Ecological and social footprint To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact

What are the environmental impacts from material sourcing; To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact What are the environmental impacts from material sourcing; e.g. deforestation, mining, drilling and farming

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Deforestation Deforestation is the process of cutting down tress to be used in the manufacture of products. Sustainable Forestry is when forests are allowed to replace themselves, or are replanted after felling, but often this is not done. The result is that the world’s forests are steadily shrinking. Negative impacts of Deforestation forest habitats are destroyed – loss of Biodiversity soil erosion increases, which causes barren land, flooding and land slides atmospheric pollution is caused when forests are cleared by burning trees 8000BC 2000AD

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Mining Mining is the process of extracting metal ore or valuable minerals (coal) from the Earths crust. These ores and minerals are non renewable resources and so the continued extraction of them is steadily using up the Earths resources. Mining causes a number of negative environmental impacts such as: Excessive land use – unsafe building areas Using up non renewable resources Pollution caused by machinery Pollution caused by production of material from ore Soil and water pollution Soil erosion which causes sinkholes and landslides

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Drilling Drilling is the process of extracting oil from the earths crust. Oil is formed over millions of years and so they are non renewable resources and the continued extraction of them is steadily using up the Earths resources. Drilling causes a number of negative environmental impacts such as: Using up non renewable resources Pollution caused by machinery Pollution caused by production in oil refineries Oil spillages can devastate eco-systems

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Farming (Biomass) Biomass is used in power plants as combustible fuel. Biomass is made up of woods and biodegradable waste from farming that can be burnt as fuel. Some crops are specifically grown for biomass fuel or sometimes the by-products of food crops can be used. Biomass farming causes a number of negative environmental impacts such as: The burning of plants causes pollution to the atmosphere Lots of land is required to produce large quantities of biomass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ-cIVJuDks

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact 6R’s We use the 6R’s to think about the environmental impact products have – especially the waste they produce Recycle Reduce Reuse Rethink Refuse Repair It’s important that designers do their part in taking these things in to account when designing new products.

Recycle Reduce Reuse Rethink Refuse Repair When a product is reprocessed back into a basic material so it can be turned into another product. This saves natural resources and stops material being wasted. It creates pollution however from the machines reprocessing he material. This is when users fix a product or component using their understanding of tools and processes. This stops the need to throw away the product into landfill and waste resources producing a new product. This is when designers evaluate the success of their product and make changes and improvements to it. In this case the improvements would be about making it less damaging to the environment. When a product is used for another purpose after its original use is complete. E.g. taking the screws off a broken product and using them in a new product. This lowers material waste. It also lowers energy consumption as no machines are used to reprocess any material. This is when the amount of material used in a product is evaluated. To save material the size, thickness and density of the product can all be reduced. Using newer, more efficient machinery, during manufacture can also reduce the energy used. This is when designers or consumers do not accept things that are not good for the environment. For example, is the packaging on some products really necessary, or does it just use up material? Recycle Reduce Reuse Rethink Refuse Repair

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Products are converted back to their basic materials and remade into new products. Examples include: Glass crushed, melted and made into new bottles. Aluminium cans melted down to make new products Plastic bottles recycled into drainage pipes and clothing. (It takes 25 two-litre plastic bottles to make one fleece.) Designers and manufacturers of products need to design products for recycling. Car manufacturers are obliged to label all plastic parts in new cars to aid recycling of all those parts. Electrical and electronic products now have to include recycling instructions for the consumer. Many local councils now collect materials that can be recycled separately from normal domestic waste. Recycle

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Consumers need to look to reduce the number of products they buy, or consider buying products that use less energy. Manufacturers are looking to design products that: have less materials in the product take less energy to manufacture need less packaging during transport. Retailers can reduce carbon emissions by transporting products straight to the consumer from the place of manufacture, instead of via warehouses and shops Reduce

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Lots of items can be reused in the same form. Glass milk bottles are a classic product that is reused. A more recent product that can be reused is a printer cartridge, which can be refilled. Some products have filters that can be washed rather than using disposable, single-use filters. Consumers could sell or donate products they no longer use themselves, so that someone else can use them. Reuse

