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Design Is The Problem
1. Design is the Problem...
Nathan Shedroff
2007
Design is a big part of the sustainability problems in the world. Design has been focused on creating meaningless
(often), disposable (though not responsibly so), trend-laden fashion items—all design. Graphic design is particularly bad,
though paper materials, at least, have a huge potential to fix this problem.
2. Designer vs. Used Car Saleman
Designers are worse than used-car salesmen (at least used cars are reused).
Designers are taught (too much) to make “new” when it isn’t really better or when “old” doesn’t need replacing. We are
complacent when our engineering and marketing colleagues suggest or insist on low-quality or longevity, cheap
materials, or bad usability (features, process, etc.). No, where’ not the only ones or completely responsible but we’re
responsible enough to need to change.
3. Designers create Ugly
Despite how optimistic, idealistic, and future-oriented most designers are, design has sometimes created big problems in
the world.
Even where our best intentions have been engaged, our outcomes have often fallen short, even making matters worse,
because we didn’t see the whole picture when creating what we envisioned. Where our best intentions haven’t been
engaged, design (and marketing and sales and business) has been dismal. We are often responsible for making people
feel terribly about themselves, only redeemable by buying this product or that service.
We support--and often create--the entire concept of ugly. Design has been too often focused on creating meaningless,
disposable (though not responsibly so), trend-laden fashion items—all of design, every last discipline.
4. Designers aren’t the only ones
Marketers, Engineers, Politicians,
Accountants, Economists,
Educators, Business Leaders...
That engineers and politicians and marketers and accountants and business leaders and educators and everyone else
have been equally bad doesn’t absolve us from this reality—or our responsibility.
We are complacent when our engineering and marketing colleagues suggest or insist on low-quality over longevity,
cheap materials, or bad usability (features, processes, etc.).
5. ...and the Solution
A saying in the Sustainability world goes like this: “You can’t be part of the solution unless you’re part of the problem.”
7. What is Sustainability?
Use and development that meets
today’s needs without preventing
those needs from being met by
future generations.
Brundtland Commission, 1987
8. What is Sustainability?
Don’t do things today that
make tomorrow worse
A simpler definition...
No so controversial, or silly, or dumb, or dangerous. It’s actually more conservative than most “conservatives”
In fact, it sounds like common sense. Unfortunately, designers have been very bad about this.
10. What is Sustainability?
How do you measure it?
• A myriad of social issues
• Materials and Energy (LCA)
• Systems
• Actual metrics
11. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
What is Sustainability?
A myriad of social issues:
• Alcohol
• Animal rights
• Board transparency
• Biodiversity
• Chemical accidents
• Child Labor
• Cultural Impact
• Death penalty
• Deforestation
This is just the tip of the list. There are more than 50 categories of social issues, each containing from 4 to 50 issues that are
important to people. That’s over 500 issues to track, understand, and inform. In addition, everyone has different priorities for
these as they reflect our personal values.
12. What is Sustainability?
Existing frameworks:
• Datschefski’s “Total Beauty”
• Cradle to Cradle
• Natural Step
• Biomimicry
• LCAs
• Natural Capitalism
• Sustainability Helix
13. Sustainability Frameworks
Datschefski’s “Total Beauty”:
• Cyclic: closed loop, organic, recycled
• Solar: only renewable energy, cyclic, safe
• Safe: all releases to air, water, land, or space are food for others
• Efficient: 90% less materials, energy, and water than 1990
• Social: supports basic human rights and natural justice
14. Sustainability Frameworks
Cradle to Cradle:
(Eco-effictiveness)
• Eliminate hazardous materials
• Consider the entire lifecycle
• Materials should be upcyclable
• Less Bad does not equal Good!
15. Sustainability Frameworks
Natural Step™:
• Substances from the Earth’s crust
shouldn’t accumulate in the environment
• Substances produced by society should
not increase in the biosphere
• We must preserve the productivity and
biodiversity of the ecosystem
• Resources should be used fairly and
efficiently to meet human needs.
