ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGN

Hey Everyone!

Today, I would like to explore the issue of eco-friendly design and making product design, production, and distribution more sustainable with less of a carbon footprint. When designing a product, designers must consider materials, the method that they will use to produce or mass-produce the product, as well as how they will distribute it to their customers and clientele. In this day and age, the environment and its protection is a big­­ issue. This is because of the rise of industrialism and emissions of carbon which are causing climate change. This issue is very important, and a lot of carbon emissions are coming from factories that are manufacturing products in Asia, where most mass-production factories exist. As well, another big environmental issue is the pollution of our oceans and continents. Again, a lot of said pollution is released through manufacturing and mass-production. These plastics and other materials can cause a lot of damage to oceans and wildlife. Transportation also creates a lot of carbon emissions, so it is better to avoid shipping a lot of products from far away (for example, from China to Canada). Overall, all of these issues relate to one of the parts of making a product. Therefore, if designers want to be more eco-friendly, then they need to focus on this in every stage of their design.

Some ways that designers can be more eco-friendly with materials is by using biodegradable plastics as well as recycled plastics instead of traditional materials. As well, in clothes, they can try to use materials that generate less micro plastics which can pollute water and are not even visible to the human eye. As well, they can try to use organic materials like wood and plant-based materials in order to not generate any long-lasting waste. For the production, this could be done closer to the consumer, so that less transportation would have to occur. As well, they could try to use smaller manufacturing plants and not mass-produce their product because this is what usually produces more carbon. Some other ways of reducing emissions within factories is by installing scrubbers in chimneys, so that less carbon and sulphur escapes into the atmosphere. Finally, for transportation, the items could be transported less distance by putting the plants nearer to the consumer. As well, they could be shipped in more eco-friendly cars that have less emissions and more efficient mileage. Furthermore, they could be shipped in bigger batches, so less trips have to occur.

As for a more specific example, I buy a lot of Rubik’s cubes and they are a very popular toy product that has gained popularity again after a drop in use follow the cube craze of the 80’s. In order for the cube to be more eco-friendly in its production, a few ideas could be considered.

Firstly, cubes are made almost entirely out of plastic with a bit of metal involved for some internals like the core, magnets, and springs. The plastic could be changed from traditional, non-biodegradable material to recycled plastics. As well, the products could be produced in less mass and in factories in North America, since there is a big demand for them here and a lot of retailers in USA. This would reduce the travel and shipping times, as well as increasing the restrictions on the emissions of factories, which do not exist in Asia. Finally, the consumer could use the product for a long time so that they do not have to buy anymore, and thus the products would have less of an impact overall.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

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