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Consumers can ask the question, “Do I really need this product?” (Do you really need to replace your mobile phone every year?) Designers and manufacturers can make products that do the same job more efficiently. They can design the packaging so that it is easier to recycle (for example, by making the packaging from a single material). Rethink

X  Refuse Disposable Refillable To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact The consumer has the choice as to whether they buy /use a product or not. They can ask the following questions: Should they refuse the product because it is too inefficient (in use, or in its use of materials)? Should they refuse the product because its packaging creates too much waste? (Disposable cups from the coffee shop, plastic carrier bags from the supermarket, plastic water bottles.) The designer and manufacturer have an increasing need to think about how the consumer will react to their products; will they refuse them? X Disposable  Refuse Refillable

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Instead of throwing things away consumers need to think more about having things repaired. Designers have a responsibility to design products that can be repaired more easily. It takes fewer resources to replace a part of a product, than to replace the whole item. Could an item be upgraded instead of replace with a new one? X Repair 

CASE STUDY - Carrier Bags To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Around 65 million carrier bags are thrown away in the county every year, with many ending up in landfill sites where they take many years to degrade. What are supermarket’s doing to help reduce the number of carrier bays their customers use? Tesco’s are asking their customers to refuse the standard carrier bag and instead rethink about how they carry their shopping. Instead they offer bags for life. The customer can buy a thick carrier bag which can be reused. If the bag breaks they can exchange for a new one, the old one will then be recycled. They also offer a strong fabric bag - The Natural Green bag. This bag can also be reused but it can also be repaired should it need to be. Customers are also encouraged to recycle any unwanted carrier bags. CASE STUDY - Carrier Bags

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact They encourage customers to refuse standard bags & rethink about how they carry their shopping in order to reduce the number of bags used. Bag For Life - can be reused, if it breaks it can be exchanged for a new one and the old one will be recycled. Tesco - Bags for Life Tesco’s offer recycling of their standard carrier bags in all their stores. The Natural Green Bag – A strong fabric bag which can be reused and repaired if needed.

ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES Rate these shopping bags from GOOD to BAD in terms of environmental and sustainability issue

ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES BAD GOOD

ENVIRONMENTAL & SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES Not recycled or recyclable Recycled or recyclable Wasteful or excessive Uses materials effectively Produced hazardous/toxic by-products Carbon neutral BAD GOOD Product breaks/fails Product has long life span and can be repaired/maintained Damaging to environment and wildlife Considerate to environment and wildlife Materials are not sustainable Product made of sustainable materials Over packaged Packaged using minimal materials

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact How could the following product lower their environmental impact and waste? (think 6R’s) Ikea Flat Pack Wooden Bed Frame Veneered MDF is a recycled material MDF can be recycled after use to reduce resource use Temporary fixings (nuts and bolts) can be reused Temp Fixings allow components to be replaced MDF sections could be made thinner/smaller Ikea designers could rethink design to minimise material use

To be able to understand the impact processing and manufacturing has on the environment To be able to consider how society and designers have started to reduce this impact Some possible options When a product is reprocessed back into a basic material so it can be turned into another product. This saves natural resources and stops material being wasted. It creates pollution however from the machines reprocessing he material. This is when designers evaluate the success of their product and make changes and improvements to it. In this case the improvements would be about making it less damaging to the environment. This is when the amount of material used in a product is evaluated. To save material the size, thickness and density of the product can all be reduced. Using newer, more efficient machinery, during manufacture can also reduce the energy used. This is when users fix a product or component using their understanding of tools and processes. This stops the need to throw away the product into landfill and waste resources producing a new product. When a product is used for another purpose after its original use is complete. E.g. taking the screws off a broken product and using them in a new product. This lowers material waste. It also lowers energy consumption as no machines are used to reprocess any material. This is when designers or consumers do not accept things that are not good for the environment. For example, is the packaging on some products really necessary, or does it just use up material?