Nov 15, 2014
guest webinar on ecodesign at a summer course on Green Industry by Central European University, in partnership with UNIDO
July 2012
ecodesign is a key strategy in achieving a resource efficient global economy
Dr Frank O’Connor Director @ecodesigncentre @frank_oconnor !
to believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.
Mahatma Gandhi
can design be good? if it does not consider all of the key environmental, social and economic impacts throughout the life cycle?
!
we have to change
Is this the end user?
98% of products are thrown away within 6 months
image source: Chris Jordan
source: Edwin Datschefski & United NaOons University
why are so many products disposable? why do we choose to purchase them?
!
social crimes
!
air pollu)on kills 3 million people each year, mostly in poor countries
source: WHO / BBC
responsibility
polluOon
between 100 and 1000 species become ex)nct each year, because their habitats are changing or being destroyed.
source: UK Government
responsibility
degradaOon
Image www.castlereagh.gov.uk
responsibility
so much waste
we live in a throwaway society. ………… but there is no ‘away’!
!
illustration: Nathan Hallett
illustraOon: Nathan HalleT
!
society has to change
!
over 1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water
source: UNDP
80% of all disease in developing countries is caused by consump)on of contaminated water
source: WHO
3800 children die each day
from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene
water access
source: UN / flickr
population growth
source: engine group and UNFPA source: engine group and UK statistics
ageing population
emerging economies
1 billion of these people are living in slums, squats & unofficial settlements
source: UNHABITAT
we have to change
!
responsibility
health
responsibility
polluOon
we over consume
44 million cups per day in US source: Chris Jordan
unnecessary choices
unnecessary packaging
… If everyone in the world were to consume natural resources and generate carbon dioxide (CO2) at the rate we do in the UK, we‘d need three planets to support us. source: WWF UK, DEFRA
three planet living!
.. collecOve unconscious behaviour ….. with catastrophic unintended consequences!
!
source: ads-ngo.com
design has to change
!
why design?
!
sustainability is a strategic design issue
!
it affects how we design
!
it affects why we design
!
designers interact between industry, users and other actors
industry
consumers
design
designers can influence how people consume, use, behave … industry
consumers
design
source: adapted from Danish Design Council
ecodesign
80% of environmental impacts
can be locked-in at the design stage (5% of product cost)
ecodesign thinking considers the materials, processes & pracOces of a company. It can idenOfy layers of waste but also layers of value
!
effecOve ecodesign thinking is open, process-‐oriented, mulOdisciplinary and cross-‐funcOonal, involving ‘people’ as well as ‘stuff’
!
ecodesign requires life cycle thinking
take make waste buy/use
re-use re--manufacture recycle
most designers are concerned with these stages
every product tells a story
!
source: Nathan Hallett
!
"Sonicare Elite 7000“ produced at 11 locations and in five time zones, comprised of 38 components, parts supplied by Japan, France, China and Malaysia, materials and production in Austria, Sweden, assembly in Philippines and United States, when fully assembled and packaged in Seattle the components have travelled a full 27,880 kilometres, two thirds of the Earth's circumference.
source: SPIEGEL Magazine
design for…. full life cycles life cycles, nutrient cycles, material selection, cradle to cradle
image source: mc donagh / braungart
NO MAGIC MATERIALS
!
design for…. fair & just production health and safety, employees
rights, unions, forced labour, child
labour, discrimination,
source: martin charter / CFSD
…...individuals act primarily on issues that impact their personal well-‐being, their family, and their immediate community. Unless those needs are tended to, most individuals won't commit to causes that promise to benefit the world at large. Catherine Greener
source: WHO / BBC
!
common ecodesign strategies / approaches / tools
!
invesOgate the internal and external drivers for packaging, product or service (re)design. these drivers could include legislaOon, customers, new technology, compeOOon.
assess the environmental impacts of the packaging and product. map the life cycle so you understand where these impacts occur. idenOfy where materials and energy is used and where waste is produced.
select ecodesign strategies that will allow designers to tackle the main environmental impacts. explore the compromises and trade-‐offs. involve others from markeOng, sales, producOon, purchasing.
develop a clear brand and markeOng strategy to reflect and communicate the environmental improvements. consider how the packaging will impact upon the brand.
rethink assess communicate design
1. 2. 3. 4.
ecodesign tools qualitative quantitative
ana
lysi
s/st
rate
gy
de
taile
d d
esi
gn
/ la
unc
h
stakeholder assessment
rules of thumb
market
analysis
ECO-Indicator
applied
ethnography
material
selection
benchmarking
carbon
footprint Life Cycle
Assessment
checklists /
LiDS Wheel
MET Matrix
guidelines /
standards
Life Cycle
Costing
strategy
tools
driver
analysis
design for…. low impact materials recycled, recyclable, bio materials, compatibility, compostable,
renewable, sustainable
image source: inhabitat, Worn Again, Moscardino, Remarkable, Sony
design for…. eco-packaging natural, returnable, reusable, multifunction, biodegradable
design for…. renewable power human powered, solar, wind, bio, re-chargeable
image source: Philips, Freeplay, Solio
image source: Panasonic
design for…. disassembly recycling, servicing, end-of-
life, upgrade, lean
manufacturing, cleaner
production, down-cycling,
material segregation,
design for…. durability longevity, durability, desire
image source: dualit, kitchenaid
design for…. product systems returnable, remanufacture,
re-use, closed-loop, end-of-life,
product-service-system
image source: RSA
a marketable set of products and services capable of fulfilling a user’s need (Goedkoop et al.)
product service systems
!
… also known as a funcOon oriented business model (e.g. Xerox)
product service systems
!
consider what products lend themselves to product service systems?
