Sustainable Product Design'

ARTICLE IN PRESS

Materials & Design Materials and Design xxx (2005) xxx–xxx www.elsevier.com/locate/matdes

Short communication

A sustainable product design model George Howarth a

a,1

, Mark Hadfield

b,*

Royal Academy of Engineering, Sustainable Development School of Design, Engineering and Computing, Bournemouth University, UK Sustainable Product Engineering Research Centre, School and Design, Engineering and Computing, Bournemouth University, Poole House, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole BH12 5BB, UK

b

Received 18 October 2004; accepted 20 March 2005

Abstract There are major challenges for the designer to now include Sustainable Development aspects into his/her design; particularly related to the social and wider economic impacts. The designer must, more than ever before, take into consideration the views and concerns of all the Ôinterested partiesÕ – stakeholders. There are many topics – issues and concerns to consider and often they can be conflicting. The need is to examine the Sustainable Development risks and benefits associated with any particular design so improvements can be made. Both a ÔconceptÕ model and a Bournemouth University practical model are described which allows this risk/benefit assessment to be made in a structured manner on a wide range of topics. The assessment can examine the product, the company manufacturing the product and the manufacturing site. The major social, economic and environmental risks and benefits is tabulated or presented graphically for ease of evaluation in order to modify the design and so improve the Sustainable Development aspects. Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Environmental performance (E); Sustainable Development; Product design; Design model; Sustainable Development assessment

1. Introduction It is generally understood that the product designer has to be very focused on achieving the required technical performance and costs demanded by the client and also takes a holistic approach to other aspects, i.e., technical, aesthetic and ergonomic, but this does not include all aspects, i.e., waste, end of life, ethics etc. There is often little awareness and understanding of the wider environmental, social and economic impacts of the design – in other words, the Sustainable Development aspects. It is vital that the designer de-

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 01202 595983; fax: +44 01202 595314. E-mail address: mhadfi[email protected] (M. Hadfield). 1 Smith & Nephew Plc. (retired)

0261-3069/$ - see front matter Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2005.03.016

fines the use and disposal of the finished product and clearly chooses the raw materials which have the least environmental damage, and then influences both the manufacturing and distribution systems to minimize the environmental and social impacts. The emphasis of the most recent environmental legislation, related to disposal of cars and electronic waste, is the requirement to reduce waste sent to landfill by increased reuse and recycling of these products. However, what it is most disturbing is the lack of concern of many young designers for these issues – it is seen as somebody elseÕs responsibility [1]. One of the challenging roles of the designer is to change the behaviour of consumers for the benefit of us all. This change can be very minor – selection of one material, or major – a reduction in energy usage and waste generated etc., which can make the product more sustainable.

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2. Sustainable Development and design 2.1. There are some major challenges facing us all Environment  Impact of climate change, resulting in changing weather patterns, increasing sea level and flooding will mainly affect the agricultural industry, but will also cause more disease and ill health in the poorer countries. Production of steel, aluminium, glass and paper require high electricity usage, generating CO2 and increasing global warming.  Use of resources was one of the key concerns at the recent Johannesburg Summit and the need to reduce both consumption and production of products. One way is to prevent and minimise waste arising in the whole of the supply chain [2].  Decline of biodiversity has been a result of both human population increase and the growth and efficiency of the agricultural industry. The impact has been global and local – for example, the elephant population has decreased 10-fold in the last 50 years [3] and it has been estimated some 21 species are lost each day – for ever [4]. Social  Population growth has been predicted to double in the next 50 years, but now experts are suggesting a 50% increase to 9 billion. Typical population growth in the UK is 0.3%, compared with 70% growth over the last two decades in China [5].  Provision of fresh water and sanitation to over a third of the worlds population has been identified as a key programme following the Johannesburg Summit [2].  Human rights were first defined in the UN Declaration in 1948 with some 30 articles [6]. The most recent concern has been the use of child labour to provide cheap products for the developed countries.  Exclusion from earning a living or being part of society affects many people locally and globally, for example the homeless, religious persecution, ethical cleansing etc. Economic  Poverty applies to over a third of the worldÕs population with these people living on less than $1 a day.  North south divide is dramatic – USA has $34,320 GDP per capita compared with Sierra Leone of $470 GDP per capita. In the poorer countries, life expectancy can be 35 years compared with 78 years in UK [7].  Behaviour of International organisations is important as many have a greater turnover than the GDP in a number of developing countries.

