>>>
And if you get stuck? Don't panic. Try the following:
• Put the onus on the material supplier to provide
quality infor mation.
• 'Engineer' rather than 'guess' to save material and provide
effective performance/durability.
• Invest in some streamlined Life Cycle Assessments
conducted on materials that you commonly specify.
• Smart Design. Sharing of sub assemblies, upgrade via software,
skins, repair/refurbish. Clever assemblies including reduced
complexity, materials and number of parts. Be original!
Benchmarking may save time, but leads to repeating the
mistakes of others! Be brave, there are alternative materials
and construction methods, but it requires a fundamental
change of thinking (disassociation with things we've seen
and come to believe as 'the way it's done').
• Look at what other designers or manufacturers have
achieved in products from a materials perspective.
• Review environmental awards/ecolabels where the focus
has been on the sustainable application of materials.
• Make use of Government environment departments;
they can feature useful case studies and industry data.
• Industry associations representing material or resource
sectors can be a valuable repository of data and information
eg. Plastics and Chemicals Industry Association.
• Finally, use your experience and common sense as a product
designer. Have confidence in your methods and design
process, including the knowledge held by your colleagues,
associates and for mer lecturers and teachers.
Web resources
Publication details
Biopolymer.net
www.biopolymer.net
The DfE Quickstart series is being produced by Product
Ecology Pty Ltd Sustainability Consultants with input and
advice from researchers, practitioners and others involved in
product development and design education. The Quickstarts
project is funded by Sustainability Victoria - an agency of the
Victorian Government. © Sustainability Victoria and Product
Ecology Pty Ltd, 2005 >>> Written by John Gertsakis and
Tim Preston, Product Ecology Pty Ltd >>> Graphic Design
by Simm Design >>> Printing by Bambra Press >>> Printed
on Envirocare stock using vegetable based inks. Envirocare is
manufactured entirely from waste paper (65% post-consumer,
35% pre-consumer). Envirocare is elemental chlorine free,
acid free and manufactured without optical brighteners.
The stock is manufactured by Lenzing Paper (ISO14001
certified EMS, Blue Angel, Nordic Swan ecolabels).
Centre for Design at RMIT
www.cfd.rmit.edu.au
EcoSpecifier
www.ecospecifier.org
GE Ecomagination
http://ge.ecomagination.com
Material Connexion
www.materialconnexion.com
Material Explorer
www.materialexplorer.com
Materials Research Society
www.mrs.org
PlasticsResource.com
www.plasticsresource.com
Rematerialise: Ecosmart Materials Database
www.kingston.ac.uk/~kx19789/rematerialise/html_and_flash/
searchwelcome.htm
For additional DfE resources and information visit
Sustainability Victoria's web site: www.sustainability.vic.gov.au
Acknowledgements
The DfE Partnership appreciates the valuable input and
feedback on preliminary drafts from the following people
and organisations: Paul Charlwood, Charlwood Design;
Diana Gibson, Stephanie Fennessy and Georgina Wood,
Sustainability Victoria; Paul Taylor; Associate Professor
Douglas Tomkin, University of Technology Sydney;
Belinda Stening, Curve Magazine; Dr Karli James,
Nick Johns, Helen Lewis, Centre for Design at RMIT;
Gerry Mussett and Cheryl Fraser, Sprocket Design;
Carolyn Simm and David Santolin, Simm Design.
Photos courtesy of BMW Group.
The DfE Quickstart series is part of the Design for
Environment and Product Innovation Program developed
and managed by a collaborative DfE Partnership comprising
Sustainability Victoria, Design Institute of Australia, Product
Ecology and the Centre for Design at RMIT.
The content of this document is pr ovided for information only. Product Ecology
and Sustainability Victoria do not accept liability to any person or organisation
for the infor mation or advice provided in this document or incorporated into
it by reference. Nor do the authors accept any liability for loss or damages
incurred as a result of reliance placed upon the content of the document.
It's a material world…
rules of thumb and useful sources.
Quick
start
>> design for environment
Design for Environment (DfE) or EcoDesign is about
developing products in a way that reduces their
environmental impact.
The aim is to design products that are functional,
desirable, cost effective, and have no harmful
side-effects on the environment or human health.
Product designers are well placed to lock-in positive environmental
features such as low impact materials, efficient operation and durability.
