Week 9 Overview and Learning Objectives
The products that we use are all essentially derived from the environment and will eventually disposed off within the environment at the end of their useful lives. During this period – from production, through use, to disposal the product contributes to detrimental impacts on the environment. Reducing these impacts through how we design our products may be the single greatest lever that we can use to improve our environmental performance.
Design for Environment (DfE) presents unique challenges to product and service designers and implement significant changes in a company’s product lines to influence market share and profitability without sacrificing sustainable development. The application of DfE principles during the initial stages of the design process can change a product life cycle by not only reducing overall cost, but also the environmental impact of production and disposal. As some would say, “the products we build today can make the world more sustainable tomorrow”.
In this seminar, we will cover the fundamentals of eco-innovation and analyse some of the growing global trends relating to eco-innovation. We will also examine the design for environment and cradle to cradle design concepts and values. By the end of the seminar you should have a general understanding of the value of eco-innovations and the factors that influence their growth and adoption. You should also be aware of the benefits and barriers in designing for the environment and the value of cradle to cradle design in advancing business sustainability performance
Key Frameworks and Concepts
- Design for Environment
- Cradle to Cradle Design