Sustainability issues

Sustainability issues
Page 14

What is Sustainability
Sustainability is all about whether a ‘a process, activity or product’ be continued for ever. Will Oil last forever? No, therefore we need to find a new material if we want to drive our cars in future. Will Trees be around for ever – Yes, as long as they don’t all die out through disease, therefore we can make products out of trees forever, as long as we keep re-growing them! Some materials are sustainable, and constantly regrow or renew themselves, like trees, plants, animals etc, and some are not sustainable eg oil to make fuel and plastics and rock ores to make metals.

Effect on the Environment
Everything we do affects our environment Use resources carefully (use all parts of a felled tree etc) Not create environmental problems (no smoke and fumes from factory chimneys) Reduce transportation costs per product (Ikea’s new watering can design allows more in a box) Product Design must:- Create minimal waste in manufacture (recycle all off cuts back into production) Reduce hazardous parts in products After use - allow easy recycling (plastic symbols) Reduce any toxic waste (eg old batteries, and waste into rivers) Reduce energy in manufacture and use (low watt and water consumption washing machines) Use biodegradable materials (eg cardboard for packaging not plastics)

Effect on the Environment
Extracting raw materials from the planet can cause huge impacts Satellite photo showing road networks and huge areas of felled rainforest Huge open cast mine Future Amazon conservation Small Open cast mine blast Massive West Australia open cast mine was it worth the carbon based material waste Industrial air pollution in china Greenhouse effect Air pollution Toy packaging

Renewable materials – Wood
Most wood products are ‘sustainable’ because timber grows naturally and is therefore a renewable material. Timber is often grown in ‘managed forests’ like a plantation or crop. When trees are cut down, the land is replanted with young saplings Timber from managed forests is often stamped with the FSC logo, which indicates to consumers that it is from a sustainable, managed resource. Making wood products is a relatively low energy cost process, requiring only cutting, joining and finishing, unlike making products from metals and plastic where huge processing costs are needed. Watch FSC advert

‘Sustainable Wood chairs and stools’
Bamboo FSC Beech table Laminated Aspen seat Laminated FSC Ash Driftwood stool FSC Rubber wood Woven FSC Beech

‘Sustainable salvaged wood furniture’
Driftwood chairs and stools

Sustainable materials - paper
All paper is essentially made from timber, which is renewable and sustainable. Paper is made by boiling wood chips to form a pulp. Pulp is then placed on a wire mesh to drain the water and then squeezed between rollers. Damp pulp is finally dried, forming long sheets, wound on to rolls. Paper making is a relatively low cost process compared to making metal from ores or plastic from oil. Paper is easily recycled at a low cost, by pulping it down to make ‘brown’ paper and cardboard.

‘Sustainable cardboard chairs and stools’ – now that’s different!
Corrugated cardboard Laminated recycled corrugated cardboard Folding cardboard chair

Un - Sustainable materials – metals and plastics
Unsustainable materials are those that will eventually run out, like oil. The majority of Plastics are made from oil, which means plastics are unsustainable. Metals are melted out of different types of rocks, called rock ore. Although there is a large amount of rock ore on the planet, getting to it is getting more difficult and leaves huge scars on the planet. Rock Ore will eventually run out, meaning that using metals like Magnetite rock ore to make stainless steel cutlery, or Bauxite rock ore to make aluminium drinks cans is also unsustainable, just like oil.

Questions and answers

Question When designing – how should we reduce impact on the environment? Use resources carefully (all parts of a tree) Do not create environmental problems (no smoke chimneys) Reduce transportation costs per product Product Design must:- Create minimal waste in manufacture (recycle all off cuts back into production) Reduce hazardous parts in products Allow easy recycling (plastic symbols) Reduce toxic waste (eg old batteries & waste into rivers) Reduce energy in manufacture & use (low watt & water washing machines) Use biodegradable materials (eg cardboard for packaging not plastics)

Question How does raw material extraction and processing affect the environment? Deforestation, animal extinction, flooding, Open cast mine leave scars on land and create noise, Material processing produce fumes, smell, CO², smog, greenhouse effect – global warming

Question Name some sustainable RENEWABLE materials Wood, cotton, silk, hemp, paper, cardboard, wax, cellulose (plant) based plastics,

Question What does this picture show? A well managed forest

Question What does this picture show? Saplings ready to be planted to replace cut down tees

