DM306 Design for Environment 2024 PDF

DM306: Design for the Environment 19 February 2024 Week 6 Dr Hilary Grierson Today’s Programme Lecture: ‒ Sustainable Development, Environmental Impact and Design for the Environment ‒ Methods and tools Tutorial: Simplified Life Cycle Analysis tutorial Conclude Lecture: Sum up LCA and Future concept...

DM306: Design for the Environment 19 February 2024 Week 6 Dr Hilary Grierson Today’s Programme Lecture: ‒ Sustainable Development, Environmental Impact and Design for the Environment ‒ Methods and tools Tutorial: Simplified Life Cycle Analysis tutorial Conclude Lecture: Sum up LCA and Future concepts Projects’ time: please remain till 4pm when class finishes. The room is booked to 5pm if you wish to complete any project tasks together. Sustainable Development A common definition… "...development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Brundtland (WCED 1987) Today’s sustainable development movement is broader and considers the social, economical and environmental implications of products. Social Economical Environmental The idea being that any ‘development’ should be balanced in all 3 of these areas. Interdependency These three issues are not isolated, but rather highly interdependent on one another. Economic Social Environmental Each of these are linked to drivers for sustainability. Thus environmental issues are highly dependent on social and economic issues. Sustainable Development Is sustainability about ‘saving the earth’? Sustainable Development Environmental impacts: a recent phenomenon? In last 5,000 years global temperature has risen 4º-7ºC. In past century alone, the temperature has risen 0.7ºC. Sustainable Development Environmental impacts: an older phenomenon? Information shows environmental impact from 6000 BC onwards Sustainable Development What is the effect of cultural transitions? 0 AD 2000 AD 1700-1800s Emergence of ‘developed’ industrial societies and capitalism. 1700s: The Enlightenment; modernism: reason, rationality, scientific method, democracy. 1760-1830: The Industrial Revolution: industry, work, energy, powered technology, economic growth. Sustainable Development The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change 30 October 2006 Sustainability is now the primary, long-term, macro-economic issue. Sustainable Drivers 1. Help to secure market and competitive positions 2. Enhance a company’s public image 3. Fundamental component of R&D strategies 4. Answer requests for environmental/ social information 5. Legislation – WEEE, RoHS 6. Identify cost savings Sustainable Drivers Brand image DC26 The Dyson DC26 vacuum weighs just 5.3kg. All 275 components were engineered with size weight functionality and robustness in mind –saving in raw materials but not compromising on performance WEEE directive Packaging Promoting recycling Take Back schemes – ‘cash for old’, in Australia Free Pick-up disposal, in UK Dyson Airblade TM Unlike conventional dryers, the Dyson Airblade TM hand dryer does not use an energy intensive heating element making it 80 per cent more energy efficient. DC24 The average motor in vacuum cleaners is 1700 watts. The Dyson DC24 Ball has only a 650 watt motor. So it uses less than half the electricity, yet is equal to the performance of a full-scale upright Environmental Impact Environmental impact is defined as any change to the environment, good or bad, Sustainablewhether Development resulting from an organisation’s activities, products, or services. It is also regarded as the effect that people's actions have on the environment. Environmental Impacts Global warming Water & air pollution Poverty Resource depletion Biodiversity Ozone depletion Land degradation Environmental Impacts 5 critical issues… Critical issues 1. Global climate change ‘global climate change could shrink the global economy by 20%’ Stern 2006 Critical issues 2. Pollution: Atmosphere. Water. Air pollution: 4.6 million deaths/year Water pollution : 2.1 million deaths/year WHO data Critical issues Population (in billions) 3. Poverty: Wealth imbalances. Food. Population. 14 12 10 8 2000 AD 6.1 billion 6 4 2 0 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 2100 2150 Year More Developed Countries Less Developed Countries Population is rising rapidly. An estimated 1 in 6 people suffer from hunger and malnutrition Critical issues 4. Resources: Water. Materials. Waste. WASTE MANAGEMENT in EU http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4620041.stm Critical issues 5. Extinction: Biodiversity. Biodiversity: Health. Science. Quality Of Life. Culture. At risk of extinction: 13% of the world's plants 1/4 of all mammals 1 bird in 8 What can we do as designers to address these issues? Product End-of-Life Preferred environmental option Least preferred environmental option Designing for Environment (DfE) & Sustainability Sustainable Product Development Categorising concepts and methods in this area is difficult. However there are two main categories of concepts and methods: 1. Concepts and methods framed by the idea of ‘product’ for meeting user and commercial needs. 