Sustainable
Materials
PowerPoint
PGCE D&T
02 02 07
David Henwood

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
(World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)

By 2050 at current consumption rate we will need:
• 8.5 planets to absorb our carbon dioxide emissions
• 6 planets worth of steel
• 3.5 planets to sustain cement supply
• 3.5 planets to meet current timber demand
‘Spaceship Earth’
Design for the challenge of sustainability in the 21 st Century

QuickTime™ and a
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1973 1 million tonnes
2003 150 million tonnes

93% of production materials are never used in the final product
80% of products are discarded after a single use
( http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/envirowisev3.nsf/key/cleanerdesign )

(wasteonline.org.uk)

Annually, in the UK:
•We produce more than 434 million tonnes of waste
•Each person throws away about 500kg of rubbish
•The average family consumes around 330 glass bottles/jars
•The average household throws away 675 cans
•The average household throws away 208kg of waste paper
•Each person consumes 1 tonne of wood
(wasteonline.org.uk)

Glass
The average glass bottle contains over 25% recycled glass
80 million fluorescent lighting tubes go to landfill each year
Plastic
Every year, an estimated 17 billion plastic bags are given away by supermarkets
This is equivalent to over 290 bags for every person in the UK.
Oil
1 litre of oil can pollute 1 million litres of fresh drinking water
(Scottish Oil Care Campaign).

Wood
The UK consumes about 3% of global wood consumption with only about 1% of the worlds population.
Batteries
20,000 batteries are landfilled every year in the UK.
It can take up to 50 times more energy to produce a battery than it actually delivers.
Textiles
25% of textiles are currently recovered.
Of these 43% become secondhand clothing,
12% wiping clothes, 22% filling materials, 7% fiber reclamation,
9% are shoes which are reused
7% is rejected as waste
Britain only recycles 2-4% of its clothing

2001
European Recycling Rates
2002
Netherlands 59%
Austria 58%
Germany 53%
Belgi um 39%
Sweden 39%
Luxembourg 36%
Denmark 32%
Spain 28%
Finland 25%
France 25%
Belgi um* 93%
Germany 79%
Netherlands* 78%
Austria 78%
Switzerland 75%
Luxemburg* 71%
Sweden 70%
Norway* 60%
France 57%
Italy 55%
Italy 24%
Ireland 13%
United Kingdom 13%
Spain 51%
Ireland 51%
Denmark 46%
Greece 9%
Portugal 4%
UK 42%
Finland* 39%
(foe.co.uk) Portugal 28%
*Rates for Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Finland and Norway show metals packaging recycling rates (including aluminium).

up to 6kg of bauxite
4kg of chemical products
14 kWh of electricity.
Recycling aluminium requires only 5% of the energy produces only 5% of the CO
2 emissions compared with primary production
In 1989 2% of all aluminium cans in the UK were recycled
In 1998 36% of all aluminium cans were recycled

1.5 tonnes of iron ore
0.5 tonnes of coal
40% of the water required in production
75% of the energy
1.28 tonnes of solid waste
Reduction of air emissions by 86%
Reduction of water pollution by 76%

at least 30000 litres of water
3000 - 4000 KWh electricity ( a 3 bed house for 1 year)
95% of air pollution.

www.materialconnexion.com/goldsmiths www.100percentmaterials.co.uk
www.modulor.info/www.iom3.org/
www.constructionresources.com
www.kingston.ac.uk/~kx19789/rematerialise/ html_and_flash/searchwelcome.htm
www.greenspec.co.uk
Provides choice, not a way of making comparisons of sustainability

So… materials have a story materials have a journey materials have a lifecycle
What can we learn by uncovering this lifecycle?

