JSPD 4 Acrobat

68 Pages·1998·0.45 MB·English

ISSUE 4 : JANUARY 1998
The Journal of
Sustainable Product Design
Re-PAIR
Re-DESIGN Re-THINK
Re-FINE
ISSN 1367–6679
Re-THINK
Battery-powered lawn Increased creativity and
mower by Husqvarna innovation are critical
to sustainable solutions
Analysis, page 7
Analysis, page 18 and Interview, page 38
Re-FINE
Sketch for a table with a Detail of carpet sweeper, Table made
glass top using Metzzo legs designed by Agim Meta from Metzzo
Gallery, page 41 Analysis, page 28 Gallery, page 40
Re-DESIGN
Re-PAIR
ISSUE 4 : JANUARY 1998
The Journal of
Sustainable Product Design
5 Editorial
Martin Charter, Joint Editor, The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
Analysis
7 Systemic shift: sustainable development and ID pedagogy
Stuart Walker, Associate Professor, Faculty of Environmental Design,
The University of Calgary, Canada, and Ralf Nielsen, Assistant Professor,
The University of Southern Louisiana, US
18 Unraveling the environmental product design paradox
H Scott Matthews, Doctoral Student in Economics, Carnegie Mellon, US
and Gregory C Chambers, Corporate Manager of Worldwide Environmental
Health and Safety for Quantum Corporation, US
26 The challenge of ‘product chain’ thinking for product development
and design – the example of electrical and electronic products
Anna Kärnä, Dorctoral Student, Helsinki School of Economics and Business
Administration, Department of Management, Finland and Eva Heiskanen,
Researcher, University of Tampere, Finland
37 Automated disassembly support tool – a knowledge-based
support system for disassembly of television sets
Niall Murtagh, Senior Research Scientist, FA Systems Department, Industrial
Electronics and Systems Laboratory, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Japan
Gallery
46 ‘Greenfreeze’ refrigeration technology and ‘Biopac’ starch-based packaging
Interview
48 Ralph Earle III, Director, Alliance for Environmental Innovation, US
Martin Charter, Joint Coordinator, The Centre for Sustainable Design, UK
Case study
51 Renewable energy in portable radios: an environmental
benchmarking study
Professor Ab Stevels, Professor at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering,
Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, and Arjen J. Jansen,
Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft
University of Technology, the Netherlands
O2 news
© 1998 The Centre for Sustainable Design.
All written material, unless otherwise 56 Special feature: O2 New York City (o2nyc)
stated, is the copyright of The Centre Edited by Iris V. van de Graaf, the Netherlands, with contributions from Scott Bolden,
for Sustainable Design, Surrey, UK. Wendy Brawer, Lewis Korn, Mark Randall, John Seitz, and Alexandra Sticher, US
Views expressed in articles and letters
are those of the contributors, and not 59 Reviews
necessarily those of the publisher.
ISSN 1367–6679 64 Diary of events
GENERAL INFORMATION
Editors Editorial Board Dr Stefano Marzano
Martin Charter and Anne Chick, Africa Head of Corporate Design,
Joint Coordinators, Gary Owen Philips International (Netherlands)
The Centre for Sustainable, Design, UK CEO, ResponseAbility Alliance (Zimbabwe) Dr Diana Montgomery
Articles, Interview, O2 News and Australasia Head of Environment, Automobile
Journal marketing: Martin Charter Professor Chris Ryan Association (UK)
Director, Centre for Design, Royal Professor Jeremy Myerson
Gallery, Reviews, Diary and
Melbourne Institute for Technology Contemporary Design,
Journal production: Anne Chick
(Australia) De Montfort University (UK)
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
Europe Jonathan Smales
encourages response from its readers to
Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel CEO, The Earth Centre (UK)
any of the issues raised in the journal.
