Ecological & Social Footprint

Society’s view on waste

There are many ways in which society is encouraged to reduce waste and recycle more, because:

• 90% of waste is dumped or burned, mostly in low income countries
• Lots of poorly managed waste contaminates the world’s oceans
• Waste causes clogging of drains, flooding, the spread of disease and harm to wildlife

The circular economy

The circular economy refers to society putting waste back into good use and continuing this cycle. This means that once a material, component or product comes to the end of its useful life with the owner, it is disposed of and becomes re-usable in some way. This prevents new materials being required, saving resources and reducing waste.

Designers need to build this kind of thinking into products.

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

Life Cycle Analysis considers a product’s impact at every stage of its existence. Before purchasing a product, think about its LCA:

• The source of materials for the product or component
• The energy used and pollution caused when manufacturing
• The energy used and pollution caused during a product’s useful life
• The disposal of the product at the end of its useful life

Designers and consumers consider these factors before purchasing a product. These factors can often influence purchasing decisions.

Ecological footprint

Ecological design can be defined as solving problems alongside minimising environmental damage. Designers must solve problems without creating other problems. Eco is about nature, living things, cycles and patterns.

Eco-efficiency refers to moving towards sustainable development — creating goods, products and services to satisfy user needs and wants while reducing ecological impacts and resource depletion. After all, any natural resources that we use will eventually run out!

The footprint of a product is a measurement of the environmental impact from cradle to grave.

The Six Rs of Sustainability

Designers can improve products by using the Six Rs:

R	Meaning
Reduce	Use fewer materials and less energy in manufacture and use
Reuse	Design products or components to be used again
Recycle	Use materials that can be recycled at end of life
Repair	Design products to be easy to service, maintain and fix
Rethink	Question whether the product is necessary or could be improved
Refuse	Decline to use harmful materials or unsustainable processes

Better build quality can improve a product’s performance during its expected life.

Planned obsolescence

Planned obsolescence is producing a product that is intended to last for a specific time span. This allows newer products to be introduced to succeed previous versions.

Cradle to cradle

‘Cradle to cradle’ is a concept of taking a product from start to finish and putting it to good use at the end of its life to create a new product.

Recycling

With economic development and population growth, the generation of waste will also increase.

• High income countries provide nearly universal waste collection, and more than one third of waste is recovered through recycling and composting.
• Low income countries collect about 48% of waste in cities, but only 26% in rural areas, and only 4% is recycled.
• Overall, only 13.5% of global waste is recycled, and 5.5% is composted.

Fair trade

Fair trade is an arrangement to help producers in developing countries to achieve trade relationships with other countries. It promotes sustainable development by improving trading conditions, including the rights for workers.

Living in a greener world

Being kinder to the planet should be on everyone’s minds, but especially designers producing products for users in today’s world.

• Waste food — portion control and re-using leftovers will help
• Packaging — cutting down on packaging reduces unnecessary waste
• Plastics — reducing plastics where possible; plastics can be difficult to recycle and biodegrade
• Recycling — recycling waste correctly
• Repair — repairing products or choosing not to upgrade when a newer version becomes available
• Green energy — use where possible
• Greener travel — car sharing or cycling instead of driving where possible
• Home efficiency — optimise white goods to eco settings; turn off lights; lower the central heating thermostat

Opt for sustainable design

Whether you are a designer or consumer, making the right choice is critical. Sustainable, eco or greener alternatives are much better for the environment. They have been designed and manufactured with minimising damage and promoting sustainability at the core.

Average life of a mobile phone

Research reveals that the average life of a mobile phone is two and a half years, and 15 to 18 months for a smart phone. Mobile phone manufacturers often release new models frequently — this is known as ‘incremental’ development and can help ensure consistent sales.

Products using greener power supplies

• Photovoltaic (PV) cells can be used as power supplies and ‘trickle chargers’, converting free sunlight into electricity. Solar power makes products more flexible and less reliant on ‘plugging in’.
• Wind-up technology uses the mechanical movement provided by turning a handle. A wind-up torch can operate without the need for batteries.