2.8 Responsible Design

Question 1

When did the World Commission on Environment and Development introduce the concept of sustainable development?

Answer 1

1987

Question 2

In 1987, what concept did the World Commission on Environment and Development introduce?

Answer 2

Sustainable development, which helped to shape the international community’s attitude towards economic, social and environmental development

Question 3

What does the Brundtland Commission define sustainable development as?

Answer 3

development which meets the needs of current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Question 4

What are the 3 strand of sustainable development?

Answer 4

1 economic
2 social
3 environmental

Question 5

What factors do you have to consider when thinking about sustainable development?

Answer 5

1 material choice - cost, use of infinite resources and end of product life recycling
2 processing implications - energy use, pollution and the impact on people’s health
3 manufacturing - energy use and working conditions for those involved in the manufacturing process

Question 6

What are the 6 Rs of sustainability?

Answer 6

1 reduce
2 Reuse
3 Recycle
4 Repair
5 Refuse
6 Rethink

Question 7

What does ‘reduce’ mean in terms of the six Rs of sustainability?

Answer 7

Cut down the amount of material and energy used to make and package the product

Question 8

How can reductions be made within products to increase their sustainability?

Answer 8

Reductions can be made in terms of raw materials, energy use in processing (if the polymer is thinner, it will take less time and energy to reach blow moulding temperature) and energy use when transporting the product from factory to distribution centre.

Question 9

What does ‘reuse’ mean in terms of the six Rs of sustainability?

Answer 9

At the end of a product’s life, reuse the product for the same or another purpose

Question 10

How would considering the reuse of a product affect its design process?

Answer 10

Designers need to consider the reuse potential of their product or product components; this may influence decisions such as ease of disassembly when designing.

Question 11

What does ‘recycle’ mean in terms of the six Rs of sustainability?

Answer 11

Conversion of waste products into new materials for new products

Question 12

How should designers consider end of life disposal of products?

Answer 12

Conserve finite resources such as crude oil for making polymers.
Environmental impacts such as scarring from metal extraction, loss of animal habitat and plant life when cutting trees for wooden products.
Environmental and aesthetic issues associated with mountains of rubbish in landfill sites.

Question 13

How is legislation linked to recycling?

Answer 13

Legislation exists for manufacturers to meet recycling targets. Any manufacturer that makes a product that is recyclable must consider ease of disassembly for recycling purposes.

Question 14

What are the 3 ways of recycling?

Answer 14

1 primary recycling
2 secondary recycling
3 tertiary recycling

Question 15

What is primary recycling?

Answer 15

The use of functioning second-hand products, which the first user no longer has a need or want for. Charity shops, freecycle initiatives, local council recycling centres and websites such as eBay and Gumtree are the main sources of primary recycling.

Question 16

What are the main sources for primary recycling?

Answer 16

Charity shops, freecycle initiatives, local council recycling centres and websites such as eBay and Gumtree are the main sources of primary recycling.

Question 17

What is secondary recycling?

Answer 17

At the end of a product’s life, the materials are recycled to make different products. Boat sails can be recycled to make seating products such as beanbags, seatbelts can be recycled to make courier bags, bike tyres can be made into belts and polymer drinks bottles can be made into plant pots.

Question 18

What is tertiary recycling?

Answer 18

This is completely breaking down a product and reformulating it via a chemical process. For example, polymer drinks can be shredded and spun into fibres to make fleece textile clothing, polymer vending machine cups are made into pencils, car tyres can be recycled into mouse mats or the components of soft paving squares in children’s playgrounds.

Question 19

What does ‘repair’ mean in terms of the six Rs of sustainability?

Answer 19

When a product or component fails, fix it rather than throwing it away.

Question 20

What does ‘refuse’ mean in terms of the six Rs of sustainability?

Answer 20

Exercise consumer choice as to whether to buy a product or not. The consumer may choose not to buy a product if they consider the product to be bad for the environment or if it is a product that they may want but do not need.

Question 21

When using ‘refuse’ for sustainability, what are some considerations for the consumer to use?

Answer 21

Do i really need the product? Has the product been ethically made? Is the product sustainable?

Question 22

What does ‘rethink’ mean in terms of the six Rs of sustainability?

