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A Report for Unit 3: Managing Design in the Global Society and Economy
Content
Content
Content ...........................................................................................................II
Figures and Illustrations ...............................................................................3
Abbreviations .................................................................................................4
1.
Environmental Impact of Designed Products ......................................5
2.
The Past: Putting on Makeup .................................................................7
3.
The Present: Things are Even More Complicated ...............................8
4.
The Future: Circles and Loops ........................................................... 11
Bibliography .................................................................................................. V
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III
Abbreviations
Abbreviations
DfE EPR EU E-Waste GHG LCA RoHS Design for Environment Extended Producer Responsibility European Union Electronic waste Greenhouse Gas Life Cycle Assessment Restriction of Hazardous Substances; EU Di-
rective on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment 2002/95/EC
IV
Fig. 1: Product system from a life-cycle perspective (Lewis and Gertsakis, 2001, p.42) When analysing each stage it becomes evident that every product is different regarding its composition and impact on the environment. Taking into account the energy necessary to power an Apple MacBook for many years, the environmental impact during use almost equals that of production.
Fig. 2: Life Cycle Analysis for a MacBook (Jansson, 2008, www.images.apple.com, p. 1) In contrast, the recyclable packaging we have looked at for our unit practical project only has a very short lifespan in which no additional harm is done. 6
Furthermore, it is an important insight that no matter at which stage the impact occurs, the design process is ultimately crucial to which materials are selected and how much energy the product will use its life. (Lewis and Gertsakis, 2001, p. 14) John Thackara sums this up, stating that eighty percent of the total environmental impact is locked into a product already at its design stage. (Thackara, 2005, p. 17)
sure on businesses towards Design for Environment (DfE). At this moment forward-oriented companies discovered the potential of products that make less impact on the environment. They anticipated these trends towards higher energy prices (peak-oil hypothesis), governmental restrictions and consumer demands for greener products. In consequence, Reduction in environmental impacts became a major driver for innovation of companies in Europe and the US. (Stamm, 2008, p. 276) Nowadays design for environment can in many ways be seen beneficial for long-term business success compared to a shortsighted end-of-pipe approach.
Fig. 3: Recyclable products will still harm the environment if thrown into the wrong bin. (Source: Authors own, 2012) We had to solve the contamination of waste streams and came up with a minimal bin re-design and a holistic incentive-scheme involving all stakeholders, in order to increase the recycling success rate dramatically. Our solution included a re-design of recycling bins at busy shopping environments. A barcode-system attached to the new recycling-only-bin would ensure a 100% recycling rate and provide the basis for a buy-recycle-reward scheme that makes recyclable items valuable for users. Furthermore we designed the bins and barcodes in a way that users would benefit from a learning-effect and in addition the responsibility and incentives for a successful disposal would be transferred back to the waste producer. External effects, as explained crucial to environmental impact, would now become relevant to businesses and lessen the burden on society.
Fig. 4: Our buy-recycle-reward scheme and incentives for stakeholders (Source: Authors own, 2012) When reflecting critical on the solutions we developed, one could argue that this system fosters consumption due to the rewarding scheme and therefore increase the overall environmental impact again. Also the use of recent barcode technology could be criticised as a top-down approach, similar to endof-pipe technology. On the other hand it would be interesting to measure the positive outcomes of the embedded learning and spill-over effects of the new bins feedback system as well as the reduced environmental impact due to the increased recycling rate and the inter-connection with public transport system. 10
To put it in a nutshell, design for the environment is even more complicated than looking at each stage of the products life cycle. Our practical project let us experience how manifold the causes of environmental impact of products and consumptions are and how difficult it is to resolve them.
11
Bibliography
Bayer, E. (2010) Eben Bayer: Are mushrooms the new plastic? [online] TEDGlobal. Available at http://www.ted.com/talks/eben_bayer_are_mushrooms_the_new_plastic.h tml (Accessed 30.11.2012) Ellen Macarthur Foundation. (2012) Towards the Circular Economy. Economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition. [online] Isle of Wight. UK. Available at http://www.thecirculareconomy.org/uploads/files/032012/4f6360009d31c6 098f000006/original/Exec_summary_single.pdf?1331912704 (accessed 29.10.2012) Jansson, S. (2008) MacBook Environmental Report. [online] Cupertino. Apple. Available at http://images.apple.com/my/environment/resources/pdf/MacBookEnvironmental-Report.pdf (Accessed 30.11.2012). Lewis, H. and Gertsakis, J. (2001) Design + environment: A global guide to designing greener goods. Greenleaf. Sheffield. Stamm, B. von (2008) Managing innovation, design and creativity. 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons. Chichester, UK. Thackara, John. (2005) In the Bubble: Designing in a Complex World. Cambridge, Massachusetts. The MIT Press, USA.