Ecological and Social Footprint

• The world has a bigger population than ever before. This means that more raw material to produce anything is needed
• Deforestation


  • Cutting down trees to create enough wood to build houses and furniture is causing huge areas of forest to be cut down and their unusable parts burnt
  • Hard woods are particularly slow growing and cannot be easily replaced in a lifetime
  • If forests are destroyed through logging or burning, their carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, a climate-changing greenhouse gas
  • Trees also help with the water cycle by absorbing water up through the roots, a lack of trees can cause flooding or areas of extreme dryness
  • Deforestation also reduces wildlife habitats cutting down numbers due to a lack of food and places to live
• Mining and drilling


  • Loss of habitat for wildlife is caused by the clearance of land above the sites as well as the noise and light pollution in the area
  • Water run off can also create ponds of concentrated chemicals which can harm the human and wildlife population
• Farming


  • The need for more food and raw products has meant that farmers are trying to create more space by claiming areas of land that had previously been wild, trees are cut down and wildlife habitats are destroyed
• Carbon footprint


  CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions from factories, power stations and vehicles need to be reduced to stop further damage to our environment and the air we breathe
• The 6 R's


  • Repair
  • Reuse
  • Recycle
  • Rethink
  • Reduce
  • Refuse
• Repair


  Can the product be used instead of throwing it away into landfill
• Reuse


  Passing on or reusing a product can extend its life by using it repeatedly
• Recycle


  Collecting products such as metal, plastic and glass which can then be recycled cheaper than new products can be made
• Rethink


  Can the design be remade using different material?
• Reduce


  Try to buy products which last longer or can be recharged so you reduce the amount produced. Cut down the miles your product has to travel
• Refuse


  Think twice before buying a product, avoid wasteful packaging and items with a big carbon footprint
• Environmental footprint includes how far a product has travelled and whether the company does anything to offset its emissions or reduce waste
• Fair trade


  • Farmers are paid a fair price for the raw materials
  • Factory workers are paid a living wage
  • Workers conditions are monitored and kept safe
  • Use of safety equipment like goggles and guards is encouraged
  • Toxic chemicals which could harm staff are changed
  • The use of sweat shops and child labour is banned
• Dyson vacuum cleaner


  • Has interchangeable parts which are easy to repair
• Fair trade fabrics


  • Used in many high street stores, particularly cotton products
• Use of fake fur

  • Much more common than real fur due to consumer pressure to stop killing animals
• More factories being built in this country

  • As it becomes cost effective to make products locally and transport them less distance than transporting them from Asia