At the same time, the design process can lock-out negative attributes
such as toxic and hazardous substances, energy intensive materials
and product characteristics that increase the risk of premature disposal.
A critical aspect of DfE is the need to consider how responsible materials
selection (and de-selection) can help minimise life-cycle environmental
impacts yet also deliver products and components that push the
boundaries of utility, aesthetics and affordability.
Environmentally informed materials choices mean more than searching
out recycled content in plastics. It can also stimulate action on materials
efficiency, zero waste and the opportunity to 'dematerialise'.
What is a DfE Quickstart?
Welcome to the third DfE Quickstart …
a simple guide to dealing with materials and making informed choices.
The DfE Quickstart series is made up of concise information sheets
that can assist product developers with integrating environmental factors
into new product design projects. The DfE Quickstart series is circulated
with Curve Magazine and the DIA's Spark newsletter. Back copies together
with other DfE resources are available from the Sustainability Victoria
web site: www.sustainability.vic.gov.au. Sustainability Victoria is a new
Government agency bringing together EcoRecycle and the Sustainable
Energy Authority Victoria.
The next DfE Quickstart is scheduled for February 2006. Feedback is welcome,
and suggestions for future topics are encouraged. Contact Product Ecology to
discuss further at email: info@productecology.com or telephone (03) 9417 0124.
Sustainable application of all materials
Transforming DfE into everyday practice will
be far more productive across more projects
if you think about the sustainable application
of all materials. There is a need to maximise
environmental performance with conventional
materials not always associated with more
obvious eco characteristics.
Comparing materials in isolation of their
specific application can be an unproductive
exercise. Simplistic claims that pitch one
material type against another on environmental
grounds are not often substantiated from a life
cycle perspective nor do they account for other
system-wide factors such as the presence
of Product Stewardship schemes.
Taking a life cycle approach and getting input
from specialists can help you determine how
materials compare. A streamlined Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) can help you to identify
positive and negative impacts of materials
without a major investment of time and
money. Not all LCAs need be overly complex.
For more information about LCA and material
selection visit the Centre for Design at RMIT
web site: www.cfd.rmit.edu.au
Virtual modelling to optimise design
Analysing different concepts & materials
Some rules of thumb
Embodied energy
Some general rules of thumb can help when thinking of
materials and the environment. This Quickstart provides some
straightforward 'rules of thumb' with regard to materials
selection and some ideas about how to approach the process
within the constraints of tight deadlines, demanding clients
and limited budgets.
There's more to energy than that which is used by a product
during its operational phase. Life cycle thinking highlights
the relevance of energy consumed in producing a material
i.e. for extracting or harvesting natural resources, as well as
for processing and transforming those resources into the
finished material. This is often referred to as embodied energy
and is a useful indicator of a material's environmental impact.
1 Think ef ficiency … avoid over engineering
This rule applies regardless of the materials you are
considering, and is just as relevant to recycled, renewable
or virgin materials. In other words minimise the overall quantity
of materials specified without compromising product function,
safety or durability i.e. 'doing more with less' but doing so
in an intelligent way.
2 Beware the scarce … minimise non-renewable materials
Where possible it's always smart to avoid or minimise the use of
materials that are chiefly dependent on scarce or non-renewable
resources. Why contribute to the depletion of a resource if
a more abundant or renewable alternative exists? Whether it
relates to mineral sources or resources from areas with high
conservation values, think critically about material suitability
and available substitutes.
3 Use eco-impr oved materials … towards the benign
Specify environmentally improved materials that incorporate
renewable resources, post-consumer recycled content, and
the elimination or significant reduction of toxic substances.
Choose materials with relatively low levels of embodied energy
compared to other materials used in the same application.
Consider materials for which a supplier provides take-back
and recycling services. This can help divert End-of-Life materials
from landfill.
4 Go radical …. dematerialise and think smart
There are many potential opportunities to move beyond
eco-improved materials and pursue the 'dematerialisation' of
products eg. through the use of 'product-service' systems.
Make choices that step-jump incremental improvements.
Think about the provision of end-user functions delivered
primarily through a service such as a leasing arrangement
or through product-sharing and pooling. It means designing
a product-based 'service' rather than creating goods in
isolation of a broader system. Such objectives demand
far-reaching business innovation as well as a market that is
ready. This approach allows a 'blue-sky' option to consider
materials, technologies or infrastructures eg. product
upgradeability via software, modules (Smart Car), chassis
engineering (get the chassis right and upgrade/differentiate
via skins i.e. VW platform principle).
