the use of renewable energy with transport.

major problem with products that makes them difficult to repair?

The near impossibility of gaining access to their internal components.

built-in obsolescence

A design approach where products become obsolete or break prematurely, leading to them being discarded and replaced.

EC Energy Label

A compulsory labelling system that uses a coloured A+++ to G scale to indicate the energy efficiency of electrical products.

• compulsary european scheme to indicate energy consumptuon of household appliances 

Benefits of chosing efficient products

• minimisation of energy bills 

• minimisation of eneviormental damge 

Standardisation

• using standardisation parts makes it easier to use bought in components to manufacture and repair products 

main design consideration regarding product maintenance?

Designers must decide if maintenance will be possible and who will carry it out, which links directly to the issue of built-in obsolescence.

How do temporary fixings (like screws) versus integral fixings impact product maintenance?

Temporary fixings encourage home repair, while integral, tool-free fittings facilitate regular maintenance like battery replacement.

What is modular design and construction?

The use of interchangeable units that share common interfaces, which facilitates easier upgrades, repairs, and replacements.

examples of modular products or systems?

1. Computers (with standardised interfaces for hard drives, etc.)

2. Kitchen units and camera/lens systems

3. The Fairphone (a modular, easily repaired mobile phone)

key environmental benefit of designing products for easy disassembly?

It prevents products from ending up in landfill by allowing serviceable parts to be reused and materials to be recycled, supporting a circular economy.

legislative directives that encourage ease of disassembly?

The End of Life Vehicles (ELV) directive and the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive.

active disassembly

An experimental process where products automatically separate into their component parts in special recycling facilities, often using smart materials.

Why is maintaining material purity crucial for recycling?

Because contamination (e.g., one PVC bottle in a batch of PET) can ruin an entire batch of recycled material.

What technology is increasingly used in Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF) to automatically sort waste?

Optical/digital systems, particularly Near Infra-Red (NIR) technology.

What is the difference between a "cradle to grave" and a "cradle to cradle" approach?

• Cradle to Grave: Considers a product's entire life cycle from creation to disposal.

• Cradle to Cradle: A better approach where all materials in a product can be reused indefinitely in a closed-loop system.

What is a landfill site?

A specially licensed location where non-recycled waste is buried in large quantities.

major disadvantages of landfill sites?

1. Production of methane and CO₂ from rotting waste, requiring deodorisation.

2. Risk of chemical leakage into streams and groundwater.

3. The permanent loss of embodied energy and materials, with long-term monitoring costs.

What is the purpose of a Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF)?

To reduce dependence on landfill by recycling materials and using a combustion process to convert waste into steam and electricity. The remaining ash is used as construction aggregate.