Question What does FSC stand for? Forest Stewardship Council

Question What does FSC mean to consumers and furniture manufactures? Timber has been grown in a managed plantation where saplings are replanted when trees are cut down

Question Why is paper a sustainable material? Made from renewable material - wood pulp

Question Why is cardboard so environmentally friendly? It is made from wood pulp, and can be recycled over and over again to make boxes, furniture etc

Question What is plastic made from? oil

Question Is making plastic products from oil sustainable? No – oil will eventually run out – so it will not be possible to make oil plastics in future

No – when it has all been mined – there isn’t any more
Question Is rock ore sustainable? No – when it has all been mined – there isn’t any more

Question What rock ore make stainless steel cutlery? Magnetite

Question What rock ore make aluminium drinks cans? Bauxite

Reduce, Recycle, Re-use, Repair, Re-think, Refuse
The six R’s Reduce, Recycle, Re-use, Repair, Re-think, Refuse Page 14

The six R’s Reduce Recycle Reuse
Designers now aim to reduce the amount of material & energy to make products. Designers now design products that use little energy in use, and all new products have energy efficiency certificates. (fridges, freezers, TV’s). Recycle Manufacturers now make product parts that can be separated for cleaning, replacement and recycling. This Dyson vacuum cleaner was designed so that all parts can be separated, and recycled at the end of its life. Recycling materials is good, as it conserves raw materials. Reuse It is cheaper to clean, refill and reuse Glass milk, bottles than make new ones Designers make sure that many parts of new products can be reused again, as in reusable ink cartridges for printers Reduce Reuse Recycle plastic

The six R’s Repair Rethink Refuse
Decades ago, products were designed to be repaired, if they became faulty, but in recent years products have been designed for a ‘throw-away’ society. Due to material waste in landfill & incineration, designers & manufacturers now aim to make products that last longer and are easy to repair if they break down or are damaged. Rethink Rather than keep up with latest trends and fashions, consumers should rethink whether they need the latest products e.g. latest ‘iPhone’, or should simply enjoy the old ‘iPhone’ they already have! Manufacturers now Rethink if there is another way to make a product, using less materials, that have a smaller impact on the environment in their extraction, manufacture, use, recycling or disposal. Refuse Consumers must consider the impact on the environment of the products they purchase, and if excessive packaging or high running costs they should refuse to buy them!

Supermarkets and sustainability
Supermarkets and fast food chains are trying hard to make their products sustainable. Supermarkets encourage consumers to bring back old plastic bags & place them in bag recycling bins, reducing waste. Supermarkets offer recycling bins for most materials to encourage consumers to reduce waste. Supermarkets now offer consumers stronger ‘bag for life’ bags and each time a consumer brings their own bags they earn green bag points, leading to vouchers off shopping Supermarkets offer consumers more sustainable material packages that use less material to contain products, like plastic coffee refill pouches, as opposed to more expensive material and more expensive to make glass coffee jars

The six R’s Reduce Reuse Recycle
What products do you think manufacturers could or should reduce materials on ? What products could manufacturers reduce the amount materials in? Reuse What materials or products do you reuse, for the same job or another job? Recycle What materials or products do you regularly recycle?

The six R’s Repair Re-think Refuse
What products do you think manufacturers could or should repair more often ? Re-think What products do you think you could do without or should not continually update? Refuse What products do you think you should refuse to buy?

Question What are the 6 ‘R’s? Reduce, Recycle, Re-use, Repair, Re-think, Refuse

Question When a manufacturer makes a product, what could they ‘Reduce’ ? Reduce the amount of materials to make the product Reduce the amount of energy to make the product Reduce the energy needed to operate the product Reduce the packaging for the product

Question How do manufacturers make it easier for consumers to ‘Recycle’ products at the end of the lifecycle? Manufacturers label products with recycling symbols explaining what the material is

Question Why is it important to ‘Recycle’ products at the end of the lifecycle? To conserve natural raw materials. Prevent wasteful landfill and contamination of soil and water. To Reduce CO² emissions from incinerating (burning) rubbish .

Question What does the term ‘Re-use’ mean regarding a product – give examples? Reuse rather than recycle. Glass milk, coke bottles are sterilised & refilled Printer ink cartridges are collected and refilled Baked bean can - reused as pen container

Question For many years, we have thrown away products when they broke – what phrase has been used to describe this wasteful way of living? ‘Throw away’ society

Question What ‘R’ should we all do when our products break? Repair

Question The term ‘Rethink’ refers to consumers What do they need to ‘Rethink’ ? Whether they really need the latest iPhone or can they live with their current one !

