The why & what now of ecodesign/sustainable design

1. sustainable design
why? what next? what
now?
@frank_oconnor
talk to MA Sustainable Design
2013/14
Kingston University
February 2014

2. Nan-­‐in,
a
Japanese
master
during
the
Meiji
era
(1868-­‐1912),
received
a
university
professor
who
came
to
inquire
about
Zen.
Nan-­‐in
served
tea.
He
poured
his
visitor's
cup
full,
and
then
kept
on
pouring.
The
professor
watched
the
overflow
unLl
he
no
longer
could
restrain
himself.
"It
is
overfull.
No
more
will
go
in!"
"Like
this
cup,"
Nan-­‐in
said,
"you
are
full
of
your
own
opinions
and
speculaLons.
How
can
I
show
you
Zen
unless
you
first
empty
your
cup?"
hSp://www.zenguide.com

3. to
believe
in
something,
and
not
to
live
it,
is
dishonest.
Mahatma
Gandhi

4. … The times of thoughtless design,
which can only flourish in times of
thoughtless production for thoughtless
consumption, are over.
We cannot afford any more
thoughtlessness.
source:
Dieter
Rams

5. … The times of thoughtless design,
which can only flourish in times of
thoughtless production for thoughtless
consumption, are over.
We cannot afford any more
thoughtlessness.
source:
Dieter
Rams

6. so what happened
between 1976 and 2013?

7. …we
conLnue
to
live
in
a
throwaway
society.
image source:
www.castlereagh.gov.uk
..
yet
there
is
sLll
no
away.

8. source:
Edwin
Datschefski
&
United
NaLons
University
98% of products are thrown
away within 6 months.
image source: ads-ngo.com

9. … paradox ..throwing
away is cheaper than
recycling
Ramon Arratia, Sustainability Director at
Interface, E:DN Event, Cardiff
…. but is it really?

10.
we
conLnue
to
over
consume.

11. we
see
even
more
of
a
disconnect
between
people
…..
and
between
planet
and
people.
Image
source:
Banksy

12. ..
and
true
costs
conLnue
not
to
be
accounted
for.
source: http://www.realcycle.co.uk

13. every
product
tells
a
story
J
source: Nathan Hallett

14. source: Warwick Business School published in The Guardian, 26th June 2013

15. good design is a
behaviour.
we
con6nue
to
experience
a
collec6ve
unconscious
behaviour
…..
with
catastrophic
unintended
consequences.

16. good design is a
behaviour.
we
con6nue
to
experience
a
collec6ve
unconscious
behaviour
…..
with
catastrophic
unintended
consequences.

17. air
pollu6on
kills
3
million
people
each
year,
mostly
in
poor
countries
responsibility
polluLon
source: WHO / BBC

18. between
100
and
1000
species
become
ex6nct
each
year,
because
their
habitats
are
changing
or
being
destroyed.
responsibility
degradaLon
source: UK Government

19. over
1
billion
people
do
not
have
access
to
clean
drinking
water
responsibility
access
to
water
source: UNDP

20. water access
3800
children die each day
from diseases associated
with lack of access to safe
drinking water, inadequate
sanitation and poor hygiene
responsibility
access
to
water
source: UN / flickr

21. 80%
of
all
disease
in
developing
countries
is
caused
by
consump6on
of
contaminated
water
responsibility
access
to
water
source: WHO

22. responsibility
health

23. ‘commandments
of
industrialised
society’
1) create
more
desire
(perceived
needs)
2) thou
shalt
consume
(=
good
life)
culture
of
consumpLon
+
devaluing
of
culture
source:
Henry
1949
cited
in
Jones
1987

24. ‘commandments
of
industrialised
society’
1) create
more
desire
(perceived
needs)
2) thou
shalt
consume
(=
good
life)
culture
of
consumpLon
+
devaluing
of
culture
source:
Henry
1949
cited
in
Jones
1987

25. There are professions more harmful than
industrial design, but only a very few of
them. And possibly only one profession is
phonier. Advertising design, in persuading
people to buy things they don‘t need, with
money they don’t have, in order to impress
others who don‘t care, is probably the
phoniest field in existence today
Victor Papanek,
Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social
Change, Thames and Hudson, 1984

26. does
the
concept
of
a
future
sLll
exist
in
a
culture
which
a
coherent
vision
has
disappeared?
Marcel
Wanders

27. real need?
iPoSy
banana
guard
source: miscell. web sites

28. knowledge through
practice over time
foolishness
wisdom
source: from a presentation by
Emma Dewberry 2008 to the
Ecodesign Centre & partners

29.
illustraLon:
Nathan
HalleS

30.
…...individuals
act
primarily
on
issues
that
impact
their
personal
well-­‐being,
their
family,
and
their
immediate
community.
Unless
those
needs
are
tended
to,
most
individuals
won't
commit
to
causes
that
promise
to
benefit
the
world
at
large.
Catherine
Greener
source: WHO / BBC

