maximising  resource  value  through  ecodesign    @frank_oconnor  Director  @ecodesigncentre    CIWM  New  Members  Network  Event      April  2013        

to  believe  in  something,  and  not  to  live  it,    is  dishonest.  

 Mahatma  Gandhi  

make ecodesign happen

 we  over  consume  

 source: ads-ngo.com

   98%  of  products  are        thrown  away  within        6  months  

source:    Edwin  Datschefski  &  United  NaQons  University  

Image www.castlereagh.gov.uk

 we  live  in  a  throwaway  society  

   …………  but  there  is  no  away    

every design choice has a consequence

image  source:    Chris  Jordan  

bad design is a social crime

source:  Banksy  

disconnect  between  people  …..  and  between  planet  and  people  

‘commandments  of    industrialised  society’  

 1)  create  more  desire  (perceived  needs)  2)  thou  shalt  consume  (=  good  life)    culture  of  consumpQon    -­‐  devaluing  of  culture    

!

source:  Henry  1949  cited  in  Jones  1987  

source: miscell. web sites

iPo[y  

 real  need?  

..  collecQve  unconscious  behaviour  …..  with  catastrophic  unintended  consequences  

!

air  pollu:on  kills  3  million  people  each  year,  mostly  in  poor  countries    

source: WHO / BBC

 responsibility  

   polluQon  

between  100  and  1000  species  become  ex:nct  each  year,  because  their  habitats  are  changing  or  being  destroyed.      

source: UK Government

 responsibility  

   degradaQon  

population growth

source: engine group and UNFPA source: engine group and UK statistics

ageing population

emerging economies

1 billion of these people are living in slums, squats & unofficial settlements

 source: UNHABITAT

~4000 children die each day

from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene

water access

 source: UN / flickr

 …...individuals  act  primarily  on  issues  that  impact  their  personal  well-­‐being,  their  family,  and  their  immediate  community.    ..  unless  those  needs  are  tended  to,  most  individuals  won't  commit  to  causes  that  promise  to  benefit  the  world  at  large.      Catherine  Greener  

source: WHO / BBC

!

 we  ALL  have  to  change  

!

what

approach to design that considers the materials, processes & practices of a company from a full life cycle perspective.

why

it helps identify layers of waste & layers of value

80% of impact

recent business response •  50% of companies have redesigned products or

processes in response to rising materials prices •  66% sought different sourcing options

•  40% of companies have substituted some inputs with cheaper alternatives

how

ecodesign considers all life cycle impacts, adressing the biggest impacts and designs these out

designers interact between industry, users and other actors

industry

consumers

design

designers can influence how people consume, use, behave … industry

consumers

design

!

our mission is to make ecodesign happen

through collaboration along the life cycle

current collaborative work in Europe

Bio-based plastics

PhotoVoltaics

Electronics PCBs Semi-conductors

Smart Textiles

Industrial Machines Sensors

image  source:  Fuse  /  Ge[y  

design for…. durability longevity, durability, desire

image source: dualit, kitchenaid

image source: Panasonic

design for…. disassembly recycling, servicing, end-of-

life, upgrade, lean

manufacturing, cleaner

production, down-cycling,

material segregation,

image source: from Panasonic

design for…. low impact materials recycled, recyclable, bio materials, compatibility, compostable,

renewable, sustainable

image source: inhabitat, Worn Again, Moscardino, Remarkable, Sony

design for…. renewable power human powered, solar, wind, bio, re-chargeable

image source: Philips, Freeplay, Solio

design for…. eco-packaging natural, returnable, reusable, multifunction, biodegradable

design for…. product systems returnable, remanufacture,

re-use, closed-loop, end-of-life,

product-service-system

image source: RSA

design for…. fair & just production health and safety, employees

rights, unions, forced labour, child

labour, discrimination,

source: martin charter / CFSD

the  single  biggest  problem  in  communicaQon  is  the  illusion  that  it  has  taken  place      George  Bernard  Shaw        

source:  Apple    

1989

source:  Apple    

1993

design

2010

source: wiki.umd.edu / getty images source: Chris Jordan

 neodymium  

source: Harman & wiki

 car  speaker  

 source: hybridcars.com

 polluQon  

 true  cost  

 source: dailymail.co.uk

 toxicity,  health  

 true  cost  

 recovery  

 true  cost  

source: retrench.co.uk

source: mywindpowersystem.com

low  carbon  /  high  on    criQcal  materials  

criQcal  materials  in  WEEE  

•  the  WEEE  discarded  in  the  UK  over  the  last  decade  contained  –  £5  billion  of  gold  –  £1  billion  of  silver  –  £1  billion  of  palladium    

•  very  liRle  recovered,  only  22%  collected  for  recycling  

source: miscell.

NO MAGIC MATERIALS

way  forward?  

source: ZIPcars

Cradle to Cradle

10

“remake the way wemake things” thinking about the materials we use, howour products are designed and assembled, and their cyclesof use with our customers.

No matter how good your products are, there comes a timewhen their first useful life comes to an end. In considering product life cycles Cradle to Cradle asks us to re-think thecommonplace approach of “take, make & waste” and thisprompted us to act.

