Task 2: Sustainable Design Across Disciplines

I was asked to source a video that deals with sustainability across a chosen discipline. I chose to look into Sustainable 3D Furniture/Product Design. This is the video I came across and I found it very useful and informative:

It explained how few products are designed to be truly sustainable. It centred around 5 principles when considering a sustainable product. They are as follows:

I watched this video while referring to the Eco Design Manifesto and realised it followed it quite closely. The video drew upon the fact that we need to keep in mind what we really need in a product. Products have to be designed to minimise negative environmental and social impacts.

Designers have to be aware of their ecological footprint in all areas of the design process when making the product. Most people interpret such a concept in a very narrow way. For example, just using recycled materials is not good enough; they must think about durability and end of use just like any other product. 

Products have to be cyclic i.e. able to be recycled after use. A lot of products seems recyclable on the surface but inside, like VHS Players, have microchips that use material like Tantalum which cannot be recycled with our current knowledge.  

When discussing solar energy in a product design, it is easy to think 'how can you have a solar chair' but it isn't always about the end result. It is the energy used to make the material, to extract the raw material, to process it and distribute it. designer need to learn how to use solar energy in the processes leading up to the finished product.

The video also touched upon how safe the product is; what releases to the environment are happening throughout it's entire life. Are they none toxic? For example, conventional waste disposal has its own hazards like smoke pollutions, land fill take up space and can contaminate land and water with leaking of hazardous material.  

The video then explain for a product to be truly sustainable, the designer needs to consider the social impact of that product. Product have consequences to people that are often overlooked/hidden. Sustainability is about a win win win situation where benefits to the society, economy and the environment. In the past the environment and society have been put second in the name on money. Unless all three things work together there won't be a sustainable future.   

To conclude the video then explains designer need to consider how it looks, how it performs, costs and on top of all that it has to be good for the environment.