Lecture Notes for Eco-design principles lecture

Sustainable design principles | Design Factory| 140809

Eco-design principles: lecture notes

Helsinki Summer School | 140809


• People: social aspects and user needs in design, manufacturing, use and recycling

• Planet: considering the well-being and continuity of environment

• Profit: financial sustainability

PEOPLE

PLANET

PROFIT

SUSTAINABILITY

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT


By whom?

• Decisions made during product development have significant impact on material flows and behavioural patterns

• Product development teams (particularly design-led) have a capability to synthesise and solve problems caused by often conflicting demands

• Solutions require controlling large, complex problems; cannot be done alone


Cyclic: Product uses bio-based materials and/or materials suitable for recycling.

Renewable: Manufacturing and use utilize renewable sources of energy.

Safe: Products are safe to use and dispose. Manufacturing and using products/ services does not produce toxic waste or ecosystem disruption.

Efficient: The efficiency of manufacture and use are significantly better than goods of equivalent utility.

Social: Manufacture, use or disposal do not cause harm to physical, social or emotional well- being of people affected

⅞

Five demands for sustainable products

LÄHDE: http://www.biothinking.com/btintro.htm / The Total Beauty of Sustainable Products

http://www.biothinking.com/btintro.htm%2520/

http://www.biothinking.com/btintro.htm%2520/


Design for Longevity: Durable, easy to repair, timeless

Design for Disposal: Simple, renewable, fashionable

Reduce: Optimize materials and energy

Re-use: Increase re-use potential

Re-cycle: Design for disassembly, remanufac-

ture and material reclaiming

Five eco-design strategies


From efficient to effective: Cradle-to-Cradle

Eco-efficient: Minimizing the damages caused by development

Eco-effective: Maximizing the positive effects, including profit

Biologicalcycle

Nutrients forbiological

cycle

Technologicalcycle

Nutrients fortechnological

cycle

LÄHDE: Cradle to Cradle


EcologicalFootprint

QualitativeMatrix LCA

LiDSwheel

MBDC

Life CycleAssessment

TotalBeauty

Pharos

Subjective(“Guesstimates,” not

repeatable)

Objective(Repeatable measurements)

Complete(Covers different processes and all phases of life

cycle)

Incomplete(Lacks impact categories, processes or life cycle

phases)SOURCE: Okala Design Guide 2007 / IDSA


Why designers don’t do LCA

• Full-blown LCA can take 6 months• Collecting environmental information

throughout the product life cycle can be difficult

• Interpreting results is an art


Single-figure LCA rides to rescue

E.g. Eco-99 and Okala account for•Health hazards•Ecosystem damages•Resource depletion

Including:•Materials usage•Production processes•Energy production•Disposal/recycling

…rolling all these into single figure!


What is light LCA good for?

• Benchmarking • Concept evaluation• Rapid testing of assumptions• Comparing different

products, processes and industries

Lightweight methods SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR• Marketing• Greenwashing• Public announcements

Light LCA methods intended for early design phases


Basics of life cycle assessment

1. Define what the LCA is used for: comparing products, components, different product alternatives...

2. Define life cycle: draw a diagram of product’s life cycle3. Define materials and processes; make assumptions where necessary4. Gather information: make best estimates if data isn’t available5. Interpret the results; REMEMBER THE STRESS TEST!


Example case: life cycle of coffee cup

Detergents Pigments

Manufacture

Packaging &logistics

Water

Use & cleaning

Waste waterBroken cup

disposal

Electricity

Logistics Paints Clay

Energy for oven


System description for coffee cup

Purpose:• Hold coffee and prevent burns

System includes:• All products and processes needed

to keep the cup from becoming mouldy

Assumptions:• Product lifetime 4 years• Used once a day• 30 cups in dishwasher


Complex products

Divide the product to parts, analyze separately and add up


If you’re stuck:

• Check whether missing data significantly affects the results

• Use known, similar indicators• Calculate from e.g. energy

use• Get professional help


Uncertainties come from

• difference between models and real life; assumptions and preferences have an effect

• errors in data result to absolute and relative uncertainties

Dealing with uncertainties


Products, materials, manufacturing processes• Similar = relative error, probably to

same direction, doesn’t have (much) effect on end results

• Dissimilar = results can be very uncertain!

Rule of thumb:• Similar processes: 10-50%

difference in results is likely to be significant

• Dissimilar processes: aim for at least 100% difference before making firm conclusions!

Dealing with uncertainties (part II)


RE-DESIGN EXERCISE!

Items: coffee maker and sofa• You’ll compete against the other team

• The objective: suggest improvements to ecological and economical efficiency

• Prepare a 5-minute presentation

Some guidelines• Start with LCA analysis

• Use Okala impact factors provided

• Make rough assumptions if needed

• Identify “low-hanging fruit”

• You can improve the product, but you can also improve the business model, service or some other factors

• Search for additional information where necessary

• Don’t waste anything, especially time!