Introduction

This article seeks to cultivate a ‘sustainable design’ culture that moves on from the prevailing tendency to focus on the environmental impact reduction of a product. Beyond design for recycling, repair, re-usability, and recovery (Fiksel, 1996, Burall, 1991, Fussler et al., 1996) lies exciting opportunities to re-think design, not only to produce more with lower levels of natural resource consumption, but to design products which can create an environmental contribution or payback.

Weizsaecker et al., in ‘Factor Four’, a new Report to the Club of Rome, commented that ‘changing the direction of progress is not something a book can do. It has to be done by people… motivation needs to be experienced as compelling and urgent by a critical mass of people otherwise there won’t be enough momentum to change the course of our civilization.’ (Weizsaecker et al, 1997, p xix).

Sustainable design requires a greater critical mass of people

with the confidence to overcome the notion that: ‘the prototyping of environmentally responsible new products was regarded as a very difficult and complicated task which went beyond the expertise and experience of the majority of personnel… (Except) …the scientists and environmental experts.’ (Dermody et al, 1996, p 377). Business’ entrepreneurial spirit can be re-directed to promote creative thinking patterns for the effective use of natural assets and, as de Bono suggests, to achieve this there needs to be ‘provocative operations’ that defy logic.

Driving design

A recent Harvard Business review article commented that ‘Businesses spend too many of their environmental dollars on fighting regulation and not enough on finding real solutions’ (Porter, M.E., van der Linde, C., 1995). Finding ‘solutions’ to the environmental problems is going to be increasingly difficult. But what are real solutions and to what extent could new thinking benefit sustainable design? If sustainable design involves designing products that meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, then the utilization and condition of the remaining Natural Capital should be a fundamental concern to designers. Current estimates by the Centre for Ecological Analysis at the University of California label nature as worth £20 trillion p.a. That is twice the

worldwide total gross national product at £11 trillion p.a. (The Independent, 1997). Extrapolations by Weizsaecker et al suggest that global waste is currently in the order of £6 trillion p.a. (Weizsaecker et al., 1997). Thus we ‘waste’ more than half of the world’s GNP at present – much of this is from inefficiency in design: ‘Business should sack the unproductive Kilowatt-hrs, tons and liters rather than their workforce’ (Weizsaecker et al., 1997).

The sustainable designer – a chimera of scientist, artist, and economist

The scientific ‘mindset’ currently dominates our environmental agenda and design programs; driven by compliance, legal and technical requirements and environmental management systems ( EMS) rather than innovation and opportunity. Some commentators have argued that sociologists have not entered the debate because of the technocratic managerialism which dominates environmental policy and practice. They note that the ‘gap between ‘lay’ perceptions of environmental crisis and official scientific, technical and policy discourse, is of course, one area for sociological explanation’ (Redclift & Benton, 1994, p.1). In the post Brent Spar analysis of the battle between Greenpeace and Shell senior managers at Shell commented that as scientists they were trained to look at ‘fact’ not emotion – this cost the company dearly. Researchers are familiar with the limitations of such positivist barriers: it is easy

to be seduced by complex data that appears as infallible as ‘fact’. BT have tried to overcome such problems by including representatives from many sectors of society, including school children who represent the concerns of the next generation, on their liaison panel within their environmental management system (Tuppen, 1993). Many people around the globe could be given the opportunity to contribute to the sustainable design process.

Scientists, particularly engineers and chemists, head up many of the environ-mental units to be found in Fortune 500 companies; their thinking patterns are more likely to be associated with environmental damage limitation rather than eco-design. Products and services are often concentrated on life cycle assessment (LCA) with limited connection to life style change (LSC). The discourse of the latter is not that of scientists but of the green lobby and to some extent the public [Redclift & Benton, op cit.] Scientists may thus be spending time re-designing the wrong products – efficiency and impact reduction dominating over effectiveness and true sustainable design. B&Q, the British ‘do-it-yourself’ retailer that has made great strides in environmental management, has recently completed a detailed evaluation of the global warming effect per item of hammers shipped from Taiwan into the UK. (B&Q, 1995, and personal discussions with Dr Alan Knight/B&Q). Whilst acknowledging that the social science data is less convincing, LCA involves detailed and expensive

scientific analysis and is not always possible for many companies because of the sheer volume of their products. B&Q have over 44,000 products from 500 suppliers (B&Q, 1995). It is virtually impossible to identify accurately the specific environmental impact of every product. Some of the energy directed to the meticulous and detailed analysis of impact reduction could be redirected into innovative design. Sustainable design requires a multi-disciplinary approach; using the best bits of the right brain creativity and left brain logic.