Director, Industry and Environment, UNEP
Entries for the Diary of events and material Sam Towle
(France)
to be considered for review should all be Head of Environmental Audit,
sent to the Editors at the address below. Hans Peter Becker The Body Shop International Plc (UK)
Managing Director, Wilkhahn (UK) Ltd. (UK)
All articles published in the Analysis Dr Hans van Weenen
section are assessed by an external Professor Eric Billett Director, UNEP Working Group
panel of business professionals, Warden, Brunel University College (UK) on Sustainable Product Design,
consultants and academics. Professor Dr Michael Braungart International Centre, University
Fachhochschule Nordostnierasachen, of Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Subscription rates (Germany) Professor Jan-Olaf Willums
Professor Han Brezet Norwegian School of Management,
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
Director, Section of Environmental Product Oslo (Norway)
is a quarterly journal appearing in the
months of April, July, October and January Development, Faculty of Industrial Design Dr Jonathan Williams
each year. Subscription rates are £80.00 Engineering, Delft University of Technology Director, Group for Environmental
(paper-based) and £40.00 (online) for one (Netherlands) Manufacturing (UK)
year (four issues). Special subscription Ian Dumelow US
rates for developing countries and Dean, Faculty of Design, Dr Brad Allenby
students are available on application. Surrey Institute of Art & Design (UK) Director, Environmental,
Cheques should be made payable to Professor Dr Guenter Fleischer Health & Safety, AT&T (US)
The Surrey Institute in £ sterling Director, Instit fuer Technischen Professor Patricia Dillon
and sent to: Umweltschutz, Technische Universitat The Gordon Institute, Tufts University, (US)
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design Berlin (Germany)
Ralph Earle III
The Centre for Sustainable Design Peter James Director, The Alliance for Environmental
Faculty of Design Director, Sustainable Business Innovation (US)
The Surrey Institute of Art & Design Centre (UK)
Professor John Ehrenfeld
Falkner Road
Iris van de graaf de Keijser Director, Technology, Business and
Farnham
Director, Kiva Product Ecology, Environment Program, Massachusetts
Surrey GU9 7DS
(Netherlands) Institute of Technology (US)
UK
tel [phone] Professor Karl Lidgren Dr Joseph Fiksel
fax [phone] Director, The International Institute for Senior Director, Strategic Environmental,
email: [email protected] Industrial Environmental Economics, Health & Safety Management, Battelle
internet: http://www.cfsd.org.uk Lund University (Sweden) Memorial Institute (US)
Dorothy MacKenzie James Hartzfeld
Director, Dragon (UK) Vice President, Interface Research
Professor Ezio Manzini Corporation (US)
Director, Facolta di Architettura, Professor William McDonough
Unita di ricerca Progetto, Prodotto, Dean, Faculty of Architecture,
Ambiente, Politecnico di Milano (Italy) University of Virginia (US)
4 THEJOURNALOFSUSTAINABLEPRODUCTDESIGN· JANUARY1998
EDITORIAL
Welcome to the fourth issue of
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
Martin Chartern
Joint Editor, The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
It is essential that business ing on (cid:212)end of life(cid:213) management tal effects of products throughout
starts to incorporate environ- (EOLM) rather than eco-design. the life cycle.
mental and broader sustainability In October 1997 a draft discus-
For eco-design to progress in
thinking at the start of the sion document on the manage-
the electronics sector it must
product development process, ment of (cid:212)end of life(cid:213) electrical
be integrated into existing busi-
if we are to move towards and electronic waste was
nesses through re-engineering
increased (cid:212)quality of life(cid:213) world- circulated by the European
existing business processes.
wide. If this does not happen Commission for comment
There will need to be a (cid:212)learning
opportunities will be missed. To amongst the European electron-
company(cid:213) approach. Companies
enable this will mean developing ics industry. The paper has con-
are likely to make mistakes and
mechanisms to raise awareness siderable implications for the
will need to avoid falling into the
and understanding of issues development and design of prod-
pitfall of the (cid:212)not invented here(cid:213)
amongst all internal and external ucts, particularly the need to:
syndrome, where new ideas from
stakeholders involved in the Æ eliminate toxic materials outside the company are not
process. Part of this will mean Æ increase recyclability recognised or nor absorbed as
increasing education and train-
Æ increase dismantlability quickly as they should be.
ing, but may also mean re-
Æ improve reverse logistics. Another key lesson will be a
education, dispelling popular
need to adapt the eco-design
misconceptions. In addition, Companies in the electronics process to company culture
thinking broader than environ- sector have highly complex taking account business function
mental sustainability will mean supply and (cid:212)value chains(cid:213). (cid:212)power(cid:213) structures eg. is the (cid:222)rm
considering social and ethical Implementing eco-design will (cid:222)nancially or marketing-driven?
