Sustainability and Materials PGCE d&t September 2015 Richard Brett 2015
What is ‘Sustainability’? “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) Brundtland Report for United Nations, March 20 1987
What is ‘Material’? The substance or substances of which a thing is made or composed: Stone is a durable material. Anything that serves as crude or raw matter to be used or developed: Wood pulp is the raw material from which paper is made. Any constituent element. (dictionary.com)
What is ‘Material’?
What is ‘Material’?
Materials search sites www.materialconnexion.com/goldsmiths www.100percentmaterials.co.uk www.modulor.info/www.iom3.org/ Sustainable Materials search sites www.constructionresources.com www.kingston.ac.uk/~kx19789/rematerialise/ html_and_flash/searchwelcome.htm www.greenspec.co.uk Endless Choice…
Material life cycle Acquiring raw material Processing & manufacture Packaging & distribution Consumer usage End of life disposal
Material life cycle Processing & manufacture Acquiring raw material Packaging & distribution Consumer usage End of life disposal
Material life cycle Packaging & distribution Acquiring raw material Processing & manufacture Packaging & distribution Consumer usage End of life disposal
Material life cycle Consumer usage Acquiring raw material Processing & manufacture Packaging & distribution Consumer usage End of life disposal
Material life cycle End of life disposal Acquiring raw material Processing & manufacture Packaging & distribution Consumer usage End of life disposal
What are the issues?
What are the issues? Adaptable Affordable Air freighted Animal by-product Biodegradable Biodiversity By product Carbon neutral Cash crop Certification Cheap Chemicals Child labour Co-operative Composite material Compostable Convenient Degradable Disposable Distance Durable Edible Efficient Embodied travel Energy intensive Ethical Fad Fair trade Fast growing Finite resource Fossil fuels From waste Fun Ground pollution Grow your own Hand me down Harvested Highly processed Home assembly Home made Human rights Illegal Incineration Immoral Imported Landfill Light weight Local Locally made Long lasting Low embodied energy Luxury Made in the UK Marine litter Mass production Mined Monoculture Natural Non toxic Organic Over packaged Provenance Pesticides Petro-chemicals Planned obsolescence Political instability Precious Raw Recycled Remanufactured Renewable Repairable Re used Second use Single use Slaughtered Solvent based Throw away Unethical Unpackaged Vegan Water based Water intensive Water pollution Working conditions Richard Brett 2015
Acquiring raw material Recycled Fast growing Cash crop Monoculture Fossil fuels Fair trade Organic Biodiversity Provenance Petrochemicals Ethical From waste Low embodied energy Unethical Water intensive Vegan Finite resource Slaughtered Mined Natural Animal by-product Pesticides Political instability Harvested Renewable Processing & manufacture End of life disposal Co-operative Water intensive Energy intensive Child labour Human rights Working conditions Certification Immoral Illegal Imported Water based Solvent based Composite material By product Non toxic Chemicals Mass production Light weight Highly processed Rawness Throw away Incineration Landfill Second use Marine litter Carbon neutral Re used Adaptable Hand me down Remanufactured Disposable Degradable Repairable Compostable Recycled Water pollution Ground pollution Biodegradable Consumer usage Convenient Luxury Affordable Long lasting Cheap Precious Fad Single use Planned obsolescence Fun Efficient Durable Edible Packaging & distribution Embodied travel Home assembly Over packaged Air freighted Locally made Made in the UK Imported Unpackaged Distance Local Richard Brett 2015
What are the issues here? Plastic - Non renewable Jute & Cotton - Renewable Cotton - water intensive Plastic - Energy intensive Composite material Made in India Durable Actual lifespan vs potential Mis-information Non recyclable Non Biodegradable
What are the issues here?
What are the issues here? Plastic - non renewable Plastic - high embodied energy Made in China - low wage, minimal worker rights Inefficient - Battery operated Cheaply made Air freighted to meet seasonal demand Fun, seasonal, fad, ‘unnecessary’ Impulse purchase Disposal while functional likely Non repairable WEEE - controlled disposal necessary
What are the issues here?
What are the issues here?
What are the issues here?
What are the issues here?
What are the issues here?
What are the issues here?
What are the issues here?
What are the issues here?