Answer 22

Rethink the way products are designed and manufacturers so that they carry out the same function, but more efficiently.

Question 23

When using ‘rethink’ for sustainability, what could designers include in their work?

Answer 23

This could include making products more energy efficient in terms of both manufacture and running costs. It included design aspects such as the use of click fittings and SMAs (shape memory alloys) to aid product disassembly prior to recycling.

Question 24

When using ‘rethink’ for sustainability, what is an example of what consumers could rethink?

Answer 24

For the consumer, rethinking may be as simple as taking a refillable cup to a coffee outlet rather than using a throw away single use cup.

Question 25

When using 'rethink' for sustainability, what is an example of what manufacturers could rethink?

Answer 25

For the manufacturer, rethinking may involve how a product can best perform the function or what may help the consumer, for example, making packaging out of a single material that is easy to recycle, rather than using mixed materials.

Question 26

What are the impacts of using trees for energy but not replanting enough?

Answer 26

This impacts not only the supply of materials but also the supply of oxygen, the prevention of flash flooding by trees absorbing water run-off, the fight against soil erosion and the volume of carbon dioxide entering the environment because trees act as carbon sinks which prevent carbon dioxide entering the atmosphere.

Question 27

What is a carbon footprint?

Answer 27

The carbon footprint is the total amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an individual, a community or an organisation.

Question 28

What is a primary carbon footprint?

Answer 28

Primary carbon footprint measures direct emissions of cardon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels, including transport and domestic energy consumption.

Question 29

What is secondary carbon footprint?

Answer 29

Secondary carbon footprint measures the indirect carbon dioxide from the products we use.

Question 30

How do designers and manufacturers consider packaging sustainably?

Answer 30

Designers need to consider using the optimum amount of packaging to protect and preserve products and prevent waste. Factors such as making the packaging lightweight, using recycled content and making the packaging recyclable or reusable should be considered. Consideration should be given to how the packaging can be redesigned to minimise environmental impact, such as the use of refills and concentrates.

Question 31

What scheme have supermarkets adopted with regard to bags?

Answer 31

Many supermarkets have adopted a bag for life scheme, where an individual purchases a carrier bag for 10p and at the end of the bag's life, the supermarket swaps it for a new bag. Schemes like this ensure that bags are sent to recycling rather than landfill.

Question 32

What is meant by overpackaging?

Answer 32

The use of excessive amounts of material to contain the product

Question 33

How have M&S addressed the environmental need to reduce packaging waste?

Answer 33

One imitative involved redesigning pizza boxes. Pizzas used to sit on a polystyrene tray, shrink wrapped in LDPE inside a carton board box. The redesign involved changing the carton board box to a narrow, recycled card sleeve. This redesign reduced the overall packaging by 62%, and made a saving of over 480 tonnes of packaging a year.

Question 34

What is KeepCup and why is good for the environment?

Answer 34

KeepCup is a reusable coffee cup that was designed to reduce the environmental impact caused by disposable cups ending up in landfill. 21 standard disposable cups and lids contain enough polymer to create one KeepCup. In the USA, 58 billion disposable cups are thrown away each year, with the majority ending up in landfill.

Question 35

What are the environmental advantages of KeepCup?

Answer 35

1 low energy manufacture: injection moulding polymer is a low energy process 2 Recyclable at the end of life: the KeepCup is manufactured from one polymer (PP) is which that parts do not have to be disassembled and sorted at a recycling plant. PP has a relatively low melting point for recycling purposes and lower energy use. The KeepCup can be recycled into other products with no wastage of material. 3 Weight and freight: PP is lightweight and the KeepCup is designed to be stackable. Being lightweight and stackable reduces the cost of shipping because it makes better use of transport space available and the reduced weight results in less fuel being used.

Question 36

How can you design products whilst considering the minimal use of materials to save resources and energy?

Answer 36

It could involved nesting or tessellating components to be cut from a sheet material when CNC laser cutting or routing. The nesting of components minimises waste products and enables maximum material use from each sheet. Where the material initially comes from is an aspect to consider because some material are from finite sources. They should use materials that can be or have already been recycled.

Question 37

What are the advantages of renewable energy?