impacts of the product develop- mean increasing information
ment process. The Brent Spar requirements from raw material, It is essential to try and involve
issue clearly illustrated that component and sub-assembly other business functions in the
society does not necessarily suppliers, many of whom are eco-design process. For example
belief the (cid:212)hard(cid:213) science. likely to be poorly prepared for marketing and sales should
Therefore, ignoring the (cid:212)softer(cid:213) the situation. In addition, the participate to ensure that there
issues maybe costly from a stake- electronics sector is leading the is dialogue and sensitivity to
holder acceptance viewpoint. way in the implementation of customers needs, so opportuni-
ties are not missed. As previously
Many of these issues are being the international environmental
mentioned suppliers are a key
highlighted in the electronics management standard ISO14001,
stakeholder in the success of any
sector, which faces increasing which will also push companies
eco-design initiative. Each
pressures under producer respon- to greater understanding of the
element of the (cid:212)value chain(cid:213) will
sibility, with most activity focus- direct and indirect environmen-
need to understand eco-goals for
JANUARY1998· THEJOURNALOFSUSTAINABLEPRODUCTDESIGN 5
EDITORIAL
the end product to enable them exploring (cid:212)cut-down(cid:213) life cycle illustrating the importance of the
to take action. Education and assessment (LCAs) tools. retailers and the need for reliable
re-education, training and re- information. Niall Murtagh,
The fourth issue of the Journal
training and clear communica- Senior Research Scientist at
of Sustainable Design focuses
tions will be essential elements Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
on papers related to electronic
to increasing stakeholders examines the technical issues
products. Dr Stuart Walker,
environmental awareness eg. surrounding the dismantling of
Associate Professor at the
Electrolux have launched an televisions, providing implica-
University of Calgary and Ralf
eco-literacy programme through tions for
Nielsen, Assistant Professor at
its Intranet aimed initially at product development and design.
the University of Louisiana
employees. An interview with Ralph Earle
explore the need for a systemic
III, Director of the Alliance for
There is a need for a overall shift to move towards sustain-
Environmental Innovation
target for the eco-design ability, with an emphasis on a
focuses on the need to consider
programme and eco-performance movement towards local scale
the (cid:212)decision-making fabric(cid:213) of
objectives and metrics for production and consumption.
the company when launching
speci(cid:222)c products or services. The article illustrates the product
eco-design, with examples of
A key need is to broaden the design implications of ’product
projects being undertaken with
discussion into eco-product sharing’ ie. viewing the portable
Johnson Wax and Starbucks, a
development and design, getting personal computer as part of a
coffee retailer. The Innovation
eco-stimulus and creativity into community-based service rather
section provides a comparison
the idea generation phase. This than a series of single products.
of the environmental impacts of
can produce breakthroughs eg. H. Scott Matthews, a doctoral
four radios, with the conclusion
the solar powered lawnmower student at Carnegie Mellon and
that (cid:212)human powered(cid:213) products
and on-going innovation eg. Gregory Chambers, Corporate
are not necessarily greener than
dematerialisation (less energy, Manager of Worldwide
(cid:212)battery powered(cid:213) products, with
less resources, more functional- Environmental, Health and Safety
much depending on the EOLM
ity) — moving from books on for Quantum Corporation,
disposal option chosen. The O2
paper, to downloadable informa- explore the eco-design implica-
pages focus on the activities of
tion from Internet. tions of various (cid:212)end of life(cid:213)
the New York City chapter, and
management (EOLM) options,
There is also a need for new highlight an interesting process
using the example of disc drives.
tools in the eco-product devel- that has been developed to
The paper suggests that compa-
opment and design process. For educate designers about
nies are not fully realising the
example, Nortel recently organ- sustainable product design.
