NOTES

• Sustainability of raw materials:

  • Finite (non-renewable) resources and fossil fuels are being used faster than they are naturally replaced
  • they cannot be synthetically reproduced
  • Includes coal, gas and oil
  • 84% of our energy comes from non-renewable sources
  • Governments are working hard to reduce this through harnessing more non-finite energy sources
• Renewable energy:

  • Wind, wave, solar, geothermal, tidal and biomass
  • Energy is used in residential, commercial, industrial situations and for transportation
• Non-finite materials:

  • Non-finite resources include those that are unlikely to be exhausted, or those that are replaced faster than we can use them
• Non-finite materials include:

  • Oxygen
  • Fresh water
  • Timber
  • Leather
• Responsible design:

  • Production techniques that may use non-renewable energy
  • Toxic by-products created in manufacture
  • Environmental impact of mining or harvesting
  • The product itself or production processes may emit CO2
  • Powering a product may require non-renewable energy
  • Transportation and distribution distance
  • Maintenance and repair costs
  • Welfare of workers in the material supply chain
  • Recyclability at the end of a product’s lifetime
• Waste disposal:

  • The production and consumption of resources creates waste
• Impact of consumption:

  • When waste is liquid, toxic or radioactive chemicals can leach into the soil and water courses
  • Some industrial waste may be radioactive, particularly that from nuclear reactors
• Ecological and social footprint:

  • All materials leave a footprint in terms of the impact their production and consumption has on the planet
• Life Cycle Assessment:

  • Conducting an LCA will evaluate the environmental impact on a product
• Life Cycle Assessment

  A) extraction

  B) production

  C) distribution

  D) use

  E) recycling

  
• Continuous improvement:

  • Continuous improvement is an approach that seeks to continually improve and develop products, services and procedures for the better
  • A Japanese approach called ‘Kaizen’ (Change for better) rewards employees who suggest and develop improvements, regardless of how small they may seem
• Efficient working:

  • Efficient working aims to remove waste from any process
  • Wasted time
  • Over production
  • Wasted resources including power
  • Wasted activity

  Digital printing technology has enabled small publishing companies to benefit from printing books on demand rather than printing and warehousing large print runs.
• Global warming:

  • Primarily caused by an excess of CO2 in the atmosphere that traps heat, warming the planet
  • Burning fossil fuels releases CO2 from the earth
• Battery power:

  • Battery production uses finite and dangerous metals
  • Proper disposal of batteries is required to prevent leaching alkalis into the environment
• Impact on the environment:

  • Plastic microbeads in exfoliating scrubs, body washes and toothpaste
  • recently plastic microbeads have been found inside deep sea animals
  • Plastics absorb toxins and fish then eat plastics
• Helping the environment:

  • Hydrogen fuel cells produce only water as waste
  • Electronic paper could replace printed paper
• Eco-friendly technology:

  • Old technology combined with new ideas can create excellent new products
  • The engine has become more and more efficient with refinements and technological developments
• Reducing consumption:

  • Digitisation and consolidation of many devices in one
  • Reading a book, playing a CD and taking a photo can all be done with one device, without requiring any more raw material
  • Devices also combine Sat Nav systems, calculators, torches, watches, alarm clocks and more