 Financial influences are wide ranging from individual/company tax to levies on products and imposition of tariffs like sugar in Europe and cotton in USA [8].

2.2. Designer and Sustainable Development needs The designer first needs an awareness and understanding of complex and wide ranging issues when applied to a new product. Equally important is to be aware of the views and concerns of the people involved with the product. These are the interested parties or ÔstakeholdersÕ and for the designer, Fig. 1 illustrates a typical range. It is a very daunting task to try to bring to the design concept all these very complex and often conflicting issues and concerns, plus trying to understand the views of particular stakeholders and finally to change customer behaviour. One way is to identify the risks and benefits/ opportunities. 2.3. Risks and benefits Overseeing risk management within an organisation is one of the key responsibilities of the Directors of the organisation. This is far more important in to-days climate when companies are no longer trusted by the general public, investors etc., as a result of scandals for example in Enron. There is now a demand to Ôshow meÕ your company is behaving in a responsible manner in the whole range of its activities including design, use of materials, product performance, safety etc. The potential risks can be related to the product, company operations or management. The product could contain hazardous materials which cause harm when disposed into landfill at the end of the productÕs life. The basic raw materials could be supplied using child labour to keep costs low. It may even be difficult to reuse or recycle the product or its components when the product becomes waste. It is to be expected that the manufacturing operations are efficient, but ÔincidentsÕ will still occur – accidents, spillages, fires, explosions, Ônear missesÕ, complaints from neighbours and customers etc. Manufacturing often have legally set ÔconsentÕ conditions in which to operate which if exceeded will result in fines or closure of the plant and equipment by the regulators. Changes in design, such as additional energy requirements or raw material modifications, can result in non-compliance to these consent conditions. If the professional designer is unaware of the latest legal requirements, for example – UK Packaging Essential Requirements Regulations or EU Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Directive then non-compliance may occur when new products are introduced.

ARTICLE IN PRESS G. Howarth, M. Hadfield / Materials and Design xxx (2005) xxx–xxx

CLIENT

3

ENERGY & WATER SUPPLIER

CUSTOMER

USERS

PLANNING OFFICER

MANUFACTURERS

COMMUNITY PRODUCT DESIGNER

LOCAL COUNCIL EMPLOYERS

WASTE CONTRACTORS TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS

MATERIAL SUPPLIER

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

Fig. 1. Typical range stakeholders.

Benefits or opportunities will provide added value to an organisation in the following ways

holder views and specific issues. Their design should then be more sustainable.

 Confirm compliance to legislation and regulator requirements.  Identify potential risks to an organisation and introduce appropriate controls to minimize the impact.  Reduce costs.  Increase the level of sales or maintain sales.  Improve the image and reputation of the company with its stakeholders.

3.1. Background

There are also benefits and opportunities which could apply to the individual – a better Ôquality of lifeÕ, job opportunities, job security, improved safety/security, contribution to local community life and culture. Many risks and benefits can be identified and it is essential in arriving at any decision regarding the design of a product to also examine how the company that manufactures the product behaves, plus the environmental performance of the actual manufacturing site. A dramatic example is in the clothing/sports industry where the concern is the use of child labour, sweatshop conditions etc. NIKE have introduced various supplier evaluation programmes to improve performance in safety, health, attitude, people, environment etc. Their factories are also independently audited. The result has meant supplier contracts have changed because of poor performance to the company standards [9]. Some companies promote their ÔgreenÕ products yet do not have a company environmental policy or report.