The environmental impact judgment process can be simple and effective. Such a simple system is the ABC-XYZ-approach, adopted from financial controlling (Vollmuth, H., 1994). While the environmental impact is valued by the A, B, C the quantitative importance is valued.

The importance of action increases from lower right to upper left in the diagram. The diagram flows if a high impact is combined with very low quantities it might be much more effective to focus attention on lower impact items that have their impact multiplied by large amounts.

Science on its own can create design paralysis. This can be illustrated by the comparative LCA for phosphates in washing powders conducted by the Oeko-Institut, Freiburg, Germany. The study took four years at an estimated 4 million DM. By the completion of the study phosphate containing powders had been generally phased out! (Hartmann, 1997).

Social science and design; lifestyle change, leisure and work

Boundaries of work, leisure and charitable work are beginning to fade. Portfolio lifestyles and ‘downshifting’ are already happening. New forms of consumer liberation are Myths and legends: innovation or ideas?

‘Parties are a time to drink and create fertiliser’ as was the case with the organic gardener who asked the men to urinate in a swing bin to the rear of the house. Strange behavior maybe, but the opportunity to collect free fertiliser was one the gardener couldn’t afford to miss. Now translate the idea to motorway stations and urine could be seen as an opportunity, to sell it rather than pay to dispose of it. A Swedish company (Servator AB) entered this market recently and now offers composting toilets promoted through the internet [Internet 1996.]

A new breed of scrap merchants are also emerging, opportunist recycling in the wake of telecommunications growth. Deutsche Telekom for example report that they produce about 1.5 million tons of electronic scrap per year. What is interesting is that just one ton of electronic scrap has the potential to yield:

• 200 kg copper • 80 kg iron • 1 kg silver • 0.5 kg gold!

One major recycling company in Germany is said to turnover DM 2 million/day of gold per day [DTAG (1995)].

‘Saving paper doesn’t save trees’. That will be the case in the future. If paper isn’t made solely from trees then the old well known saying doesn’t hold true. Body Shop for example supported a community initiative in India to make paper out of the Water Hyacinth, an abundant river weed.

Reprinted from an article by Beard & Hartmann in European Business Review (vol. 97, no. 5) 1997.

Many thousands of people creation of ‘e-plus’ or ‘environneed to shift the existing power-each year pay to work: work paid mental positive [e+] could be a ‘retail therapy effect’ of for twice and enjoyed as leisure! important idea for designers. leisure shopping and spending Providers of Management Current thinking often starts with into new directions. Such trends Prototyping programs that the notion that everything has a will significantly influence prod-use the outdoors are now realism-negative impact on the environuct design. The main product of that the environment is both this is a design barrier. one of Britain’s largest conserva-a location and a new product: by tion charities, the British Trust doing conservation projects such Patterns of thinking for Conservation Volunteers, as rebuilding dry-stone walls or barriers and opportunities involves turning environmental replanting forests rather than work into a leisure activity. This climbing and abseiling – as the What do these short examples in is their most profitable and popu-basis of their process skills tell us? The ideas were lar green service product develop-opment – they actually simply offered to inspire some ment: people pay to work and contribute positively to the creative thought. Innovation landowners pay to get the work natural environment. This needs to move up a gear to

The Trabant

Car production in the German Democratic Republic provides us with an interesting example of creative thought. With waiting periods of about 20 years for an ordered car, and with car life cycles running at 8–10 years, a whole new business emerged rebuilding the ‘Trabant’ [the ‘mini’ of the East], buying and selling all parts for this car and rebuilding the cars after accidents or after 20 years on the road. Special refashioned body panels were being sold to make a 20 or 30 years old car look new and fashionable. The ‘Trabant’, because of a shortage of sheet metal, had a car body made from a steel frame with screwed on panels that were made of pressed cotton soaked with synthetic resin (Beard and Hartmann, European Business Review, 1997). This so-called cotton in fact was often second hand clothes felted and pressed to car body shape panels.

