Sustainability
What is meant by the term ‘sustainability’?
Sustainability is a term used to describe something which is not hunted within near extinction – for example chopping down 3000 trees in South America is not sustainability, whereas if you planted 5000 after you would not only be replacing the ones chopped down, but allowing more to regenerate and thrive. South American tribes use ‘Slash n Burn’ techniques to provide temporary residences, the ground is then fertilized with the ash burned from the chopped trees. After the minerals are washed out the soil, due to lack of foliage, they move on to another location and the forest re-grows back.
Sustainability is also about the people on earth, people are extorted in many ways – poor pay and working conditions. Sustainability aims to provide a better quality of life for people by paying them the correct wage for their work.
Sustainability is the perfect utopia: for the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants, present and in the future.

What is meant by ‘design for sustainability’?
Design for sustainability is an emphasis that we, as designers, have to think about the planet that we live in, rather than extorting it for all its resources. It shows that design also has a criteria to be socially and environmentally responsible for its actions. There is a strong emphasis on taking what we need rather than mass-obliteration of natural resources – also the idea of replacing and regenerating the resource which we have taken.
We have the responsibility to protect the plant, its resources and the people that live here. Sustainable design is something which tackles these issues head on globally.
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/About-Design/Business-Essentials/Sustainability/



Design For Sustainability
The term sustainable design is often used interchangeably with related terms such as eco-design or design for environment, or green design (used less these days). This is because sustainable design evolved from the attempt to incorporate environmental considerations into design.
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/About-Design/Business-Essentials/Sustainability/
This generally means that when you are designing something you have to take into account the environment and the consequence of creating the product.


Carbon Footprint
A ‘carbon footprint’ measures the total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by a person, organisation, event or product.
The footprint considers all six of the Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gases: Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
A carbon footprint is measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). The carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) allows the different greenhouse gases to be compared on a like-for-like basis relative to one unit of CO2. CO2e is calculated by multiplying the emissions of each of the six greenhouse gases by its 100 year global warming potential (GWP).
http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/calculate/carbon-footprinting/Pages/carbon-footprinting.aspx
Carbon footprints are a measurement as to ones amount of carbon emissions – i.e. pollution. We are constantly bombarded with advice telling us to fly less, take public transport and even limit the amount of times we boil the kettle or flush the toilet.
A carbon footprint is an actual size of how much pollution each person on the planet makes – however this information can be misleading, some people fly more than 1 time a week others 1 time a year. Instead of trying to reduce how many times people fly or drive their car, we should be looking at more ‘green’ ways to drive, for example Hybrid cars

What is Eco-efficiency?
Eco-efficiency is increasingly becoming a key requirement for success in business. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) describes eco-efficiency as a management strategy of doing more with less. In practice, eco-efficiency is achieved through the pursuit of three core objectives:
1. Increasing product or service value;
2. Optimizing the use of resources; and,
3. Reducing environmental impact.
Because of the opportunity for cost savings associated with each of these objectives, addressing them makes good business sense. In fact, case studies of companies that have adopted eco-efficient technologies and practices demonstrate that eco-efficiency stimulates productivity and innovation, increases competitiveness and improves environmental performance.
Reaping the Benefits
Eco-efficiency offers a number of practical benefits for your business, including
• Reduced costs - through more efficient use of energy and materials;
• Reduced risk and liability - by "designing out" the need for toxic substances;
• Increased revenue - by developing innovative products and increasing market share;
• Enhanced brand image - through marketing and communicating your improvement efforts;
• Increased productivity and employee morale - through closer alignment of company values with the personal values of the employees; and,
• Improved environmental performance - by reducing toxic emissions, and increasing the recovery and reuse of "waste" material.
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ee-ee.nsf/eng/h_ef00010.html
Eco-efficiency is about minimising environmental hazard while maximising its value. It is about finding the most eco-friendly way of producing a product (materials, process, transport , marketing and advertising) without having to diminish all profits.
It is also about getting the most from each resource, without over producing and creating waste. Generally getting the most from a material.


Kenco Refill Bag

Kenco Eco Refill bags are much more eco friendly than their jars because they are more efficient to produce (than the traditional glass jars). 97 % (source: Kraft eco calculator) less waste goes to landfill because the plastic lids are not easily recycled. The bag uses 81% less energy to produce compared to the jars.
The material used for the traditional lid (polypropylene)is difficult to recycle due to the lack of recycling plants in the UK able to recycle it.
‘an Eco Refill pack weighs less than the jar lid alone...everyone (whether they recycle their glass jar or not) can reduce their waste’
The Eco Refill bags are recycled into bags, pencil cases and umbrellas thanks to TerraCycle, a company which Kenco have partnered with.
www.kenco.co.uk
The TerraCycle Kenco® Tote Bag is an affordable, fashionable and most importantly environmentally responsible way to shop for your groceries, take your books to class or materials to work! The body of the tote is made from upcycled Kenco Coffee Eco refill wrappers. The film-like wrappers come are unusable wrappers that have been damaged or misprinted. Instead of this unusable material going to landfill, TerraCycle upcycles it in to this attractive, durable tote bag. Multiple wrappers are fused together to make a thick, difficult to damage material from which to make this reusable tote bag.
http://www.terracycle.co.uk/products/4-The-Kenco-Tote-Bag
The Kenco refill bags, I think, are a good idea as they are more eco-friendly to manufacture and recycle than the glass equivalent. You can send your refill bags to Terracycle who produce shopping bags, etc from the material. This is a really good way of reusing the material.


What are the issues that a Product Designer will have to consider:
• How to produce goods that will not ruin natural resources, pollute the earth to manufacture and release Co2 when transporting the good globally.
• Natural resources like wood must not be mass-chopped down, and also trees must be planted to replace others. Oil usage must be reduced and new methods to manufacture and transport must be found, e.g. using wind to power.
• Materials such as plastics must be carefully reused or recycled without causing pollutions.
• Designers will have to work more the people who supply raw materials to ensure that they are being treated fairly and that materials are not being overused.
• How products are manufactured and where? Most products, e.g. fruit, travel long distances to get to our supermarkets. Locally produced food should be adopted by leading supermarkets and retailers.
• We also need to think about what we do with a product when it has fulfilled its purpose? Do we reuse it, recycle it or does its lifespan never end...

This could be done by really thinking about whether we need the product we are designing? If you design a concept which reduces landfill waste, we need to ensure that it becomes mainstream, other than simply adding another product to the otherwise bulging market. Global companies who only produce products for profit, should have legal restrictions as to how much they can produce, and also help donate profits back into the earth.

Why Should Designers Give A Damn?
Designers should give a damn because we are the ones who can directly influence how we produce, manufacture and sell a product. We have the luxury of choosing the cheap-kill-the earth choice or opting for something which will have long term benefits other than quick cash. We as designers also have the ability to change societies and the way people perceive things – we need to tackle the current obsession with disposability within society. We need to unite together to help provide a much more sophisticated way of designing products of the future and start thinking about what people will need tomorrow and how we are going to provide it...
Personally I believe that we should give a damn, because we are the people who are designing the products which are not environmentally friendly or harmful to the planet. However I do believe that it should not just be a select few individuals around the world, there needs to be a much better organization of designers who want to change the way we design and manufacture products.