Question What would happen if consumers stopped demanding products (market pull) ? Manufacturers would stop making so many new products – saving raw material resources

Question The term ‘Refuse’ refers to consumers When should they consider ‘Refusing’ to buy a product? If a product uses excessive packaging. If a product uses too much energy to run. If a product is just the latest model – and they can do without! If a product is morally unacceptable – e.g. blood diamonds

Question How have supermarkets encouraged consumers to waste less materials? By providing bag recycling bins By providing recycling bins for many products By selling ‘bag for life’ bags that last longer and give consumers green bag points leading to vouchers

Question How have supermarkets changed packaging on some products to minimise manufacture cost, material cost and waste? Offer things like coffee in lesser material plastic pouches

Recycling / Disposing of Products
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Recycling / Disposing of products
The recycling symbol shows users that the product or packaging can be recycled. This symbol encourages consumers to dispose of waste in litter bins. This Resin ID symbol is commonly found on plastics and helps consumers recycle different types e.g. HDPE stands for High Density Polyethylene Sometimes a manufacturer pays a fee in advance to cover the cost of recycling, as in the Green Dot scheme When a product contains harmful materials they must not be binned but taken to a council collection point eg disposable batteries, CFL bulbs. Watch video about importance of recycling plastic.

Carbon Footprint P 15

Carbon footprint Carbon Footprint Carbon Offset
A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon produced by human activity, processes, or a product. A carbon footprint is measured by making an emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it. Carbon Offset Carbon Offsets or the process of rebalancing carbon emissions produced by a product, person or process by investing in & developing alternative projects such as solar or wind energy to ‘offset’ against the carbon footprint. Reforestation, is a good way to offset against Carbon produced in making a product, driving a car or using aero planes, as trees use up CO² giving off O² in photosynthesis, thus rebalancing the environment. Another way to reduce CO² production and greenhouse effect is using less energy or fuel ! Climate change, CO² & reducing emissions

Product Miles P 15

Product Miles Product miles are the number of miles a product travels in it’s lifetime and some products have travelled many miles, from raw materials to disposal, e.g. steel for car bodies Rock ore is extracted in open cast mines, producing carbon Rock ore is often transported 1,000’s of miles (lorries produce carbon) to steel works to make steel Steel coils are transported to factories by lorries. Factories turn rolls into body panels & may transport them to assembly lines all producing carbon. Cars are transported to garages for sale by lorries producing carbon Cars cover many product miles, producing the most carbon in their life and are eventually driven to the tip Designers have to consider the impact on the environment of transporting raw materials, parts & final products many miles, contributing CO², increasing ‘greenhouse effect’.

Product Life cycles Page 15

In an ideal world, this would be the ideal ‘Product Cycle !
Product Lifecycles of Plastic Raw materials make products …but these are often wasted, yet are easily recycled. Too much plastic is dumped….. 90% of Oil is for transport and heating 7% oil is used to make plastic pellets Oil extracted In an ideal world, this would be the ideal ‘Product Cycle ! plastic pellets are used to make bottles Thermoplastic products can be recycled again pellets are mixed with virgin plastic to make new products …or incinerated Thermoplastics are recyclable Thermoplastic waste is cleaned, shredded and made into pellets

Question Why are trees so important? Convert CO² & water into sugar & O² thus offsetting Carbon production

Question How has CO², produced by burning fossil fuels, changed the environment? Prevented heat radiation from bouncing off the land and into space Caused Greenhouse effect = global warming

Question What is a ‘Carbon Footprint’? The amount of carbon produced by a person, a process or product

Question What is carbon offsetting? When companies try to balance out the Carbon they produce by investing in non carbon producing industry eg investing in wind farms, solar panels, planting trees etc

Question Why is important to consider ‘Product Miles’ when designing and making a product? To limit the effect on the environment through excessive transportation and CO2 production

Question Explain from start to finish, where ‘Product Miles’ occur when making a car ?

Question What are most plastics made from Oil

Question When a plastic drinks bottle has been emptied, what Negative environmental impact could happen to it next? Buried in land fill Incinerated

Question When a plastic drinks bottle has been emptied, what Positive environmental thing could happen to it next? Reused (refilled) Recycled

Shredded ready for melting down
Question If recycled, what happens to the bottle first? Shredded ready for melting down

Question There are two categories of plastic, what category can be recycled? Thermoplastics

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