For more detailed strategies and guidelines, refer to the
'Rapid Assessment Tool for Product Designers' (RAT) recently
developed by the Centre for Design at RMIT. For more
information contact Nick Johns: nicholas.johns@rmit.edu.au
The following table provides a simple ranking of certain
materials based on their levels of embodied energy. These
figures offer an indication only and may vary depending on
actual fabrication methods, coatings or finishes. Ask your
material supplier or fabricator about embodied energy and
what information they can provide or source from further
upstream in the supply chain.
Embodied energy coefficients
Materials
MJ/K G
Particle Board
6
PP (recycled)
8
MDF
15
Steel (recycled)
16
Aluminium (recycled)
17
Glass
25
Lead
34
Brass
39
Steel
58
Copper
59
Zinc (diecast)
65
HDPE
75
PP
77
EPS
80
LDPE
82
PA
96
ABS
107
HIPS
117
Stainless Steel
128
PC
133
Aluminium
213
Nickel
383
Source: RMIT Centre for Design
Health & Environment Issues
>>
Substance
Products & Processes
Lead
Storage batteries, electronic devices, fluorescent
tubes, welding or spray coating metals.
Highly toxic to humans, plants and animals, can be inhaled,
ingested or absorbed through the skin. Disposal of products
may cause leaching into aquatic and ter restrial ecosystems.
Mercury
Electrical and electronic devices, control instruments.
Highly toxic can be inhaled or ingested. Disposal of products
may cause leaching into aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Cadmium
Protective coating for iron, steel and copper, alloys
for coating other materials, welding electr odes,
rechargeable batteries, stabilisers in PVC, pigments
in paints, electr oplating, hot dipping of metals.
Highly toxic can be inhaled or ingested. Disposal of products
may cause leaching into aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Chromium
Pigments, chrome plating, copper stripping, anodising.
Highly toxic. Can be inhaled, ingested or absorbed.
Carcinogenic among occupational workers.
Nickel
Stainless steel, surgical and dental instruments,
rechargeable batteries, electroplating, anodising.
Highly toxic. Carcinogenic among occupational workers.
Source: Rapid Assessment Tool for Product Designers (RAT), RMIT Centre for Design September 2005.
Toxic and hazardous substances
One of the most obvious options for designers making 'greener' choices is to avoid the inclusion
of toxic and hazardous substances, and the materials, which contain them.
Ask your suppliers for environmentally improved alternatives eg. non chromium tanned leather.
Due to certain European directives and national laws there are more eco-sensitive materials
and processes available. Sourcing EU approved materials can short-cut the process to finding suitable
substitutes. The table above provides a concise description of where and how toxic and hazardous
substances can present themselves in materials and production processes.
This list is far from comprehensive however it does offer a glimpse of the materials, products and
processes in which some toxic substances can be found. Designers are well placed to quiz suppliers
when considering particular materials and establish what the supplier is doing to phase out or reduce
the use of such substances.
Australia's national database of pollutant emissions known as the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI)
provides comprehensive information on over 90 priority substances, which are emitted to the environment.
It was developed based on a review of health and environmental risks in Australia. For more information
refer to: www.npi.gov.au
Recycled content
Recycled content, or the proportion of recycled material in an overall blend, can help maximise materials
efficiency while also minimising the consumption of non-renewable resources. Typically, recycled material
is often blended or mixed with virgin material to meet engineering specifications and relevant standards.
Not all recycled materials are the same. The jargon can be confusing and suppliers can sometimes take
liberties with definitions and PR, so beware of greenwash.
Wherever possible aim to maximise the amount of post-consumer recycled content in materials.
Post-consumer recycled content covers material sourced from products or materials discarded
after use by households or organisation. While post-industrial content (off-cuts, regrind, sprues and
other uncontaminated factory floor scrap) is worthwhile, the priority should be on post-consumer
recycled content.
Beware! There is also a trend towards using commodity plastics such as Polypropylene with fillers of glass,
talc, and rubber that changes their environmental performance. Without realising it you can take what
seems to be an acceptable (and recyclable) material and transform it into a less than desirable option
that might compromise recyclability. Think twice about additives and their impact on recyclability.