1.
Acquiring raw material
2.
Processing & manufacture
3.
Packaging & distribution
4.
CONSUMER USAGE
5.
End of life disposal

1.
Acquiring raw material
2.
Processing & manufacture
3.
Packaging & distribution
4.
CONSUMER USAGE
5.
End of life disposal
1.
Irreplaceable, hard to extract
2.
Polluting & generates waste
3.
Source far from market, needless marketing led packaging
4.
Short product life
5.
Landfill

1.
Acquiring raw material
2.
Processing & manufacture
3.
Packaging & distribution
4.
CONSUMER USAGE
5.
End of life disposal
1.
Easy access, quickly renewable
2.
Low energy manufacture & no waste or pollution
3.
Local, unpackaged
4.
Long life cycle, non toxic, needed in small quantities, not fad
5.
Bio degradable, reprocessable, kept from waste stream

• Limited supply
• Large scale permanent social, cultural & environmental damage & instability
• Forced low wage labour to produce
• From very far away
• High embodied energy in extraction & processing
• Polluting manufacturing process
• Heavily over-packaged un-necessarily
• Produced in excess
• Toxic in use
• Combined with other materials so un-recyclable
• Produced to satisfy a stylish/fashionable fad (prematurely replaced)
• Decomposes very slowly
• Waste & pollution at every stage of life

• Comes from just beyond your front door
• Quick growing
• Low embodied energy
• No waste produced in converting from raw to useful
• No need for additional packaging
• Non polluting & non toxic
• Useable effectively on its own
• Available cheaply
• Available in quantities to fulfill demand
• Bio degradable

• You must be guided by a lifecycle analysis approach to design
• Trade offs are inevitable as there are no easy answers
• It is impossible to accurately measure relative ‘eco-ness’ of materials
• Learn an informed, intuitive approach to material assessment
• Decisions must be based on broad but extensive knowledge
• You must be willing to constantly update your materials knowledge as new information & materials arrive
Aim for ‘BEST POSSIBLE’ not just ‘BETTER THAN’
Criteria will include…

Question the supplier & gauge their commitment to ‘eco’ issues
• What environmental information do they provide about their goods?
• Do they generally provide information gladly or reluctantly?
• Ask for environmental & health / safety data
• Are they working towards less harmful alternatives?
• Can they trace their goods back to origin?
• Are their goods certified in any way?
• Do they have an Environmental policy?
• Do they have a Health & Safety policy?
• Do they have an Ethical or Social policy?

• Eco friendly
• Longer lasting
• Kinder to the environment
• Natural / as nature / home made
• Economical
• Less polluting
• Recyclable
• Inspired by nature
• etc etc…
All the above refer to ‘BETTER THAN’ not ’BEST’

Zinc/Brass/Chrome/Nickel 50-200
Copper 85
Aluminium
Stainless steel
18
17
Natural Rubber
ABS
PET
PVC
Steel
HDPE
15
9.3
7.1
4.2
4.2
2.9
LDPE
Paper
Glass
Recycled Aluminium
Recycled Paper
Cardboard
Recycled Steel
Wood
3.8
3.3
2.1
1.8
1.5
1.4
1.3
0.74
(Production of materials in millipoints per kg)

Identify one of the following:
• Waste from manufacture
• A by-product of manufacture
• Off-cuts or trimmings
• Pre-consumer waste
• Wasted packaging
• Post-consumer waste
• Recycled material
• Broken objects
• Discarded items
Examples:
Jane Atfield
Julienne dolphin Wilding
Lois Walpole
Jeremy Dent
Smile Plastics
Remarkable

www.Smile-plastics.co.uk
www.Fsctimber.co.uk
www.Ecoimpact.co.uk
www.Ecospaints.com
www.Auroorganic.co.uk
www.Englishoakdirect.co.uk
www.Timbmet.com
www.fairtrade.org.uk
www.Londonremade.com
www.Greenchoices.org
www.Envocare.co.uk
www.Freeform.org.uk
www.Greenbuildingstore.co.uk
www.Ttura.com
www.Constructionresources.com
www.Ethicaljunction.org
www.Capitalwastefacts.com
www.Cat.org.uk
www.Corkmasters.com
www.Bre.co.uk
www.Urbanmines.org.uk
www.Authenticbusiness.co.uk
www.Aecb.net
www.Newbuilder.co.uk
www.Beaconpress.co.uk
www.Greenconsumerguide.com
www.Zuss.com
www.Ecoconstruct.com
www.Globalhemp.com
www.Recyclingbydesign.org.uk