cost:bene(cid:222)ts of designing for
ised customer eco-focus sessions
improved EOLM. Anna K(cid:138)rn(cid:138), a The Journal looks forward to
and Trucost in New Zealand have
doctoral student at the Helsinki comments and responses to
launched software that examines
School of Economics and Eva articles, and encourages the
ecological costs of products. In
Heiskanen, a Researcher at the submission of papers particularly
addition, to enable improved and
University of Tampere explore on eco-innovation and broader
more time-ef(cid:222)cient decision-
different stakeholders attitudes perspectives of sustainable
making companies such as BT, SC
to the greening of (cid:212)product product development and design
Johnson Wax and Philips are
chain(cid:213) management, particularly (SPDD). ¥
6 THEJOURNALOFSUSTAINABLEPRODUCTDESIGN· JANUARY1998
ANALYSIS
Systemic shift: sustainable
development and industrial
design pedagogy
Stuart Walker & Ralf Nielsenn
Associate Professor, Faculty of Environmental Design,
The University of Calgary, Canada
Assistant Professor, The University of Southern Louisiana, US
The precepts of sustainability have pedagogical model for learning.
significant implications for the The project was placed within a
future of product design and sustainable community scenario,
production, and the meanings of developed by urban planners. An
material culture. Considerable work outline of this contextual setting is
is currently being done in the devel- included in order to demonstrate
opment of methodologies, such as how a ‘product’ – in terms of its
life cycle assessment (LCA), in design, its use and its overall
order to evolve conserving and impacts, has to be considered
Dr Stuart Walker is an associate
regenerative systems of production within a broader system which
professor and former director of the
and consumption. However, it is includes ways of living and work-
Industrial Design Programme, in the
also being widely recognised that ing, and notions of independence
Faculty of Environmental Design at
a more fundamental, systemic shift and inter-dependence. An account
The University of Calgary. In his
in our approaches to product of the approach adopted during the
research and design activities he is
design, manufacturing and our product design phase is given
examining the issues surrounding
material expectations will be together with an analysis of the
sustainable product design,
required if sustainability is to be project, and the questions it raises.
with particular emphasis
fully embraced. This is followed by a discussion of
on product aesthetics.
In this discussion, the nature of this the potential of this example as a
Ralf Nielsen is an assistant systemic shift, and its meaning in pedagogical model which synthe-
professor at The University of terms of product design, are consid- sises ‘sustainable development’
Southern Louisiana where ered with particular reference to a with industrial design. Finally, the
he teaches sustainable Master’s degree project which implications of such an approach to
product design as part of addresses product design within product design are discussed with
the Industrial Design Programme. the context of a ‘sustainable reference to the broader proposition
community’. This project not only of a systemic change to production
illustrates an approach to sustain- and consumption, a proposition
able product design, and the range which, increasingly, is being
of factors which have to be consid- acknowledged as a contingent
ered, it also suggests an innovative factor for achieving sustainability.
JANUARY1998· THEJOURNALOFSUSTAINABLEPRODUCTDESIGN 7
ANALYSIS
Introduction changes they imply, are not (cid:212)sustainability(cid:213) is so signi(cid:222)cant
well understood. These terms that it cannot be achieved by
This paper describes an
encompass such considerations small, incremental improvements
approach to sustainable
as environmental stewardship, to our current approaches. It is
product design developed to
reductions in the use of natural the (cid:212)current approaches(cid:213) them-
address the negative environ-
resources, and conservation of selves which, in many respects,
mental and social effects
habitats. In addition to these are the primary obstacle, there-
associated with products which
terms, (cid:212)sustainability(cid:213) and fore small improvements to
are in a rapid state of technologi-
(cid:212)sustainable development(cid:213) those approaches are unlikely
cal advancement. The personal
require a commitment to social to achieve the changes necessary
computer (PC) was chosen as the
issues — to social equity within for sustainability.
vehicle for this conceptual
and between countries.
exploration because it represents A number of writers in the (cid:222)eld
Furthermore, the terms
a particularly problematic area (such as Van der Ryn and
challenge our ideas of (cid:212)growth(cid:213);
for the application of sustainable Cowan, 1996, and Orr, 1992) have
(cid:212)development(cid:213) and (cid:212)growth(cid:213) are
principles. suggested that one of the key
frequently seen as synonymous —
ways to move in a sustainable
An introduction to sustainable but development does not equate
direction is to shift our activities
development, and the shift with growth (Hawken, 1993).