2. Concepts and methods which attempt to go beyond the ‘product’, e.g. a ‘service’, as a way of meeting user and commercial needs. It is all about the Life Cycle approach you take and the End-of-Life decisions you make. Sustainable Product Development Category 1 These approaches are focused on design relating to the life-cycle of the existing product. These approaches do not question the fundamental design of the existing product. These approaches are mainly focused on product supply (and the associated production processes). Examples of concepts and methods: Design for the Environment (DfE) Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Design for Durability Design for Recycling Cradle to Cradle Sustainable Product Development Category 2 These approaches are focused on design relating to the life-cycle of the utility. These approaches question the fundamental design of the existing product and often question the need for a product and often re-conceptualise utility as a product, service and a system. These approaches extend the focus to product consumption. Examples of concepts and methods: Product Service Systems (PSS) Sustainable Consumption Dematerialisation Sustainable Product Development Both categories are concerned with life-cycle thinking… which is fundamental to any sort of design for environment and sustainability……… Life Cycle Thinking Life-cycle Thinking is a framework that takes a holistic view of the production and consumption of a product or service and assesses its impacts on the environment throughout its entire life cycle. It is fundamental to any sort of sustainability or design for environment approach. Life Cycle Approach From a life cycle perspective, the materials in products must be balanced in a sustainable, closed-loop system, in order to reach conditions of environmental sustainability. Ulrich and Eppinger, 2011 Life Cycle Thinking Short Life span Products Life-span of a few hours to ? days. Possibilities for innovation? The production of a kilogram of beef emits the same amount of CO2 as the average European car driving 250 kilometres and lighting a 100W lightbulb for 20 days. Life Cycle Thinking Medium life span Products Life-span of 6 months to 10 years. Not actually discreet entities, made of many parts Responsible for main environmental impacts - waste - due to consumption culture. Possibilities for innovation? Life Cycle Thinking Longer Life span Products - Buildings and structures © Hamzah & Yeang Architects © Fosters & Partners Architects © Bill Dunster Architects Zedfactory Longer life-span of 25-50 years. Responsible for approximately half of carbon emissions in UK. Possibilities for innovation? Life Cycle Thinking Longest Life span Products - Infrastructures Long life-cycle of 25-100 years. We rarely notice them: ‘infra’ = invisible… Energy, water, materials, transport, telecommunications, sanitation etc. Extensive environmental effects. Play critical role in defining make-up and the potential of products and buildings. Innovations and changes have enormous effects – but can take a long time and are expensive to change! Category 1: concepts and methods framed by ‘product’ Category 1: framed by the ‘product’ Category 1 has a number of specific associated concepts, approaches and methods: Design for Environment (DfE) Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Design for Durability Design for Recycling Cradle to Cradle Design for Disassembly Design for the Environment (DfE) DfE is a general concept and/or approach to sustainable design. DfE also provides organisations with a practical method to minimise impacts in an effort to create a more sustainable society. 1. Every product has environmental impacts 2. Effective DfE maintains and improves product quality and costs 3. Deliberate decisions about material use, efficiency and waste avoidance should be made at the early stages 4. Often requires an interdisciplinary approach envirowise.gov.uk Design for the Environment (DfE) The Goals of DfE Reduce material impact: light weighting; de-materialisation; removal of hazardous/toxic materials; renewable; recyclable; sustainable; organic; biodegradable. Reduce manufacturing impact: low waste processes; low energy processes; remove hazards/toxins; fewer components. Reduce distribution impact: in factory and on-route - packed volume and weight. Reduce in use impact: making product easy to use and reliable; low energy controls; reduce consumables; durability, reparability. Reduce end of life impact: user is disassembler; reduce fasteners; labelling; reduce cost of landfill - avoid hazardous materials. DfE Process Translate into a form that can be used in the design process. Set the DfE agenda: drivers, goals, and identify potential environmental impacts 1. Select the DfE guidelines 2. Apply the DfE guidelines to the initial product design 3. Assess the environmental impact 4. Refine design and reduce or eliminate environmental impacts 5. Reflect on the DfE process and results DfE Guidelines Healthy inputs and outputs Specify renewable and abundant resources Specify recyclable and / or recycled materials Specify renewable forms of energy Specify non hazardous materials Install protection against release of pollutants and hazardous substances Minimal use of resources in production Include labels and instructions for safe handling of toxic materials Employ as few manufacturing steps as possible Specify materials that do not require surface treatments or coatings Minimise the number of components Minimal use of resources in distribution Specify lightweight materials and components Minimise packing Use recyclable and / or reusable packaging materials Employ folding, nesting, or disassembly to distribute products in a compact state Sustainability of Resources Materials Production Distribution Efficiency of resources during use Use Appropriate durability Recovery Disassembly, separation, and purification Apply structural techniques and materials to minimise the total volume of material Implement default power-down for subsystems that are not in use Use feedback mechanisms to indicate how much energy or water are being consumed Implement intuitive controls for resource-saving features Consider aesthetics & functionality to ensure the aesthetic life is equal to the technical life Facilitate repair and upgrading Ensure minimal maintenance Minimise failure modes Ensure that joints and fasteners are easily accessible Specify joints and fasteners so that they are separable by hand or with common tools Ensure that incompatible materials are easily separated DfE Reference Excellent overview book… Lewis and Gertsakis 2001 Good link: www.cfd.rmit.edu.au