The model must first provide the following basic background information 1. More detail/advice on the Sustainable Development aspects. 2. Details of a range of different stakeholder views and concerns. The Sustainable Development aspects of any product will not only be a reflection of the design, but also the company that manufacturers the product and the particular manufacturing site. The Sustainable Product Development Assessment will therefore need to include (i) The specific product and in particular the impacts in the life cycle from raw materials, manufacture, distribution, use, to final disposal at the end of its life. (ii) Company information including Annual Report, Corporate Social Responsibility – CSR, Environmental, Ethical and Sustainable Development Reports. (iii) Site selection will depend on any local impact on the community, local heritage, local wildlife and the actual operation of the site.

3.2. Assessment 3. Sustainable product development model concept This is an attempt to provide a tool for designers in order to present the Sustainable Development issues related to their product in a more manageable form, which will allow them to identify the importance of stake-

The actual assessment of the product, company and site needs to define the following (i) A generic list of issues/concerns – topics. (ii) Ability to add additional specific issues/concerns.

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(iii) More detail on these issues to check and revise the level of understanding. (iv) Level of importance of these topics/issues. (v) The sustainable development aspects – environmental or social or economic or a combination? (vi) Are these impacts high, medium or low? (vii) Are the impacts a risk or a benefit?

3.3. Analysis Will need the ability to analyse the above assessment in various ways, but the key to any decision is based on the balance between risks and benefits. The key risks and benefits need to be identified, tabulated or graphed so it is possible to compare the environmental, social and economic impacts separately or together as Sustainable Development. This can be completed for the product, company or site or all three together. Finally, having seen these tables and graphs there must be the ability to go back into the assessment and change the detail on the score, impact aspect and level of importance etc.

4. Bournemouth University model The model is available on the Bournemouth University website [10] and has been used in the Sustainable Product Design Masters course for Engineering Design students. It does follow the above structure in giving background information, assessment worksheets and analysis tables and graphs 4.1. Background This is in effect the ÔhomeÕ page of the site which links the student to the sources of information on Sustainable Development and Stakeholders plus more detail on issues/concerns (topics) to include when assessing Ôa product, company or the manufacturing siteÕ. The Sustainable Development guidance includes the three basic concepts – evaluate environmental, social and economic impacts at the same time; any evaluation must be ÔholisticÕ by considering each element of the life cycle from raw materials, manufacture, distribution, use and final disposal and the finally the views of the ÔinterestedÕ parties or stakeholders must be taken into consideration. Background information is provided on a number of typical stakeholders – CEO, Union official, Local Councillor, Resident, Environmental Activist. The designer can then take into consideration the views of the stakeholders and so modify the design. This information is ÔgenericÕ and so can be applied to any product, company or site. There are also external links for the student to

explore a specific topic in far more detail if necessary. A typical link would be the UK Environment Agency site (see Table 1). 4.2. Worksheets There are three worksheets – one each for product, company and site. The structure for each worksheet is the same – a list of topics (issues and concerns) with ability to add topics at any time. Each topic needs to be given score (0–10), defined if the impact is related to the social, environmental or economic or combination of these aspects with a rating of high, medium or low on each impact, then finally indicating if it is a risk or benefit. There are some 109 topics identified in these work sheets; but students can also add any other topics they feel important. It is not necessary to complete all three worksheets. Students are encouraged to add comments as to the reason for selecting a particular score, aspect etc. at the time of assessment (see Fig. 2). 4.3. Analysis The basic objective of this analysis is to first identify and prioritise the key risks and benefits from the many issues and concerns (topics) assessed. The analysis of the worksheets is automatic and will provide both a set of tables with the top 10 risks and benefits in each sustainable development aspect (social, environmental and economic) and a range of graphs. In the analysis it is important to be able to identify the particular topic and whether it is from the product, company or site assessment worksheet. In order to assist the student further in the analysis of these top risks and benefits, various graphs (see Fig. 2) can be produced highlighting the risks or benefits in social, environmental or economic aspects plus a combined risks and benefits graph for each aspect (see Fig. 3). The same topic can appear several times if it has a high social, environmental and economic impact. The comments made at the original assessment using the worksheets are a good reference as to the ÔthinkingÕ or reasoning behind the decision. At any stage it is possible, if the results are not acceptable, to change the original data in the worksheets. 4.4. Application of model This model has been used successfully by the engineering students to assess a motor car of their choice and the company that manufactures the product, plus the associated manufacturing facility. The specific details on the chosen car, company and site were usually obtained from the companyÕs own website. This assessment was as a designer, but it is possible to repeat the