towards human scale and local
needed to align our ways of (cid:212)Growth(cid:213), a word frequently used
scale endeavours. Such a shift
designing, producing, using and in today(cid:213)s business environment,
could have major environmental
disposing of products with is a quantitativeterm, it means
and social bene(cid:222)ts and advan-
sustainable principles, is increasing in size; it seems that
tages but it would also mean
followed by an overview of the whatever the current size of a
signi(cid:222)cant changes in the ways
project and a discussion of the business, there is always a
we live and work, the nature
main (cid:222)ndings. The approach perceived need to become
of our material culture and the
adopted during this Master(cid:213)s bigger; whatever the pro(cid:222)ts,
ways we manufacture and use
Degree project suggests an there is always a perceived
products.
innovative pedagogical model need to have more. Obviously,
for addressing sustainable (cid:212)growth(cid:213) cannot be sustained. In the (cid:222)eld of urban planning
product design. Suggestions for On the other hand, (cid:212)develop- designs have been developed for
developing this model to address ment(cid:213) is a qualitativeterm, it (cid:212)sustainable urban communities(cid:213)
other, related areas of design are suggests improvement in social, (Perks, Kirby and Wilton-Clark,
included. environmental and economic 1996). These community designs
conditions. When linked to incorporate residences,
Sustainable development (cid:212)sustainable(cid:213) it suggests that such businesses, and retail and
advancements be achieved in recreational facilities within a
Over the last ten years, since ways which are consistent with compact community form. They
the 1987 report (cid:212)Our Common continuous improvement. are designed to be sensitive to
Future(cid:213) (Brundtland et al, 1987), environmental and ecological
the terms (cid:212)sustainability(cid:213) and issues and to provide employ-
The systemic shift
(cid:212)sustainable development(cid:213) have ment opportunities and facilities
been used extensively to describe In order to align our ways of for other human activities — all
many different, and often living and our current working within easy reach of residences:
contradictory, approaches to practices with the principles of by walking, cycling or by use of
environmental and economic sustainability many authors (eg. public transport. These commu-
issues, and business planning. Fioruzzi, 1995 and Manzini, 1996) nity designs have higher popula-
Despite their common usage, are suggesting that a fundamen- tion densities than those of
often the core meaning of these tal, systemic shift is needed. The conventional suburbs in North
terms, and the magnitude of the magnitude of change implied by American cities, and provide a
8 THEJOURNALOFSUSTAINABLEPRODUCTDESIGN· JANUARY1998
ANALYSIS
variety of housing types. Higher Local resources tial advantages of dematerialisa-
population densities not only Use of local energy and materi- tion within the sustainable
require less land use, they also als, and local knowledge and community model. Services
help to ensure that businesses, skills would enable products to within such a community could
public transport and other be designed and produced in allow the use of many shared
facilities can be economically ways which are suited to the products and facilities — such as
viable. These explorations, utilitarian and cultural needs of laundry facilities, lawnmowers,
which attempt to align our the area, and which are sensitive public transport, etc. While such
forms of living with principles of to local environmental condi- services still require products,
sustainability, have considerable tions. Such production would their shared use means that the
implications for the role of the also create local employment overall number of products is
industrial designer. opportunities and permit product reduced.
repair, maintenance, upgrading,
Implications of sustainable re-production and recycling at Case study
the local level. It would also
development
reduce packaging and the need Technology and sustainability
for product design
for long distance shipping. — a conceptual exploration
Sustainable community design, through design
Dematerialisation, shared
and investigations into ways of This Master(cid:213)s degree project was
products and a service based
living which could provide both conducted to explore the poten-
economy
environmental and social tial of designing products in ways
Another aspect of product design
bene(cid:222)ts, have a number of impli- which adhere to the principles
and sustainability is demateriali-
cations for the design, manufac- of sustainable development.
sation. The concept of demateri-
ture and use of products — impli- The focus of the project was
alisation relates to the replace-
cations which can contribute to the portable PC. This was chosen
ment of products with services.
our understanding of the term because it seemed to be a
Technological advances could,
sustainable product design. particularly problematic area
conceivably, allow a transforma-
for the adoption of sustainable
Local scale design and tion to a more service-based
principles.
