Design for life

Paul Suff looks at how designers can help achieve sustainability goals

After a redesign of its inflight economy meal service, which reduced the weight of each aircraft by 129kg, Virgin Atlantic is saving 762 tonnes of fuel a year, equivalent to reducing annual carbon emissions by 2,400 tonnes. It was an achievement recognised at the Design Business Association's 2015 design effectiveness awards when the airline picked up a Gold award.

It was BT, however, that picked up the coveted Grand Prix for its Hub5 integrated VDSL modem and router. This supports a web-based set-up, resulting in fewer engineer visits for installation, and dispenses with set-up CDs and leaflets. Packaging is also reduced. These measures save the media and telecoms firm 147 tonnes of carbon each year and 82,000 miles in distribution costs. As well as the Grand Prix, BT also picked up the annual sustainability award.

The underlying message behind these accolades is that it is possible to apply ecodesign principles to revamp products and services to improve resource efficiency yet save money and cut emissions (see panel, p.24).

Driving change

Although some companies are long-standing users of ecodesign, more are developing greener products. This is being driven by regulation and firms' sustainability strategies as well as difficulties accessing increasingly scarce resources.

In Europe, the first Ecodesign Directive (2005/32/EC) dealt with energy-using products. It was recast (2009/125/EC) to include energy-related products. For these, several main environmental aspects are considered: energy, material and water consumption; emissions to air, water and soil; hazardous content; and waste aspects - waste generation, possibilities for reuse, recycling and recovery. The directive is implemented through product group-specific regulations known as implementing measures. These cover more than 50 product groups, from air conditioners and computers to power transformers and water pumps. The European commission will soon consult on which products should form part of the next wave.

The commission's imminent circular economy package will see an even greater focus on ecodesign. As part of its work to develop this, the commission held a stakeholder conference in June at which more than 700 people attended. Referring to the conference delegates in a speech at the end of October, environment commissioner Karmenu Vella said: "Their messages were loud and clear. They want a greater focus on ecodesign to boost the material efficiency of products. They want to see products made easier to repair, more durable, and easier to recycle."

Responses to the consultation on the circular economy package earlier this year, 45% of which were from businesses, also backed better and greener design. Nearly 64% said establishing binding rules on product design was either very important or important; 73% said it was very important or important to extend producer responsibility to support eco-innovation and sustainable product design; and 75% said it was very important or important to encourage the consumption of greener products.

In its response, environmental campaign group Green Alliance said the package ought to focus on improving design standards to promote demand for reused products and recycled materials. Indeed, Dustin Benton, head of energy and resources at the Green Alliance, told the House of Commons' environmental audit committee (EAC) last year that further ecodesign legislation could enable a more circular economy. "It has been strikingly effective on energy, which is what it was originally intended to do," he said.

The Royal society for the encouragement of arts, manufactures and commerce (RSA) told the committee there needed to be more guidelines for circular approaches to be included in design briefs. "Currently, there is no requirement for designers to consider the end-of-life implications of the products they create," it stated. "The recasting of the ecodesign directive framework is the first step towards potentially providing some guidelines for some product groups, but does not go far enough into circular or system thinking. This means that business invests a significant amount into creating consumables, which are designed for ease of manufacturing."

In its subsequent report, Growing a circular economy: ending the throwaway society, the EAC advised the government to use tax policy to incentivise products that are designed to have a lower environmental impact and support greater reuse and repair.

Meanwhile, UK waste and resources body Wrap called for the commission to include a vision of what Europe could be like by 2025 if ambitious action is taken to create a more circular economy across the EU, and said this should include products being designed for durability, repairability and recyclability.

In the UK, the government in Edinburgh is keen to develop a more circular economy in Scotland, with products designed with their full lifecycle in mind, ready to be disassembled and repaired, and eventually recycled. The consultation document on creating a circular economy in Scotland, published on 20 August, states: "Action starts with design: the design of products, the design of business models, the design of services, and the design of systems. The design of products is key in determining how far their value can be retained in a more circular approach. Design for disassembly, using standard components, recyclable materials etc are fundamental to enabling greater repair, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling."

Ecodesign is important to policymakers because it is the key to a more circular economy. Research by the Technology Strategy Board and the RSA found that more than 80% of product-related environmental impacts as well as the major lifecycle costs are determined in the design phase.

The design world

The role of designers is therefore crucial if products are to be more environmentally friendly, last longer, and be easier to disassemble and the materials reused. Delivering resource-efficient products, a report from the European Environmental Bureau published in March, stated that design decisions influence the type and amount of materials used in production, how long a product will last, whether it will be repairable and whether the components can be recycled. The EAC report found that design for the circular economy requires specialist expertise. "It is not just about making things, but understanding materials and building links between organisations," it said.

Some designers and companies have long placed environment considerations at the forefront of design principles. Dieter Rams, chief designer at Braun in the 1960s and 1970s, included environmental considerations in his 10 principles for good design. He said: "Good design is concerned with the environment. It can and must contribute to the maintenance and protection of resources."

Dutch electronics company Philips established its ecodesign procedures in 1994. These deal with all phases of product development to offer better environmental performance. The firm reported in February that "green products" had accounted for 52% of its sales in 2014, achieving its green innovation target (50% of sales) one year early. Samsung introduced its product lifecycle assessment (LCA) programme in 1995. The Korean electrical goods company now conducts LCAs for representative models of all its product categories, from TVs and monitors to smartphones and semiconductors. In 2014, 279 product models received carbon footprint certifications globally, including from the Carbon Trust, up 11% on 2013.

Equipping designers with sustainability knowledge helps to focus minds, while giving them access to the right tools, such as lifecycle assessment, helps them to take action. The focus of the ecodesign brief will depend on whether the goal is to reduce embedded carbon or to improve recyclability or longevity.

Lighter, more aerodynamic vehicles, greater use of renewable and recycled materials, and easier disassembly at the end of life are all design specifications at Jaguar Land Rover. New Range Rovers maximise the use of aluminium, saving up to 420kg on the outgoing model, delivering a 23% reduction in tailpipe CO2 emissions, while 85% of the materials in the vehicle can be recycled at end of life.

Producer responsibility

The EAC report on the circular economy quotes Kate Goldsworthy from the University of the Arts on how extended producer responsibility could have an impact on how products are designed. "If the take-back systems are looked at alongside the design, you see some really interesting things happening," she says. "If a company knows that their product is coming back full circle to them, it is in their interest to design it in such a way that they can get maximum value from it."

Producer responsibility laws in the UK stem from EU directives and include electrical and electronic equipment and batteries. Their purpose is to ensure firms that make, import and sell these products are responsible for their end-of-life environmental impact. They require businesses to design products that reduce material use and enhance reusability and recyclability. However, most product waste is not covered by existing schemes. Joan-Marc Simon, director of the NGO Zero Waste Europe, believes the current rules have been useful in increasing recycling rates over the past 20 years but they will need updating to help move Europe towards a circular economy.

Legislation will undoubtedly accelerate the pace of change but, with access to many resources becoming harder and the need to achieve ever-tougher self-imposed sustainability targets, companies themselves will be increasingly willing to design products and put systems in place to recover materials more easily.