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Table 1 Product, company and site worksheet example Topics

Score

Element

Comments

Social Risk or benefit? * Raw materials Hazardous 5 Source 6 Benefit Use of child labour 3 Risk Costs 8 Transportation 6 Non-renewable 0 Energy used 10 Emissions 8 Discharges 6 Nuisances 6 Risk Health and safety 7 Other Other Raw material risks total score raw material benefits total Design * Material selection 10 Material amounts 10 Disassembly 7 Costs 10 Energy usage 7 Waste generated 6 Reuse 8 Recycling 6 Life cycle assess. 5 Other Other Other Design risks total score Design benefits total score

Benefit

Risk Benefit Benefit

Economic

Environmental

High, medium or low? *

Risk or benefit? *

High, medium or low? *

High Low

Benefit

Medium

Risk

High

High

Benefit

High

Risk Benefit

Medium Medium

6.75 6.00

High, medium or low? *

Risk

Medium

Risk

Medium

Benefit Risk Risk Risk Benefit

Medium High High Medium High

11.00 16.50

Benefit

High

Benefit Risk

Low Medium

Low

Low Low Low

1.50 5.25

Risk or benefit? *

Few chemicals in product Local community Little from 3rd world Valuable raw materials Local None used Site energy not major Paint shop high levels Strict consent condition Close to local community Few dangerous site jobs

22.50 12.00 Benefit Benefit Benefit

High High High

Benefit Risk Benefit Benefit Benefit

Medium Medium Medium Medium Medium

3.50 12.50

Fig. 2. Social risks and benefits.

3.00 40.00

Metals and plastic Amounts need to be low Legal requirement Must satisfy costs Fuel and user performance Reuse and recycle essential More reuse More recycling Materials and use key

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Fig. 3. Combined model to demonstrate sustainable development risks.

exercise as a different stakeholder and evaluate any necessary changes to the design brief.

5. Concluding remarks A model has been generated to assess the Sustainable Development aspects of a product by not only evaluating the specific product but also the manufacturing company and its own manufacturing site. It provides ÔgenericÕ topics to consider in each element – product, company or site plus easy access to further information on these topics. The analysis is via Excel spread sheets in which the impact of each topic is scored, the impact linked to the three elements of sustainable development – social, environmental or economic – and the level of impact allocated as high, medium or low impact, and finally defined as a benefit or risk. The analysis of the risks and benefits is via a table or set of graphs. It has been used successfully using the motor car as the ÔproductÕ.

References [1] Hadfield, M, Howarth, G. Sustainable development training and educational challenges for business and universities. In: International conference: engineering education in sustainable design. Delft, The Netherlands; 24–25 October 2002. p. 174–82, ISBN 90 -5638-099-0. [2] Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development. 4th September 2002 – UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Division for Sustainable Development. [3] World Resources Institute. EarthScan Trends Data Set, Sept 2004. Available from: <www.wri.org>. [4] The Reporter Spring. 2004. Brother, Can You Spare a Species, Jeffrey K. McKee. [5] China Population Information and Research Centre. August 2004. Available from: <www.cpirc.org.cn/en/eindex.htm>. [6] Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations General Assembly resolution 217 A(III) of 10 December 1948. [7] United Nations Human Development Report, 2003. [8] Market Access for Developing Countries. ExportsÕ Staff of International Monetary Fund and World Bank, April 2001. [9] NIKE Website www.nike.com/nikebiz – Responsibilities – Factories and Workers, August 2004. [10] Bournemouth University SPD Website http://spd.bournemouth. ac.uk.