Answer 37

1 it is sustainable and will never run out 2 facilities generally require less maintenance than traditional generators 3 fuel derived from natural resources reduced operational costs 4 little or not waste is produced, meaning minimal environmental impact - clean energy 5 social and economic benefits through employment and the use of local services to an area

Question 38

What are the disadvantages of renewable energy?

Answer 38

1 It can be difficult to generate the large quantities of electricity that are produced by traditional fossil fuel generators. As such, more renewable energy facilities may need to be built. 2 It relies on weather and if the supply is unreliable or inconsistent, the energy production will be unreliable too. 3 It cannot be stored is large quantities for later use due to the impracticalities of having battery power plant backups. 4 It is currently more expensive than traditional fossil fuel or nuclear energy, primarily due to the large capital cost associated with new technologies.

Question 39

What are the 7 types of renewable energy?

Answer 39

1 wind 2 hydro 3 solar photovoltaic 4 wave 5 tidal barrage 6 geothermal 7 biomass

Question 40

How does wind energy work?

Answer 40

turbines driven by blades that catch the wind

Question 41

How does hydro energy work?

Answer 41

Dams are built to trap water. Stored water is released to turn turbines and generate power.

Question 42

How does solar photovoltaic energy work?

Answer 42

Photovoltaic cells convert the sun's energy directly into electricity

Question 43

How does wave energy work?

Answer 43

Energy produced by the constant movement (kinetic energy) of the waves. The wave movement forces airs up a cylinder to turn the turbine and generate power.

Question 44

How does tidal barrage energy work?

Answer 44

Barrages are built across estuaries; as the tide comes in and goes out, the water movement turns turbines which generates power.

Question 45

How does geothermal energy work?

Answer 45

Natural heat from the Earth heats up water to produce steam. The steam spins a turbine and generates electricity.

Question 46

How does biomass energy work?

Answer 46

Organics matter such as wood, dried vegetation and crop residues are burnt to heat water and produce steam. The steam turns the generator to produce power.

Question 47

What is used during injection moulding to conserve materials?

Answer 47

Injection moulded products are often moulded in groups with sprues to attach each component in the mould. As injection moulding is a thermoplastic process, the sprues can simply to pelletised and put back into the hopper to be part of the next moulding cycle.

Question 48

What are some factors that the manufacturer must consider regarding environmental impact?

Answer 48

1 waste material 2 machinery used - injection moulding machines require mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems to operate 3 use of water cooling systems - utilising collected water from rainfall 4 lubricants - need to be used and disposed of in an environmentally positive way 5 oil and chemicals - treated as hazardous waste and require specialist uplift and disposal.

Question 49

How have apple altered their products to reduce the manufacturer's overall carbon footprint?

Answer 49

They are striving to manufacture products that use less energy, incorporating specialist power saving features such as efficient mobile phones, screen energy saving on a computer when the screen is static between key strokes, or power saving when the hard drive is not being used.

Question 50

What is meant by product miles?

Answer 50

Product miles are the total lifetime distance that a product is transported from its place pf production to the place of use by the consumer.

Question 51

In what industry is the idea of product miles used the most?

Answer 51

The concept is widely used in the food industry (food mile) where there is a market push by consumers for locally sourced and produced foods. Many producers now include labelling to indicate the number of food miles for a food product.

Question 52

What is the typical transportation route for a product from extraction to end of life?

Answer 52

1 raw material source to processing plant 2 processed material to the manufacturing facility 3 manufacturing facility to a distribution hub 4 distribution hub to the retail outlet 5 retail outlet to the user's home 6 from home to a recycling centre

Question 53

How are manufacturers trying to reduce product miles (3 ways)?

Answer 53

1 One way is to cut out the middle man and deliver products straight from the manufacturing facility to the retail outlet. Not only does this have envrionmental benefits, such as fewer journeys and reduced emissions, it also has cost savings because there is no requirements for an additional storage facility which would use heat and energy. 2 Another method is to use the electric train network rather than the road network for transportation of goods. 3 They could also use manufacturing facilities in the country rather than abroad.

Question 54

What is meant by a linear economy?

Answer 54

The traditional approach is for a linear economy (take, make, dispose) where raw materials are taken from the source, made into products which may last from a few minutes to a few years and then disposed of in landfill.

Question 55

What is meant by a circular economy?