16. Sustainability Frameworks
Biomimicry:
• Not really a framework
• An inspirational approach
• Be inspired by nature
• Learn from natural processes
17. Sustainability Frameworks
Natural Capitalism:
(Eco-efficiency)
• Natural Capital: materials, energy,
stability, diversity
• Human Capital: people & society
• Manufactured Capital: materials,
energy, and IP
• Financial Capital: money
18. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Sustainability Frameworks
Natural Capitalism:
(Eco-efficiency)
• Radical resource productivity
• Ecological re-design
• Service and flow economy
• Investment in Natural Capital
> but it’s still “Cradle to Grave”
• Radical resource productivity – dramatically increase the productivity of natural resources w/ technology that exists
now
• Ecological re-design – shift to biologically inspired models like closed-loop systems
• Service and flow economy – move to solutions-based business models
• Investment in natural capital – to restore, sustain and expand the planet’s ecosystems
19. Sustainability Frameworks
Life-Cycle Analysis:
• Materials and Energy
throughout the lifecycle
• Raw Materials/Acquisition
• Manufacturing & Transportation
• Use (sometimes)
• Disposal (sometimes)
• Costly, rare (people)
• Difficult for concepts
20. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Sustainability Frameworks
Typical
Focus
Materials Materials Materials Materials Materials
& Energy & Energy & Energy & Energy & Energy
Outputs:
Products
Materials
Energy
Eric Masanet, 2003 + IDEO, 2006
24. What does “better” mean?
There are no “bests”, perfect scores or absolutes. There is only a direction to turn (no location of “great sustainability). >
Get Moving!
27. Which is better for the environment?
Toyota Prius Hummer H2
Manufacturing
Transportation
Use
Disposal
From a life-cycle analysis perspective, it’s not
clear.
28. Which is better for the environment?
Toyota Prius Hummer H2
Manufacturing
Transportation
Use
Disposal
~100K miles? Lifetime? 200K-300K miles?
The point of this example is: How should we calculate it or communicate it? How would anyone know? How is a
customer supposed to figure this out?
We don’t know! We don’t have access to the necessary data!
30. Which is better for the environment?
Paper Cup Ceramic Mug
1-69 uses
70 uses
71+ uses
This is the value of reuse
paper cup vs. 70 uses ceramic, 36 for glass
31. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Design for Environment (DFE)
Designing to minimize the
environmental impacts associated
with a product (or service)
Doesn’t include social issues
32. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Design for Environment (DFE)
While Sustainability is more than
just DfE, DfE strategies include:
• Design for Disassemby (DFD)
• Design for Recycling (DFR)
• Modular Design
• Designing Products as Services
• Dematerialization
33. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Design for Environment (DFE)
End-of-Life Strategies Design Strategies
• Reuse • Robust design
• Service • Modular Architecture
• Remanufacture • Design for disassembly
(DFD)/ Design for
• Recycling with recycling (DFR)
Disassembly • Designing products as
• Recycling without services
Disassembly • Dematerialization and
material selection
• Disposal
• “Timeless Design”
Reduce or speed disassembly by:
– Minimizing number of parts
– Creating multi-functional parts
– Avoiding springs, pulleys, harnesses
– Locating un-recyclable parts in one subsystem
– Locating valuable parts in an easily accessible place
– Designing parts for stability during disassembly
Allow for service, upgrade and reuse by:
– Making designs as modular as possible
– Designing reusable platforms and modules
Encourage more remanufacturing by
– Using remanufactured parts
– Specify reusable shipping or consumables containers
34. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Design for Environment (DFE)
Material Selection Guidelines:
Simplify the recycling process
Minimize the number of different types of materials
For attached parts, standardize on the same or a
compatible material
Mark the material type on all parts
Avoid composite materials
Use low alloy metals
If same metal can’t be used, fasten parts together
Clearly mark hazardous parts
Encourage more recycling
Avoid regulated and restricted materials
Use recycled materials
Use materials that can be recycled
Wood and Otto
35. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Design for Environment (DFE)
