Week 7: Production + Consumption

Lecture Contents

Products today

Why do we consume so much?

Product Lifecycles

New Consumption

Why?

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Point One

Point Two

Point Three

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How many products are there in the average Household?

Why?

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Point One

Point Two

Point Three

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How many products do we consume?

…..products today

Households now contain over 1,000 products (compared to 25, 50 years ago)

1 new product appears on the shelf everyday, 1 is removed every 3 days

560kg per person of waste generated in developed countries (3 times more than in 1984) [www.uneptie.org]

1000kg of products purchased per year by consumers, only 100kg is retained as long term durables.

Average age of household appliance when discarded ranged from 2-12 years. Only ¼ were sold or donated for re-use.

1 in 10 products still worked when discarded.

Product Facts

washing machine

vacuum cleaner

television

razor

video

stereo

television

stove

computer

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

still functioning not functioning properly not functioningCh

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Approaching market saturation, style rather than function becomes the selling point.

New technologies supersede old at phenomenal rates.

Over designed products Design life – Black and Decker drill: 25hrsUse life – 1 HourCD’s played once over their lives

Products designed to failUse life – Nokia phone 18 months

More products = more power consumption

Why?

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Point One

Point Two

Point Three

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Why?

Industrialisation Mass Production

Cheap Energy Available Oil Reserves

Globalisation + Global Movement

Increased leisure time More disposable Income

Status, Consumer Society Planned Obsolescence

Status, Consumer Society Planned Obsolescence

Why?

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Point One

Point Two

Point Three

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What impact do these products have?

Raw material extraction Wood from forest, oil from well, metal ore from mine, etc.

Material processing Wood to paper, oil to plastic, ores to metal alloys, etc.

Component manufacturing Paper printed, plastic molded, alloys into circuitry, etc.

Assembly & packaging Product is assembled and packaged with documentation.

Distribution & purchase Product is distributed and purchased.

Installation & use Energy and additional materials may be used.

Maintenance & upgrading Product cleaned, parts replaced or upgraded

Transport (among all phases) Via train, truck, car, sea vessel or airplane

Reuse, recycling or composting Product or component reuse or material recycling.

Incineration or landfilling Product or components are burned or buried in landfill.

… . Phases in a product’s lifecycle

Phases in a product’s lifecycle

Example: What are the phases in the lifecycle of a

toothbrush?

Material Extraction

Oil is extracted from the earth

Materials Processing

Raw materials refined & combined with chemicals to form plastic

Component Manufacturing

The materials are formed into the final product.

Assembly and Packaging

The toothbrush is packaged individually

and boxed in large quantities.

Distribution and Purchase

The brush is distributed and bought. Waste from packaging

Installation and use

Brush teeth, toothpaste, water, waste.

Maintenance and upgrade

Replacement

End-of-Life

The Brush is returned for material recycling?

What are the alternatives?

Class exercise:

What are the phases in the lifecycle of a Glass?

Discussion:

Why should or shouldn’t we consider all of the phases in the life of a product?

80-90% of a products environmental & economic impacts decided upon in design & development stages

Early intervention is essential

Sustainable Product Development

Sustainable Design is concerned with balancing economic,

environmental and social aspects in the creation of products and services… To create sustainable products and services that increase stakeholders' 'quality of life' while at the same time achieving major reductions in resource and energy use, will require a significant

emphasis on stimulating new ideas through higher levels of creativity

and innovation (Charter & Tischner)

The process of designing goods & services which consider all tenets of Sustainable Development. Holistic approach to the design and development

of products and services.

Courtesy of Gavin Harte ESD Training

Transparency in design practice

Responsible Design (Design for other 90%, Upgrade, Reuse, Second Life)

Emotionally Enhanced Products (Extended life spans)

Dematerialisation

Product Service Systems

Design for Limited Life spans

Looking to Nature

New ways of doing things

Transparent, Honest

Patagonia ‘Footprint Chronicles’

Accountability

Responsibility

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/footprint/index.jsp

Transparency in design practice

What’s right?

What’s wrong?

SocialEnvironmentEconomy

Design for the other 90%

Design for the other 90%

Second Life

Responsible Design

Aeron ChairHermann Miller

Responsible Design

Design for responsible behaviour

                                                               

IPod

Dematerialised Solution

Dematerialisation

Emotional Attachment

Experience

Personalise

Totally your own

Inconspicuous design

Upgradable software

Clever marketing

Negatives

Is it really needed?

How sustainable are Apples

Motives? (Batteries)

Dematerialisation

Limited Life spans

Packaging

Perfect packaging solution

Designed for limited lifespan

100% organic matter

Edible: Disintegrates (with help) after use

Inexpensive

Easy to produce

Biomimicry

Random patternInspired by NatureLonger life Place in any directionInfinite adaptability Easily replaced Reduce WasteGravity adhesion

Biomimicry

Service Systems

Product Service Systems

Time charges

1 hour : £4.9524 hours (weekdays) : £35.0024 hours (weekends) : £49.505 days (Monday to Friday) : £1507 days : £19530 days : £695

Streetcar provides 30 miles' free petrol per calendar day. After that, additional mileage is charged at 19p per mile

Product Service Systems

Product Service Systems

Eco-Efficient- More with less

Washing your dirty linen: Level 1

Eco-Sufficiency –Less with less

Washing your dirty linen: Level 2

Washing your dirty linen: Level 3

http://www.forumforthefuture.org/projects/fashion-animations

Washing your dirty linen: Level 4

Further Reading and Viewing:

Nicholas Negroponte (One Laptop per child): www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/nicholas_negroponte_on_one_laptop_per_child_two_years_on.html

Ray Anderson: EcoBiz www.youtube.com/watch?v=BerHLW6KhRY

Jacqui Novagratz: www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jacqueline_novogratz_invests_in_ending_poverty.html

Schumacher, E.F, 1993, Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered, Vintage Press.

Packard, Vance, 1960 The Wastemakers David McKay Company.

Papenek, Victor, 2002, Design for the Real World, Thames and Hudson

Smith, Cynthia, E, 2008 Design for the Other 90%, Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

McDonagh, W & Braungart, M, 2009 Cradle to Cradle Vintage Press

Fuad-Luke, Alastair, 2009 (3rd ed), The Eco-Design Handbook, Thames and Hudson.

ed. Steffen, Alex, 2008 Worldchanging: A User’s guide to the 21stcentury, Harry N Abrams

Mau, Bruce & The Institute without Boundaries, 2004, Massive Change, Phaidon Press