What are the environmental impacts of Industrial Design? The design and creation of products can require the extraction of natural resources, manufacturing, transportation and waste disposal at the end of life. As a product goes through these stages, energy and water are used, and waste, pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions are created.
According to the united States Environment Protection Agency (EPA), 70-80 per cent of a product's environmental impact is locked in during the design and development stage.By investigating the potential impacts of your product and then finding ways of reducing these issues through echo-design, you can create functional, aesthetically pleasing and successful designs without locking in unnecessary environmental impacts. Resource extraction Everything we do involves natural resources at some point. The extraction of natural resources - whether through mining, harvesting or land clearing - generates carbon dioxide (CO) emissions, uses water and land, and produces waste products that have to be disposed of In the environment.
As a general rule, natural' materials rowan on land (crops, trees etc) require the use of water, fertilizers and nutrients, and the extraction of natural resources means that the land can't be used for other things such as food crops. Materials that are mined (such as metals and minerals) use energy and water, and often create toxic wastes. Materials from farmed animals (such as leather and wool) require large amounts of water and feed, and they produce significant methane - a potent greenhouse gas.Materials created synthetically from petrochemicals consume fossil fuels and invariably create toxic by- products and wastes.
Material selection in design is important: selecting low-impact materials can reduce the environmental impacts of the product's life cycle. But one of the most important things to consider is doing more with less - fewer materials equals a lower environmental impact. Therefore, minimizing or avoiding materials altogether where possible Is a high priority.Manufacturing Transforming materials Into products often requires complex manufacturing systems. This means there Is a need for resources such as energy, water and materials, which will all contribute to the product's environmental impacts.
With most f the manufacturing activity happening off-shore it is often difficult to know exactly what impacts are being generated. Generally, the main impacts of manufacturing are due to the energy used to create the product and the emissions (air, water and waste) generated during the process.Reduce the impacts of your product by: selecting efficient or lean manufacturing processes wising manufacturers who have environmental management systems or accreditations where possible, inspecting your manufacturing site to make sure that there is no inappropriate dumping of wastes selecting manufacturers who have employed cleaner production or echo-efficiency measures selecting manufacturing processes that bottomless material use and reduce wastage Transport Transportation Is vital yet It also causes environmental Impacts. The biggest Issue Is the production of carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change.
Generally, transported by sea or rail. One issue with transportation is weight and wasted space. By using techniques such as flat packing and reducing air space in packaging and containers, more units can be transported at one time therefore reducing the overall environmental impact per unit. Product use Additional energy, fuel, water, cleaners, covers, attachments or other materials required for a product to achieve its function (for example, razors are pointless without blades) must be included in echo-design considerations.If a product needs services or other extras during its life, then these must be considered, as they will contribute further to the product's environmental impact.
It is often difficult to predict or control how a product will be used. However, it is vital that all the possible SE impacts are considered at the design stage as it is often during the life of a product that many impacts occur - especially if the product uses or requires energy or other materials. Both function and form - efficiency and quality - are important factors when considering a product's use impacts.Durability and extended product life can reduce the impact of replacement and disposal, which links back to material selection, as discussed above.
Equally, if the look and feel of a product is part of a passing fad, or the product isn't convenient or effective, then even if it is durable it ay not last long and be quickly replaced. Efficiency considerations can be paramount. For example, a fridge is on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so if it is not designed to be energy efficient then the waste of energy will outweigh any durability or other material characteristics.Efficiency may also extend beyond the product itself. For example, if a toaster tends to burn bread then it will have a larger environmental impact (because of all the wasted bread) than one that always makes perfect toast. End of life Will the product go into landfill or will it get recycled? While it may be impossible to know, echo-design can make recycling easier and landfill less damaging.
If your product has to be thrown away (for example, the packaging) then make sure that it is more likely to be recycled.As a general rule, it is best to avoid organic materials (such as wood) going into landfill, because in a landfill site the materials are not exposed to oxygen and so, instead of disintegrating, tend to mix with other substances and produce methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Product design is the process of creating new product to be sold by a business to its customers. [l] A very broad concept, it is essentially the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products. 2] In a systematic approach, product designers conceptualize and evaluate ideas, turning them into tangible inventions and products.
The product designer's role is to combine art, science, and technology to create new products that other people can use. Their evolving role has been facilitated by digital tools that now allow designers to communicate, visualize, analyze ND actually produce tangible ideas in a way that would have taken greater manpower in the past.Product design Product design is sometimes confused with (and certainly overlaps with) industrial design, and has recently become a broad term inclusive of service, software, and and usability, usually associated with craft design and ergonomics, together to mass- produce goods.