31. we
ALL
have
to
change

32. government
education
design
design
enterprise

33. ageing population
population growth
resource scarcity
knowledge loss
non inclusive
a move to cities
ego-centric
natural disasters
emerging economies
change
source: engine group and UNFPA
source: engine group and UK statistics

34. emerging economies
1
billion
of these people are
living in slums, squats &
unofficial settlements
source: UNHABITAT

35. a way forward
image: Jesse Stewart /
www.areaofdesign.com

36. systems perspective
life cycle thinking
responsible design
responsible enterprise
circular economy
image
source:
Fuse
/
GeKy

37. this
thinking is
not new
Source: a paper on
materialism by
Alwyn Jones, 1987

38. the
single
biggest
problem
in
communicaLon
is
the
illusion
that
it
has
taken
place.
George
Bernard
Shaw

39. designers influence how
people consume, use,
behave … live.
industry
design
consumers

40. 80% of eco-impacts
are determined
At design stage
image
source:
Chris
Jordan

41. what would the design brief for the
industrial revolution look like?
design a system of production that:
1. puts billions of pounds of toxic material into the air, water and soil
2. measures prosperity by activity, not legacy
3. requires thousands of complex regulations to keep people and
natural systems from being poisoned too quickly
4. produces materials so dangerous that they will require constant
vigilance from future generations
5. results in gigantic amounts of waste
6. puts valuable materials in holes all over the planet, where they can
never be retrieved
7. erodes the diversity of biological species and cultural practices
source: William McDonough and Michael Braungart in Penny Allen (ed) (2001) Metaphors for Change: partnership, tools and civic
action for sustainability, Sheffield: Greenleaf: 68 – from a presentation by Emma Dewberry 2008 to the Ecodesign Centre & partners

42. NO
MAGIC MATERIALS

43. but
there
is
biomimicry
check out Michael Pawlyn & Janine Benyus

44. responsibility
needs
to
be
at
the
core
of
the
organisaton
and
all
of
its
people,
not
just
its
products
and
services

45. responsibility = ability to respond
&
ethics = how we think, act, behave

46. good
design
is?

47. good design is:
innovative
useful
aesthetic
understandable
unobtrusive
honest
long-lasting
thorough
environmentally friendly
as little design as possible
Dieter Rams (from the ’70s)

48. responsible
business
models
no
ownership
lease
/
service
hire
shared
individual
consumer
goods
cooperaLve
full
ownership
(adapted from Cooper et al.)

49. basic
sustainable
design
criteria
long-­‐life
non-­‐toxic
localise
renewable
energy

50. we need:
to talk ‘resource’ instead of ‘waste’
to focus on ‘need’ & ‘use’ instead of ‘consume’
to co-create goods with transformative use cycles
non-toxic long-life products suitable for appropriate
remanufacture & reuse
a widespread culture of transparency, honesty &
openness (traceability)
true life cycle collaboration through empathy &
extending trust

51. we need:
metrics to account for true cost
to ensure there is no shift of environmental &
social burden between stages of life cycle
new models of business & un-ownership
adaptable supply circles instead of chains
frameworks to build capacity & competencies
to stimulate demand through ‘tools’ such as
public procurement

52. we need:
metrics to account for true cost
to ensure there is no shift of environmental &
social burden between stages of life cycle
new models of business & un-ownership
adaptable supply circles instead of chains
frameworks to build capacity & competencies
to stimulate demand through ‘tools’ such as
public procurement

53. case study: Welsh SME
office furniture
@Orangebox_Ltd

54. @Orangebox_Ltd

55. Ara: good design
Cradle to Cradle
“remake the way we
make things” thinking about the materials we use, how
our products are designed and assembled, and their cycles
of use with our customers.
No matter how good your products are, there comes a time
when their first useful life comes to an end. In considering
product life cycles Cradle to Cradle asks us to re-think the
commonplace approach of “take, make & waste” and this
prompted us to act.
During the early stages of the design of Ara we established a
relationship with one of Cradle to Cradle’s authors, renowned
industrial chemist Micheal Braungart. Throughout the
development we have been working with EPEA, Micheal’s C2C
organisation based in Hamburg.
Returning your ARA at ‘End of Life’
Cradle to Cradle is an approach to design which looks to make
us truly environmentally effective, by developing products for
closed loop systems in which all the materials used are safe and
beneficial - either to biodegrade naturally or to be fully recycled
into high quality materials for subsequent product generations,
again and again. In order for us to maximise the value of the
materials used in your chair we’d like to get them back once
you’ve finished with them. It’s pretty simple, all you need to do
is visit our website at www.orangebox.com/endoflife.htm
We know that people come in all shapes and sizes. That’s why
smart engineering inside the mechanism means the ride can be
tuned and balanced to your precise needs, using adjustment
controls that are easy to operate and labelled clearly.
Arm support that’s there only when you need it.
Our goal was to design a new arm pad that was more comforta
than ever, using materials that could be segregated easily and recyc
more effectively. The traditional PU is replaced by a flexible polym
with a separate insert made from recycled foam. The result is
armrest that’s robust, easy to use and probably the most comforta
we’ve ever made.
disassembly
takeback, reuse
cradle to cradle,
collaboration
Do something really simple; make the chair base 100%
recyclable.
Not the most complicated part on a task chair, granted, but we as
ourselves the question - some look much better than others but
plastic chair bases are pretty much the same, aren’t they? Well in
sense they are, and with very few exceptions they all have a m
collar moulded into the plastic to stop the gas lift creeping throug
the base. Great for not dragging your chair across the carpet but
not so great when you come to recycle it, as the collar can be ver
difficult to remove.
Smart design and careful material selection has enabled us to cre
a base without a collar insert. A simple point but unlike almost
other plastic bases ours is 100% recyclable. And rest assured we
tested it like mad.
@Orangebox_Ltd
We’ve always very carefully considered the materials that we use
in our products but our aim in working with EPEA is to ensure
that what we’re using is truly safe, for humans and the
environment alike, and successful in technical cycles of reuse.
This means looking in much more detail at every chemical
ingredient in the materials we use; to determine which inhibit
this aim and need to be substituted or remove as a result.