Fastening Guidelines:
Make disassembly as efficient as possible by:
• Minimizing the number of fasteners
• Minimizing the number of fastener types
• Making fasteners easy to remove
• Making fastening points easy to access
• Using fasteners of material compatible with parts
connected (to avoid disassembly)
• Minimizing number and length of interconnections
• Designing connections to be easy to break
Make the product more recyclable by:
• Making incompatible parts separable
• Eliminating adhesives
Wood and Otto
36. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Design for Environment (DFE)
Energy Efficiency Guidelines:
Guideline Reason
Specify best-in-class energy efficiency Reduces energy usage and societal fossil fuel
component consumption
Have subsystems power down when not in use Ditto
Permit users to turn off systems in part or Ditto
whole
Make parts whose movement is powered as Less mass to move requires less energy
light as possible
Insulate heated systems Less heat loss requires less energy
Solar powered electronics are better Does not create harmful by-products
Choose the least harmful source of energy Reduce harmful by-products
Avoid non-rechargeable batteries Reduce waste streams
Encourage use of clean energy sources Reduce harmful by-products
Wood and Otto
37. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Modular Design
Natural Raw
Product End of
Resource Materials Use
Manufacturing Life
Extraction Production
Can be built into wall with external exposure to utilize
cool outdoor air
Modular compartment design allows for selective, “as
needed” cooling
Convex shape minimizes surface-to-volume ratio to
minimize housing losses (up to 80% in current
refrigerators)
Advanced, non-CFC containing insulation is used to
maximize insulating ability
Reduced compressor loads lead to long product life
(up to the lifetime of house)
Up to 50% more energy efficient than current
refrigerators
Fact: Refrigerators consume 10-15% of all household energy
FRIA Refrigerator in the United States [DOE] Eric Masanet, 2003
38. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Modular Design
Natural Raw
Product End of
Resource Materials Use
Manufacturing Life
Extraction Production
Front-loading design uses up to 40% less water per
cycle than top-loading designs
Polymer-based barrel and reduced water requirements
led to improved energy efficiency and longer
component – and hence product - lifetimes
Fact: The average American household consumes
more than 500 gallons of water per day! [Pacific
Northwest National Lab]
Whirlpool Front Load Washer Eric Masanet, 2003
39. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Modular Design
Natural Raw
Product End of
Resource Materials Use
Manufacturing Life
Extraction Production
Use of 100% recycled plastics reduces demand on virgin
polymers and diverts plastic waste from landfills and
incinerators
Seamlessly met existing customer needs and market
demands using a green approach to ensure economic
viability (e.g., not a green technology “push”)
Fact: 333,500 tons of plastic soft drink bottles are landfilled
each year in the United States [American Plastics Council]
Patagonia Synchilla Jacket Eric Masanet, 2003
43. Reduce
Substitution:
Less expensive and more
sustainable:
• Raw materials
• Components
• Energy sources
44. Reduce
Eco-efficiency:
Leveraging technological and
process changes generate
solutions with more value and
greater efficiency.
(efficiency now)
45. Reduce
Eco-efficiency:
Herman Miller Mirra Chair
46. Reduce
Localization:
• Reduce transportation
energy and emissions
Localization may not always be better (it depends on the resources and abilities of different locales)
47. Reduce
Transmaterialization:
• Transform products into services
• Whole system solution to needs
• More meaningful offerings
48. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Reduce
Transmaterialization:
Fact: 2.5 million tons of carpet are landfilled each
Interface Carpets year in the United States! [Minnesota EPA]
Though it’s been a failed approach, Interface, after detoxifying its production process, tried to sell carpet as a service, rather
than merely a process. Their proposal was to sell floor covering and its upkeep, rather than the product itself. They would
service the carpeting, keeping it in good condition for the term of the service contract. When the carpet (or parts of it) needed
replacing, they would replace the portion and recycle it.