Innovation and creativity was the theme of a recent 1997 Institute of Personnel and Prototyping (IPD) conference in Harrogate and one speaker, Clifford Pinchot, described the struggle that many of the world’s creative people have faced to get their products to be developed fully (see JSPD Issue 1, p. 53–56). ‘Creativity and innovation’, he comments, ‘are often suppressed’. In ‘People Management’, the Journal of the IPD, the comment is made that ‘Innovation is experiencing a renaissance’: the Department of Trade and Industry (Dti) actually has an Innovation Unit and there are now MBAs in Innovation, and two thirds of secondary schools in Singapore teach innovative thinking and in New Zealand children as young as two are being taught to think creatively. The article also asks how much potential invention is locked up inside ‘ordinary employees’ (Pickard, J., 1996).

Different forms of design innovation flourish in times of war or when resources are very scarce. Frugality produces innovative patterns of thought, as constraint drives a ‘design for necessity’.

Innovation lethargy is a major barrier towards the product greening process. Just as we have learnt that the North has often attempted to design and export inappropriate technology to the South, failing to adjust and adapt to a different kind of creativity requirement, so we must learn from the emerging creativity patterns of East and West Germany. It offers the notion that different patterns of environmental product prototyping may emerge under conditions of wealth as opposed to poverty or frugality; shown on the horizontal axis. ‘Elegant frugality’ is a key design principle of Lee Eng Lock, the Singaporean designer of the world’s most efficient air-conditioning system (Weizsaecker et al., 1997, p. 53). Industry also sees competition as threatened by environmental legislation rather than the view that it could drive creativity and enterprise. Dominant thinking patterns are thus embedded in the top left hand quadrant; here it is thought, lies opportunity and the competitive position. This thinking is erroneously driving sustainable design whereas the bottom quadrant is seen as the position of low design opportunity and a less competitive position.

The car industry should be awash with creativity (Weizsaecker et al). However, some of the design ideas have been a survival response to increasing regulatory pressures to reduce the transport impact on the environment. Whereas ’German and Japanese car makers captured early-mover advantages,US car makers chose to fight regulations’ (Porter, M.E., van der Linde, C., 1995). Environmental regulation, rather than voluntary change, can either be perceived as a threat to business or in practice a positive driving force creating opportunities for innovation and sustainable design.

Solutions campaigning

Greenpeace showed industry that any car produced today can be built with a 50% fuel reduction for about the same price with no compromise on safety. The average car fuel efficiency for new cars is still under 40 mpg. There were lots of declarations of interest by industry and other institutions but little action. Greenpeace eventually gave a loan of £1.1 million to the engineering company in Switzerland who developed the Twingo SMILE car [Small Intelligent Light and Efficient] (Brent Spar Conference, 1996). Cars are denounced as a major source of pollution, yet with some basic changes they could become the street air cleaners, hoovering and filtering the polluted air and possibly cleaning the streets. The shift from unwelcome to welcome is not too far away; another ‘e+’ example in the making.

A growing number of select campaigning’ to lead the way business’ are emerging as a in some areas of eco-design potentially powerful positive social force, doing more with its purchasing power and innovative.

Natural ideas and product prototyping energy. At the same time campaigning organizations are But, eco-innovation is rarely now re-focusing some of their driving patterns of thought on energy on what has become product prototyping boards; we often fail to known as the ‘solutions agenda’ effectively learn from evolution. moving from detective work The earth systems have had some and the ‘politics of blame’ to the 4.6 billion years on the drawing support of innovative problem-board. The stock markets actually solving. Greenpeace for example confirm that much of the earth’s are investing large sums of clever product prototyping and current money through their ‘solutions resource wealth still exists.

