NOTES

• Evaluating the use of new technologies:

  • The success of new technologies and products are frequently evaluated according to the following points: Cost, Reliability, Longevity, Sustainability, Recyclability
• Informing design decisions:

  • If you are designing a new product, you will need to gather opinion and facts e.g.
  • Successes and shortfalls of similar available products
  • Available technology
  • The size of the market
  • The market need
• Determining product lifespan:

  • Once the expected lifespan is determined, manufactures need to appropriately engineer the product in order to last as long as expected
• Disposability:

  • Some products are planned with deliberately short lifespans
• Specialist repairs:

  • Some products are manufactured to be too complex to be repaired at home
  • Knowledge is required to fix electronics or mechanical parts
  • Specialist tools are required
  • Specialist replacement parts may be required
• Swedish repairs:

  • The Swedish government is offering to halve VAT on repairs to encourage owners to make do and mend
  • They will also offset half the labour cost through income tax benefits
  • This will significantly reduce the cost of repairs to clothes, shoes, bikes and large kitchen appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers
  • Products will last longer and the consumption of materials will be reduced
• Ethics and the environment:

  • Companies are increasingly aware of the need for social responsibility
  • This includes sustainably sourcing components and materials, ethical production methods, reducing waste, recycling and considerate end-of-life disposal
• End of life:

  • Responsible end of life design should include:
  • as few materials as possible
  • recycled and recyclable materials where possible
  • easy-to-separate materials avoiding permanent bonding methods
  • built-in reusability where possible