49. Reduce
Transmaterialization:
Apple iTunes Music Store
57. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Recycle
Incoming Batch
Disassemble
Sort Recycle
Plastics
Computer Plastics Recycling Process
Eric Masanet, 2003
58. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Recycle
Incoming Batch Disassembly
Manual
Sort Recycle
Mechanical
Processing Technology Options:
Manual
Disassembly
Mechanical
Disassembly
Eric Masanet, 2003
59. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Recycle
Incoming Batch Disassembly Sorting
Manual Manual
Shred Recycle
Automati
Mechanical Ship c
Processing Technology Options:
Manual Manual
Disassembly Sorting
Automatic
Mechanical
Sorting
Disassembly
Eric Masanet, 2003
60. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Recycle
Incoming Batch Disassembly Sorting Disposition
Manual Manual Shred Incinerate
Shred or Landfill
Automati Ship
Mechanical Ship Recycle
c
Processing Technology Options:
Scrap Purchase
Specifications
Manual Manual
Disassembly Sorting Acceptable Polymer(s)
Acceptable Grade(s)
Acceptable Color(s)
Minimum Purity %
Maximum % Paints
Maximum % Metals
Purchase Price/kg
Automatic
Mechanical
Sorting
Disassembly MTM
Purity = 100
MTM + MNTM
Eric Masanet, 2003
61. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Recycle
• Use materials identification labels
• Avoid permanently attached, dissimilar materials
• Design for ease of disassembly (snap fits vs. screws)
• Use only one polymer type per product
• Use only one polymer-color combination per product
• If necessary, use compatible combinations of polymers
• Avoid paints and lacquers
• Avoid labels or use compatible labels
• Choose high-value plastics
• Avoid density overlaps between different polymers
Eric Masanet, 2003
63. Recycle
Eco-effectiveness:
• Cradle-to-Cradle
• Upcycling
• Packaging
Cradle to Cradle
Reusability and Recyclability doesn’t matter, actually reusing and recycling does.
Therefore, even solutions don’t matter unless they is, at least, a system to make that solution happen, including a
service ecology, education, awareness, and examples. > Cradle to Cradle book
64. Sustainable Development
Process
• User-centric (design and user research)
• Strategic/whole-systems perspective
• Integrating frameworks into the process
• Innovation
• Iterative/prototyping (experience, paper, working, etc.)
65. Sustainable Product Development Fall 2007
Sustainable Development
Process
What business should we be in?
How should we make it best?
What should we make/offer?
77. Measuring Results
Reveal Rating System
Others in the works: Taoit, Alonovo.com, BetterWorldShopper.com, Ethiscore.org, Wiser Business, SBAR (Natural
Logic), Cradle-to-Cradle Certification.
NGO ratings: corporatecrritic.org, buyblue.org, responsibleshopper.org, Hrc.org
78. Measuring Results
www.revealinfo.com
In the future, consumers may have access to this information in a variety of places--but not for awhile.
79. Declaring Results
• Green washing
• Does your brand reflect these values?
• Does your company reflect these values?
• Don’t spend more declaring your results
than the results themselves are worth
• It may be easier to “sell” efficiency or
health than sustainability
81. Resources
Natural Capitalism, Hawken, Lovins, Lovins
Design + Environment, Gertsakis, et al
Cradle To Cradle, McDonough, Braungart
The Total Beauty of Sustainable Products, Datschefski
Design for the Real World, Papanek
Worldchanging, Steffen
Design for Environment, Fiksel
www.sustainabilitydictionary.com
www.mcdonough.com
www.biothinking.com
www.soka.ch/lca.htm
www.o2.org
www.ce.cmu.edu/GreenDesign
cgdm.berkeley.edu
www.engineeringpathway.com