production economy, where many current
Product design and production products are no longer required. The technology of PCs has been
within and for sustainable On-line services such as tele- advancing at a rapid rate for a
communities will require a phone directories, newspapers, number of years. This has meant
reorientation and restructuring videos and music, could, poten- that PCs have been becoming
of our ways of manufacturing. tially, obviate the need for many (cid:212)technologically obsolete(cid:213) within
Sustainable development points individual, autonomous products a short time of their purchase.
towards smaller scale, (cid:223)exible — which all require materials, The product might continue to
manufacturing facilities which manufacturing, packaging and ful(cid:222)l its intended function, but
allow for a variety of products to shipping. It is not yet clear if advances have meant that new,
be produced for local or regional such services would indeed more powerful machines offer a
markets. This, in turn, will reduce material consumption. greater number of desired func-
require innovative design For example, at one time it was tions and faster operating speeds.
services which allow products, widely expected that of(cid:222)ce As a result the machines are
through their design speci(cid:222)- computers would reduce paper replaced within a relatively short
cations, to be manufactured, and usage, whereas now it has period. The pace of development
re-manufactured economically become apparent that paper use in PCs has been impressive —
in smaller quantities. has signi(cid:222)cantly increased with current models are able to
the introduction of computers. operate in the order of three
However, there are other poten- thousand times faster than the
JANUARY1998· THEJOURNALOFSUSTAINABLEPRODUCTDESIGN 9
ANALYSIS
original IBM PC introduced in
1982 (Young 1993). However, this
rate of advancement has also
meant that PCs are being
discarded at equally impressive
rates — it was predicted that
between 1992—96, 50—70 million
computers would be disposed of
(Aeppel, 1994).
The project set out to examine if
and how the industrial designer
could make a contribution to
sustainability by addressing this
problem of technological obso-
lescence through a re-design of
the PC.
The initial approach — Figure 1: A ‘snap-together’ systems concept
modularity
The initial approach was to As an analogy, the 35mm single Incidentally, some computer
explore the potential of a lens re(cid:223)ex (SLR) camera is an manufacturers are now exploring
modular computer which could example of a product family this type of modular concept.
be readily upgraded by the user. where different components can
A series of design explorations
It was recognised that the rate be purchased and assembled by
were conducted using the
of (cid:212)technological obsolescence(cid:213) the user. A basic camera body
modular concept:
of the different components and standard lens can be supple-
A systems approach
within a PC varies considerably, mented with telephoto and
Stacking and snap-together
but the whole computer is wide-angle lenses, tripods, (cid:223)ash-
components with standard
replaced when the (cid:212)weakest link(cid:213) units, motor-drives and so on.
electro-mechanical connections
needs to be upgraded. For The backwards compatibility of
were explored to develop a
example, a computer might be this family of products allows the
folding notebook type product
replaced in order to take advan- camera to be adapted and
(Figure 1). However, it was
tage of the latest developments upgraded, and the life of the
realised that the spatial and volu-
in Central Processing Unit (CPU) product is extended. Over time,
metric compatibility of compo-
speed or memory capacity, but all of the (cid:212)original(cid:213) components
nents was a signi(cid:222)cant constraint
the screen, keyboard, disc drive may have been replaced and the
in this concept. Future compo-
and casing might still be func- product will have evolved into
nents would have to conform to
tioning in a satisfactory and something new.
the established geometry of the
acceptable manner. A modular
Using the SLR camera as a model, system, and as the spatial and
design would, potentially, allow
the PC was divided up into its volumetric requirements of new
only those components to be
various component parts — technologies was unpredictable,
replaced which have become
comprising display devices, input this concept did not provide the
(cid:212)technologically obsolete(cid:213). This
devices, CPUs, power supplies, necessary (cid:223)exibility for an adapt-
would reduce the number of
data storage devices and buses. able, and durable system.
components being discarded, and
Conceptually, these various
also allow the user to customise A non-systems approach
components might be separate
the product according to their items which could be easily The constraints discovered in
particular needs and economic assembled by the user and the systems approach led to the
means. exchanged as required. examination of ways which were
conceptually more (cid:223)exible and
10 THEJOURNALOFSUSTAINABLEPRODUCTDESIGN· JANUARY1998