www.rematerialise.org www.corusgroup.com www.ecoconstruct.c
om www.oikos.com www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk www.greenbuilder.com www.greendesign.net
www.buildfind.com www.british-trees.com www.fscoax.org www.glassonline.com www.bpf.co.uk www.steel-sci.org www.certifiedwood.org www.psd-dk.com www.actin.co.uk www.athenasmi.ca www.bc.bangor.ac.uk www.bre.org.uk www.carbohydrateeconomy.org www.uml.edu/dept/we/centers.htm www.ecodesign.bc.ca/product.htm www.harrisdirectory.com www.materialconnexion.com www.newuses.org www.britglass.co.uk www.britmetfed.org.uk www.iop.co.uk www.corrugated.org.uk www.pdmdf.com

www.eternally-yours.nl www.product-life.org www.pre.nl www.ecosite.co.uk people.interactionivrea.it/natasha/cookie/week2.html www.interaction-ivrea.it/index.asp www.ec.gc.ca/ecocycle www.ecomed.de/journals/lca/lc a.hm www.cpm.chalmers.se www.nrim.go.jp:8080/ecomat/lc a/links.htm www.lifecycle.org/academia.htm www.spold.org www.rmi.org www.recyclingconsortium.org.uk www.salvo.co.uk www.rewindrecycling.org www.alga.com.au/waste4.htm
www.biffaward.org www.onyxenvtrust.org www.sitaonline.co.uk www.greenbins.co.nz/why.ht
ml www.wasteresearch.co.uk www.bioregional.com www.compost.org.uk www.eco-composting.co.uk www.buy-recycled.co.uk/index1.html www.letsrecycle.com www.urbanmines.org.uk www.remade.org.uk www.londonremade.com

www.eco.uk.com/network/index.html www.wrap.org.uk www.wastewatch.org.uk www.alucan.org.uk www.webdirectory.com/rec ycling www.bir.org www.dkr.de www.icer.org.uk www.ethicalconsumer.org
www.greenconsumerguide.com
www.adbusters.org www.naturalcollection.com www.ecomarket.net www.ecocities.net www.mybackyard.com www.dark-skies.org www.gn.apc.org www.essential.org/links www.cityfarmer.org www.greenmap.com www.buy-recycled.co.uk www.solarenergy.com www.ecomall.com www.greenstat.ebusiness.co.uk www.jademountain.com www.wholeearthmag.com www.realgoods.com www.sustainabilitysource.com www.calstart.org www.ihpva.org

• Design for the Real World Victor Papanek
• Ecological Design S.Van Der Ryn / S.Cowan
• Design+Environmen H.Lewis / J.Gertsakis
• Stuff - the secret lives J.Ryan / A.Thein Durning
• The Green Imperative
• Cradle to Cradle
Victor Papanek
McDonough / Braungart
• Biomimicry
• Total Beauty of Sust Prods
J.Benyus
E.Datschefski
• Citizen Designer
• Design for Society
• Natural Capitalism
• Design Outlaws
• Rubbish
S.Heller / V.Vienne
N.Whiteley
P.Hawker / A & L Lovins
Zelov & Cousineau
R.Girling
• The Eco-Design Handbook Alastair Fuad-Luke
• Industrial Hemp Hemptech
• Don’t throw it all away
• Grow your own house
FoE
Simon Velez
• The good wood guide
• Droog Design
FoE
Ramakers & Bakker
• The Whole House book Borer & Harris
• The Green Guide G Markham
• Recycling Crafts Council
• Eco
• Green Architecture
E.Wilhide
J.Wines
• Cities for a small Planet
• Dirty Planet
R.Rogers
C.Clayton