DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY (DfS) Key Concepts: methodologies and opportunities for development of sustainable products, in contrast with the traditional methods

Discussion Questions :

1. Sustainability requirements, like market and financial requirements of a product must be prioritized in

the design process. For example, manufacturing and lifecycle use of a product have multiple

environmental/social impacts including climate change, human health and biodiversity. What should

be the basis for prioritizing sustainability requirements?

2. The total impact of a product on the environment is equal to its unit impact times the quantity of

products in use over the market lifecycle. What is the implication of this observation on the product

design strategy?

As shown in Chapter 4 of the recommended book lecture, the basis for prioritizing sustainability A#1:

requirements should be Strong Sustainability, interpreted as nondiminishing life opportunities. According to

Walras Law Excess of Demand, product price is defined by the amount to be produced and the potential and

objective market that will buy it. Moreover, market analysis is useful to predict the total amount of product

(let’s call it A) that we have to produce. As a result, the first aspect that should be prioritized when talking

about sustainability requirements is market. In order to understand the reasons, think about this

counterexample: what happens if we produce more than what is going to be consumed? Storage costs raise,

production costs though firstly might seem to be lower, at the end they increase alarmingly because not all

the production has been sold, bigger warehouses, more freights costs and as a consequence more pollution,

more product to destroy, replace, reuse and recycle, more pollution generated to produce initially, more raw

material consumption2 A good market analyse is, at least, the first key point to contribute to a sustainable

product management.

If market requirements have been defined and objective production is known, then financial requirements

will reduce. As Chapter 4 says: “In spite of humankind’s fantastic technological ingenuity and

accomplishments, the current economic system has not been a panacea and has led us to severely

undesirable consequences. We are “trapped” within the confines of material possession [2]”. Unfortunately,

it is true. Keynes dreamt of a magnificent free economic system, self-controlled, able to push forward global

markets under perfect moral rules. Not actually the case, quite another history. Finance and economics have

created the phony-rich syndrome: everybody could borrow bulk amounts of money from banks, increasing

consumerist desire beyond what might be “reasonable”. So, a good market analyse will led us to a more

reasonable use of financial funds and to a sustainable consumption of: goods, natural resources and Earth’s

natural mechanisms of regeneration.

Obviously, product design strategy should bear in mind that product A sooner or later will be reused/ A#2:

recycled. That imperative condition must be by large considered. According to EPEATIG 2012: “CHOOSING

THE RIGHT ELECTRONICS Makes a DIFFERENCE. Over the last Six years, people who bought electronic

products designed to be less toxic, longer-lasting, more energy efficient and easier to recycle contributed to

major reductions in environmental impact.” That is the key point: PDS should follow a green path to leads to

a green future, choosing the right materials and production methods, to ensure the long-term sustainability.

Otherwise the price of this product will be prohibitively expensive. The OECD calls it Eco-innovation.

If we produce a minor quantity of product and the total impact on nature per unit has been reduced, the main

consequence can clearly be seen: minor impact on nature, minor pollution generated to create it and to

reuse/recycle it afterwards. Also, PDS should impose clear boundary conditions when designing, red lines

that can’t be crossed. PDS should also be closely linked to market feedback to interpret the needs, attitudes

of consumption and, under these boundary conditions, define sustainable products that meet our needs

without compromising our future. UNEP and Global Reporting Initiative are making an excellent evaluating

and defining these boundaries conditions, analysing the current situation and indicating the path to follow.