During the early stages of the design of Ara we established arelationship with one of Cradle to Cradle’s authors, renowned industrial chemist Micheal Braungart. Throughout the development we have been working with EPEA, Micheal’s C2C organisation based in Hamburg.

We’ve always very carefully considered the materials that we usein our products but our aim in working with EPEA is to ensurethat what we’re using is truly safe, for humans and the environment alike, and successful in technical cycles of reuse.This means looking in much more detail at every chemical ingredient in the materials we use; to determine which inhibitthis aim and need to be substituted or remove as a result.

Cradle to Cradle is an approach to design which looks to makeus truly environmentally effective, by developing products forclosed loop systems in which all the materials used are safe andbeneficial - either to biodegrade naturally or to be fully recycledinto high quality materials for subsequent product generations,again and again. In order for us to maximise the value of the materials used in your chair we’d like to get them back onceyou’ve finished with them. It’s pretty simple, all you need to dois visit our website at www.orangebox.com/endoflife.htm

Returning your ARA at ‘End of Life’

Desig

n En

gin

eering

4

Arm

support that’s there only when you need it.

Our goal w

as to design a new arm

pad that was m

ore comfortable

than ever, using materials that could be segregated easily and recycled

more effectively. The traditional PU

is replaced by a flexible polymer

with a separate insert m

ade from recycled foam

. The result is an arm

rest that’s robust, easy to use and probably the most com

fortablew

e’ve ever made.

Do som

ething really simple; m

ake the chair base 100%

r ecyclable.N

ot the most com

plicated part on a task chair, granted, but we asked

ourselves the question - some look m

uch better than others but allplastic chair bases are pretty m

uch the same, aren’t they? W

ell in onesense they are, and w

ith very few exceptions they all have a m

etal collar m

oulded into the plastic to stop the gas lift creeping throughthe base. G

reat for not dragging your chair across the carpet butnot so great w

hen you come to recycle it, as the collar can be very

difficult to remove.

Smart design and careful m

aterial selection has enabled us to createa base w

ithout a collar insert. A sim

ple point but unlike almost all

other plastic bases ours is 100% recyclable. A

nd rest assured we’ve

tested it like mad.

The Mechanism

Ara’s

synchronous m

echanism

delivers a

smooth,

balanced m

ovement

from

impressively

refined engineering.

Why

synchronous? Quite sim

ply, we’ve alw

ays felt that the action ofseat and back m

oving together in this way provides a natural,

intuitive ride. Proven ergonomic research also tells us that regular

changes in posture improves our w

ell being when sitting at w

ork.W

e know that people com

e in all shapes and sizes. That’s why

smart engineering inside the m

echanism m

eans the ride can betuned and balanced to your precise needs, using adjustm

ent controls that are easy to operate and labelled clearly.

disassembly end of life cradle to cradle

ecodesign  is  good  design  

ecodesign  consideraQons    considera:on  of  full  life  cycles  /  system    considera:on  of  all  ‘sustainability’  issues  /  focus  on  greatest  impact    no  shiX  of  pressure  between  stages  of  life  cycle  /  true  cost    crea:on  of  goods  and  services  with  higher  overall  quality  and  value  /  transforma:ve  use  cycles    embrace  new  models  of  business  &  ownership  

!1  

ecodesign  criteria    long-­‐life    non-­‐toxic      localise    renewable  energy  

!2  

innovaQon  through  mindset  changes  –  think  …    ‘resource’  instead  of  ‘waste’    ‘need’,  ‘use’  instead  of  ‘consume’    how  to  transform  ‘stuff’  &  not  destroy      wider  life  cycle  /  circular  economy  team      

!3  

think  ….    collaborate  &  co-­‐develop    (shared  responsibility  &  empathy)    new  responsible  business  models    journey  without  a  fixed  des:na:on        

!3  (contd.)  

innovaQon  in  waste  industry    •  provision  of  service  based  life  cycle  solu:ons,  e.g.  resource  stewardship  

•  access  new  markets  &  new  knowledge  

•  crea:on  of  value  along  chain  •  (e.g.  help  design  at  front  end  and  close  loop  at  back  end)  

!4  

innovaQon  in  waste  industry    •  develop  new  skills  &  partnerships  

•  co-­‐create  goods  with  transforma:ve  use  cycles  

•  new  technologies  to  secure  resources  

•  move  beyond  legisla:on  to  value  crea:on  

!4  (contd.)  

 

waste  industry  opportuniQes    material  exchange  /  markets    knowledge  exchange  market    new  materials  formula:on    new  products  from  secured  resources  

!5  

waste  industry  opportuniQes    increased  value  &  role  for  organics    landfill  mining    new  energy  sources  from  secured  resources    branding  /  communica:on  

!5  (contd.)  

 

do  not  accept    ‘that’s  the  way  it  is’  

!

 we  ALL  have  to  change  

!

a  world  where  ecodesign  is  the  norm  

!

designed,  made,  remade.  zero  waste.  only  resource  

!

passport  source:  Habufa  

thanks:    @CIWM  &  Waste  Strategy  Branch  @WelshGovernment  

&  you    &  good  luck.      

ecodesigncentre.org  @ecodesigncentre  @frank_oconnor