Green Design Keywords
Green Design: This is the term used for designs that have been created by people who have consciously designed something taking into account its life cycle, potential to recycle, impact on the environment and how to reduce them and how to make their design fully sustainable.
Sustainability: when a product is described as sustainable it basically means that the product could continue being made exactly the same way, with exactly the same materials without having a negative impact for the foreseeable future. Click here for more information about sustainable design. Planned Obsolescence: the company designing a product will make the decision that their product will be obsolete (either non functional or not desirable) in a set time frame. |
Product Life Cycle
1. Materials are Extracted; this could be as raw materials from the group or recycled from existing materials.
2. Products Manufactured; the products are made from the materials. 3. Products Distributed; the products are then taken to be sold in shops or direct to the buyer. 4. Products Are Used; the product or packaging then becomes useless. 5. End of Life; the product is then put into to the recycling bin, composted or thrown away to end it’s life on landfill. If materials can be recycled then the loop starts again as the materials are reformed either back into granules or powder ready to be used again. |
Fair Trade
Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers.
It's about supporting the development of thriving farming and worker communities that have more control over their futures and protecting the environment in which they live and work. The Fairtrade logo appears on products that are in this partnership. |
Carbon Footprint
An individuals carbon footprint is a measurement of a persons negative impact on the environment.
Everyone has a carbon footprint, it does not only apply to industry and business. It relates closely to the amount of pollution a person creates through the use of energy (for example electricity) and resources such as fossil fuels. Environmental pollution can be created every time we get into a car, bus, train or plane by the burning of fuel. Every time we use something that has been manufactured we also add to our carbon footprint. Click here to see more information about Carbon Footprints. Or work out your own Carbon Footprint with the WWF website. |
Product Miles
Product miles are the number of miles a product travels from finishing manufacture to its final retail destination. This has impacts on the costing—e.g. if a product is only worth 20p and it takes 1p to ship it from China to the UK, that will impact on profits.
Some products are sent abroad to manufacture because it is cheaper—however transporting the finished products back can be expensive, they are often loaded in bulk and shipped on huge cargo boats or flown on cargo aircrafts, they are then moved by lorry to their destinations. Sometimes first going for inspection at a warehouse. These add costs both in terms of finance and carbon foot prints.
Some products are sent abroad to manufacture because it is cheaper—however transporting the finished products back can be expensive, they are often loaded in bulk and shipped on huge cargo boats or flown on cargo aircrafts, they are then moved by lorry to their destinations. Sometimes first going for inspection at a warehouse. These add costs both in terms of finance and carbon foot prints.
The 6 R's
Environmental Symbols and Signs
Keep Britain Tidy
It is aimed at making people aware that they have a responsibility to keep the environment around them tidy and litter free. Do Not Throw In Bin
This symbol is often found on the packaging for batteries. The crossed lines means that the batteries should not be disposed of in a dust bin after they have been used. |
Recycling
It is to remind the buyer that the product they have bought can be recycled, it encourages them to put the item in their recycle bins rather than onto landfill. Recycling Logo & Polymer ID Codes
PET is a material widely used for packaging, especially drinks containers. It is 90% recyclable and the symbol should remind the consumer of this fact. |
Recyclable in Bottle Bank
This symbol means that the product is recyclable and encourages people to take them to a bottle bank. Forestry Stewardship Council
This symbol means that the wood has come from a managed forest—for every tree felled (cut down) another is planted to replace it. |
Recycling and Reusing
Below is the process that plastics and papers go through as they enter a recycling facility;
Identification: the plastics, papers etc are identified (often using the symbols ) this can be done at home or in a recycling centre.
Material Separation: they are then sorted into separate piles this could be done by placing into separate council bins or done by the recycling centre.
Collection: some recycling centres will send away materials they can’t recycle to other centres that can or can refer to being collected by refuse collectors.
Processing: the different materials are then reformed by melting or grounding into pellets, granules or powder to be reused.
Energy Costs: to do this has a high energy cost—being able to generate the heat required to reshape plastic is high.
Subsequent Usage: the plastic can then go onto be made into other products and form a life cycle.
Wastage: eventually after multiple use the plastic will have to be disposed of onto land fill.
Identification: the plastics, papers etc are identified (often using the symbols ) this can be done at home or in a recycling centre.
Material Separation: they are then sorted into separate piles this could be done by placing into separate council bins or done by the recycling centre.
Collection: some recycling centres will send away materials they can’t recycle to other centres that can or can refer to being collected by refuse collectors.
Processing: the different materials are then reformed by melting or grounding into pellets, granules or powder to be reused.
Energy Costs: to do this has a high energy cost—being able to generate the heat required to reshape plastic is high.
Subsequent Usage: the plastic can then go onto be made into other products and form a life cycle.
Wastage: eventually after multiple use the plastic will have to be disposed of onto land fill.
How do Supermarkets Encourage us Not to Use Landfill?
Supermarkets try to encourage us not to waste or use landfill by:
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The Impact of Planned Obsolesency
Planned obsolescence has great benefits for a producer in that it means a consumer will buy their product repeatedly, as their old one is no longer functional or desirable and not economical to repair.
Planned obsolescence has a negative effect on the environment as it is a planned waste of resources, particularly as typical products might use high levels of non-renewable or difficult to recycle materials. Planned obsolescence encourages use of more non-renewable materials, energy for processing raw materials and production processes, transport, pollution, packaging materials and disposal in land fill. Products could be built to last and be repairable -- think of the 6R's. |