Good focus on LCA. LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) Life-cycle analysis (also known as Life-cycle Assessment) is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from-cradle-to-grave (i.e., from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u5mQwREN6Y Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) DfE takes a life-cycle approach to thinking about the re-design of the existing product and its associated production processes. LCA takes the DfE concept a quantitative step further. LCA is a quantitative approach to analysing life-cycle environmental impact. Widely used and known. Especially by large organisations. Well established software tools – e.g. SimaPro Life Cycle stages and impact Herman Miller Setu chair 93% recyclable Setu chair recognised as the Best Sustainable Design Solution of the Decade by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjR9IeFfiPc Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) envirowise.gov.uk Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) The Prius Example The design of the Toyota Prius has considered the whole life cycle to keep its environmental impact low. From the location of the factories, built near water and planted with trees to the selection of parts for re-use, to being a hybrid powered by electricity. LCA TUTORIAL See Tutorial PPT Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) LCA strengths LCA weaknesses Holistic – aims to avoid problem shifting. Complex, time consuming and thus costly. Assists decision making – quantitative references. Can give false impression of ‘covering everything’ Can complement profit identify cost savings. It is not completely objective. Quantitative data is often be based on assumptions (due to missing data) and interpretations of processes. Used by companies to promote they are sustainable. The design needs to be at a progressed stage for analysis. Criticisms of Category 1 methods Many researchers have argued that DfE and LCA can be over-reductionist and over-conventional. It is argued that an ‘eco-product’ is good but what does this actually mean? More radical thinking is necessary than existing product re-design for a problem as complex and systemic as sustainability. Proposes that consideration and radical re-thinking of the various ways to provide a utility is required. This thinking questions the need for a product and the traditional way in which products are provided and used by the consumer. Thus, some researchers have argued for more imaginative thinking concerning the re-design of existing products and their production processes.… ‒ Cradle to cradle ‒ Biomimicry, etc. Argues against ‘eco-efficient’ design in its trade-off, reductionist view. Puts forward a new paradigm for design based on ‘ecoeffectiveness’. A much very positive perspective on sustainable design rather than ‘doomsday’ views. biological ecologies technical ecologies “Designing products that are merely less harmful to the environment due to incremental improvements such as reduced energy use, waste generation, or use of toxic materials is not sufficient” McDonough & Braungart, 2002 Cradle to Cradle has an Award Benchmark which companies aspire to. Companies can get certified and improve their sustainable credibility and image. Technology mimicking biology: Materials Energy systems Mechanisms Processes Category 2: concepts and methods that go beyond ‘product’ Category 2: beyond the product Product-Service Systems (PSS) … related to Sustainable Consumption … and Service Design Product Service Systems (PSS) “PSS can be defined as the result of an innovative business strategy, shifting the business focus from designing and selling physical products only, to selling a system of products and services which are jointly capable of fulfilling specific client demands.” The RENT-OUT-A-SERVICE PRODUCT Market needs to be designed as a holistic LIFE CYCLE approach looking at and designing around all the aspects needing to be considered. Category 2: beyond the product Classic example - Xerox Product-centered model: Xerox sells products Consumer owns product outright Pays for maintenance End-of-life = waste PSS model: Xerox sells service Consumer buys service Modular upgrading Future categories: e.g. sustainable User-Centred Design User-centred design (UCD) approaches There is an emerging area of work in sustainable design which looks at how people perceive, act and behave with regards to environmental issues and products / technologies. It considers people, situated in cultural and technological contexts, and how they are related to sustainability. This is emergent work and not mainstream in industry yet. Sustainable user-centred design Sustainable user-centred design Design for Durability argues… Mismatch of the emotional life-span of products and the ecological life-span of products. Designers need to design ‘emotionally durable’ relationships between people and things. For your project….…. Consider Design for Sustainability and Design for the Environment (DfE) for your selected concept Look at the sustainable methods and tools available and consider how these could change/improve your product and show how they can reduce environmental impact, e.g. apply the DfE guidelines carry out a Life Cycle Analysis look at some of the newer concepts – Design for Durability, cradle2cradle Next week – Week 7 - Presentation 1 The following week - Week 8 – DfMA workshop Vicky will cover Design for Production Methods. All teams are expected to bring an old product (ideally broken) for disassembly during a Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) workshop. Bring appropriate tools (screwdrivers) to support the disassembly process. Examples of products that you could bring: ‒ Toasters, kettles, irons, old telephones, etc. This will be a destructive product workshop!! Don’t bring in any of your beloved products.