!
hire lease / service
consumer goods
cooperaOve
full ownership
shared
(adapted from Cooper et al.)
individual
no ownership
product service systems
!
source: ser_is_snarkish
product service systems
choose a product to ecodesign? explain your choice (of product) and approach (i.e. key strategies).
!
disconnect between people and between planet and people
!
source: Banksy
source: wiki.umd.edu / getty images source: Chris Jordan
design
car components
source: WHO / BBC source: Harman speakers
neodymium
source: Harman & wiki
source: hybridcars.com
polluOon
source: dailymail.co.uk
toxicity, health
source: mywindpowersystem.com
low carbon / high on criOcal materials
more industry case examples
!
source: design21, Lifestraw
lifestraw
howies
choose an item of clothing and map out its story / life cycle? how would you re-‐ecodesign? explain your decision making.
!
SILVER
Orangebox
Cradle to Cradle
10
“remake the way wemake things” thinking about the materials we use, howour products are designed and assembled, and their cyclesof use with our customers.
No matter how good your products are, there comes a timewhen their first useful life comes to an end. In considering product life cycles Cradle to Cradle asks us to re-think thecommonplace approach of “take, make & waste” and thisprompted us to act.
During the early stages of the design of Ara we established arelationship with one of Cradle to Cradle’s authors, renowned industrial chemist Micheal Braungart. Throughout the development we have been working with EPEA, Micheal’s C2C organisation based in Hamburg.
We’ve always very carefully considered the materials that we usein our products but our aim in working with EPEA is to ensurethat what we’re using is truly safe, for humans and the environment alike, and successful in technical cycles of reuse.This means looking in much more detail at every chemical ingredient in the materials we use; to determine which inhibitthis aim and need to be substituted or remove as a result.
Cradle to Cradle is an approach to design which looks to makeus truly environmentally effective, by developing products forclosed loop systems in which all the materials used are safe andbeneficial - either to biodegrade naturally or to be fully recycledinto high quality materials for subsequent product generations,again and again. In order for us to maximise the value of the materials used in your chair we’d like to get them back onceyou’ve finished with them. It’s pretty simple, all you need to dois visit our website at www.orangebox.com/endoflife.htm
Returning your ARA at ‘End of Life’
Desig
n En
gin
eering
4
Arm
support that’s there only when you need it.
Our goal w
as to design a new arm
pad that was m
ore comfortable
than ever, using materials that could be segregated easily and recycled
more effectively. The traditional PU
is replaced by a flexible polymer
with a separate insert m
ade from recycled foam
. The result is an arm
rest that’s robust, easy to use and probably the most com
fortablew
e’ve ever made.
Do som
ething really simple; m
ake the chair base 100%
r ecyclable.N
ot the most com
plicated part on a task chair, granted, but we asked
ourselves the question - some look m
uch better than others but allplastic chair bases are pretty m
uch the same, aren’t they? W
ell in onesense they are, and w
ith very few exceptions they all have a m
etal collar m
oulded into the plastic to stop the gas lift creeping throughthe base. G
reat for not dragging your chair across the carpet butnot so great w
hen you come to recycle it, as the collar can be very
difficult to remove.
Smart design and careful m
aterial selection has enabled us to createa base w
ithout a collar insert. A sim
ple point but unlike almost all
other plastic bases ours is 100% recyclable. A
nd rest assured we’ve
tested it like mad.
The Mechanism
Ara’s
synchronous m
echanism
delivers a
smooth,
balanced m
ovement
from
impressively
refined engineering.
Why
synchronous? Quite sim
ply, we’ve alw
ays felt that the action ofseat and back m
oving together in this way provides a natural,
intuitive ride. Proven ergonomic research also tells us that regular
changes in posture improves our w
ell being when sitting at w
ork.W
e know that people com
e in all shapes and sizes. That’s why
smart engineering inside the m
echanism m
eans the ride can betuned and balanced to your precise needs, using adjustm
ent controls that are easy to operate and labelled clearly.
ecodesign is good design
designed, made, remade in Wales. zero waste. only resource
!
Orangebox
other examples
!
source: inhabitat, Droog, Jens Praet
source: Droog, Tejo Remy
source: Droog, “Do Hit”
sustainability is not ‘a problem’ waiting for ‘a solution’
it is an environmental, cultural and poliOcal phenomenon
it requires us to re-shape the way we think
source: Pierre Vivant
it requires collaboration and co-development
it requires a heavy dose of creativity
illustration: Nathan Hallett
!
what is the one thing you would do to make ecodesign happen?
!
generic first steps decide not to stay where you are find something that you love to do, believe in, are passionate about take responsibility, lead don’t accept ‘that’s the way it is’ don’t be afraid to fail learn from your mistakes
!
generic first steps clearly define your values set a clear vision, mission seek to understand, empathise, trust focus on building capacity ‘walk the talk’ keep it simple, do it now
!
ecodesign steps think ‘resource’ instead of ‘waste’ think ‘use’ instead of ‘consume’ transform ‘stuff’, don’t destroy it think system, people & true cost understand your own role ensure you are contribuOng, relevant
!
our responsibility is no longer to acquire, but to be Rabindranath Tagore
to be… We cannot just be by ourselves alone. We have to inter-‐be with every other thing. Thich Nhat Hanh
consider the role of: § government? § industry? § educaOon?
in an world where ecodesign is the norm.
!
a journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. Lao Tzu
!
today is one step ……….. good luck!
!
Dr Frank O’Connor Director @ecodesigncentre @frank_oconnor [email protected] www.ecodesigncentre.org www.ecodesignnetwork.org www.edcshare.org
!