Answer 55

A circular economy aims to use materials in a way that ensures a continual cycle of reuse and remanufacture, without utilising wasteful resources or having products end their life in landfill. Resources should be available to keep materials, products and components at the highest level of effectiveness at all points in the life cycle.

Question 56

How does a circular economy work?

Answer 56

The circular economy approach anticipates and designs for biological and technical 'nutrients' to be continuously reused at the same quality, dramatically reducing the dependency on sourcing new materials. It is a restorative and regenerative design and manufacture process, which makes use of systems such as product maintenance, refurbishment, remanufacture and recycling.

Question 57

What are some methods that manufacturers can adopt to support a circular economy?

Answer 57

Product leasing (popular for IT hardware and tool hire), take-back (such as the Dyson method of taking back a Dyson product for recycling at the end of its life at no cost to the consumer) and optimising their approach to the entire life cycle of the product and manufacturing systems, including the impact on water resources, energy and ecology.

Question 58

What are the 2 types of 'nutrient' that a circular economy uses for continual product disassembly and reuse?

Answer 58

1 biological nutrients 2 technical nutrients

Question 59

What are biological nutrients, which are used in a circular economy for continual product disassembly and reuse?

Answer 59

Organic non-toxic materials that can be simply composted, and safely re-enter ecosystems without harming the natural environment, such as plants based and biodegradable materials.

Question 60

What are some examples of biological nutrients, which are used in a circular economy for continual product disassembly and reuse?

Answer 60

Examples include shampoos and cleaning detergents that can safely be washed down a household drain without harm to the local ecosystems, or products made from wood that can naturally degrade to provide compost or nutrients to the grounds upon decomposition.

Question 61

What are technical nutrients, which are used in a circular economy for continual product disassembly and reuse?

Answer 61

Man-made materials including polymers and alloys, designed to be used repeatedly at the same initial high quality with minimal energy and no adverse environments effects.

Question 62

What are some examples of technical nutrients, which are used in a circular economy for continual product disassembly and reuse?

Answer 62

Products such as cars and washing machines are made from technical nutrients. These products are designed to be used then, at the end of their life, recycled.

Question 63

What are the 3 circular economy principle for designers and manufacturers?

Answer 63

1 preserve and enhance natural capital 2 optimise resource yields 3 foster system effectiveness

Question 64

What does 'preserve and enhance natural capital' mean as one of the circular economy principles?

Answer 64

The control of finite resources, and the use of processes and technologies that use renewable or more efficient resources including energy to power production. Bio-systems are also included in this, such as using compostable elements to feed back into soil systems.

Question 65

What does 'optimise resource yeilds' mean as one of the circular economy principles?

Answer 65

Designing for refurbishment, effective disassembly, remanufacture and reuse and recycling. The aim is to keep the highest quality and value in all resources and components so that there is a continuous cycle, which actively contributes to society and the economy. Resources include the 2 nutrients types, biological and technical.

Question 66

What does 'foster system effectiveness' mean as one of the circular economy principles?

Answer 66

Considering, assessing and rethinking design to reduce negative impacts on factors that could directly affect population, such as how land is used. This could impact food production, building shelter, how products are sources and processes, and the impact on air and water quality and availability, as well as the release of toxic substances that may contribute to greenhouse gases and climate change. This includes factors such as the use of fossil fuels to make fertilisers for crop growth and process through the food chain to end-product. Resources and systems for managing forests and felled wood should be considered, as should the value that wood decomposition adds to ecosystems and forest floors.

Question 67

What does an circular economy promote?

Answer 67

It is an industrial economy that promotes greater resource productivity, aiming to reduce waste and avoid pollution by design or intention.

Question 68

What is the importance of a circular economy (7)?

Answer 68

1 work against the unsustainable 'take, make, dispose' culture 2 promote and drive greater resource productivity 3 reduce the use of finite resources 4 reduce waste 5 avoid pollution 6 deliver a more competitive UK economy 7 Help reduce the environmental impact of our product manufacture and consumption in both the UK and global markets.

Question 69

What is the definition of a circular economy?

Answer 69

An approach that anticipates and designs for biological and technical 'nutrients' to be continuously reused at the same quality, dramatically reducing the dependency on sourcing new materials.