56. do: more for less
@Orangebox_Ltd
collaboration, localisation,
non-toxic, part reduction
(25% less weight), material
streamlining, lightweighting,
disassembly, takeback,
repair & reuse

57. do supply chain
a local supply chain has reduced
manufacturing costs, allowed for closer
working relationships with suppliers and has
reduced environmental impacts through
energy reduction at the transport stage (a
direct saving on average of 20% on the cost of
components = £280,000 saving)
@Orangebox_Ltd

58. do: responsible design
estimated that £750,000 will be saved annually
on the do range alone as a direct result of the
responsible design led approach employed as
part of core business strategy.
@Orangebox_Ltd

59. do: some challenges
• true impact / costs
• material innovation
• ‘greenwash’
• collection infrastructure
• new business models
• over-consumption / rebound
@Orangebox_Ltd
image source:
http://www.cpnd.org/

60. do: some challenges
• true impact / costs
• material innovation
• ‘greenwash’
• collection infrastructure
• new business models
• over-consumption / rebound
@Orangebox_Ltd
image source:
http://www.cpnd.org/

61. case study: Welsh-based
multinational
car audio systems
Harman International

63. car
components

64. speakers
source: WHO / BBC
source: Harman

65. neodymium
car
speaker
low
carbon
image sources: Harman & wiki

66. polluLon
true
cost
image source: hybridcars.com

67. toxicity,
health
true
cost
image source: dailymail.co.uk

68. polluLon
true
cost
source: wiki.umd.edu / getty images
source: Chris Jordan

69. low
carbon
/
high
on
criLcal
materials
source: mywindpowersystem.com

70. what
next?
what
now?

71. be the change you want to
see in the world
Mahatma Gandhi

72. images:
Apple
products,
miscell.
sites,
EDC
logo
1988
1989
big
change
1991
1995
rip
it
up
&
start
again
1999
big
change
2006
!
2013
2014
rip
it
up
&
start
again
what
now?

74. what is your why?

75. brand you?

76. make a real difference?
or
satisfy, nourish ego?

77. what
one
does
is
what
counts.
Not
what
one
had
the
intenLon
of
doing
Pablo
Picasso

79. integrity
–
intenLon
–
capabiliLes
–
results
• about
journey
as
much
as
des6na6on
(unfixed)
• how
we
behave,
act,
think
…
• empathy
&
trust

80. our
responsibility
is
no
longer
to
acquire,
but
to
be
Rabindranath
Tagore

81. to
be…
We
cannot
just
be
by
ourselves
alone.
We
have
to
inter-­‐be
with
every
other
thing
Thich
Nhat
Hanh

82. you could …
decide not to stay where you are
find something you love, believe in, are
passionate about
take responsibility, lead
don’t be afraid to fail
learn from your mistakes
understand your own role
ensure you are contributing, relevant

83. and you could …
clearly define your values
set a clear vision, mission
seek to understand, empathise, trust
focus on building capacity
‘walk the talk’
share, give, help (abundance)
keep it simple, do it now

84. and maybe not be a …
simply a game player
ego-designer (look at me .. / me, me, me ..)
untruthful (wash)

85. do
not
accept
‘that’s
the
way
it
is’

86. do
not
accept
‘that’s
the
way
it
is’

87. “You never change things by
fighting the existing reality. To
change something, build a
new model that makes the
existing model obsolete.”
R. Buckminster Fuller

88. “You never change things by
fighting the existing reality. To
change something, build a
new model that makes the
existing model obsolete.”
R. Buckminster Fuller

89. don’t
be
afraid
to
‘rip
it
up
and
start
again’

90. a
journey
of
a
thousand
miles
must
begin
with
a
single
step.
Lao
Tzu

91. today
is
one
step
………..

92. choose
one
thing
to
do
now

93. thanks:
Sonja & Georgia for suggesting I come along
Paul for agreeing J
all of you for being here J
good luck – believe!
@frank_oconnor
frankjackdin@usa.net