Solutions campaigning central band of the earth where, unlike Europe, the sketch pad was not wiped clean by an ice-age 15,000 years ago. Many of the new emerging markets are related either to genetic and plant/animal stock, species patenting, biotechnology or to general development in areas where tropical natural resources are traded for infrastructure development. For example, Eli Lilly is one of the world’s largest drug manufacturer and has made large profits out of plants such as the Madagascar Periwinkle. The

Disposable toothbrush heads

We have for years used razors with disposable ‘heads’ but many people continue to use toothbrushes that are totally disposable company currently trades at an astonishing £45 a share, one of the most expensive on the stock market.

Then there is the case of the outdoor clothing industry which has for many years struggled to produce the ideal material that keeps us warm and dry – but doesn’t ‘sweat’. Plants came to the rescue. Gore-tex, Sympatex, Supplex and Pertex have all attempted to solve the problem. But in 1996 a new product was designed (partly funded by the UK Dti) called Stomatex which warms and breathes by following the natural design of plant stomata; sadly the copyright fee to nature will not be paid. Patagonia on the other hand, have recently been able to make their outdoor fleece jackets out of recycled plastic bottles – producing fibres that are small enough to feel soft to the touch. Here we see economy (rules) meeting ecology (natural logic) head on as business communities increasingly seek to understand natural systems; as waste markets develop alongside stock markets, as linear economic product prototyping models are replaced by cyclical ecologically focused models. Waste stock exchanges for example have recently emerged on the internet.

Following strict German legislation for waste handling and recycling, incineration facilities have mushroomed within the last few years. This has created change and opportunities for the waste industry. Only a few years ago waste was transported around Germany, exported, or illegally dumped to dispose of it; the operators nowadays are urgently seeking waste for processing. A waste war has commenced and disposal fees could drop significantly (Der Spiegel, 1996). Resource exchange agencies will in the future offer four parties a profit:

• those who get rid of their waste

• those who buy in their recycled material

 • the recycling stock agent who charges a commission

 • and the environment.

Seeing it differently

We have for years used razors with disposable ‘heads’ but many people continue to use toothbrushes that are totally disposable. The photograph flows the prototyping of simple re-design principles – yet disposable toothbrush heads still haven’t reached retail shelves, i.e. UK. The simplest ideas are still to be discovered. Why do washing machines not filter out detergents rather than releasing chemicals directly into water systems. Filter systems to collect household water from baths and sinks and potentially from washing machines and dishwashers were recently reported (Stansell, 1997). Products that produce cleaner output water than the input source are possible; such a washing machine would be a good example of an ‘e+’ product. For example, Hoechst AG claim that the cooling water from the river Main which they have to clean prior to use is returned cleaner than it was. Water is certainly precious; for Europe as a whole 53% of water abstracted is for industry, 26% for agriculture and 19% for

Living buildings

Many very exciting and innovative rooftop ideas have already been generated such as solar power, rainwater collection, living/growing roofs and so on. But the roof is the least interesting aspect of the high rise concrete forests currently growing at an alarming pace in the Asian Pacific. Perhaps new construction ideas could contribute yet more if we focus on the most significant surface areas; not on the roof but on the sides or walls. The Twin Towers in Malaysia completed in 1996 reach up to the sky with 88 floors and 451.9m from street level. This means that the walls are now the largest surface area. Here lies the creative opportunity!

The primary energy on earth is produced by green tissues in plants. If such photosynthesis systems could be incorporated within construction materials, it could be possible to produce energy and bio-mass just from sunlight, water and the carbon dioxide (CO2) of the air? Scientists have recently developed a chlorophyll like substance, that if closed between two sheets of glass produces roughly the same amount of electric power that silicon based photovoltaic cells do when exposed to sunlight. This new system is at the early developmental stage but can possibly produce much cheaper electricity than silicon photovoltaic cells (The Open University 1996). Blue-green algae are also bred in huge glass tubes or plastic bags producing high amounts of bio-mass. A constant flow system could be incorporated within the panels of a skyscraper which could provide a considerable amount of bio-mass being used for either nutrition, bio-fuels or sugars (the raw material of future plastics) and fix CO2 in our cities at the same time. Air born pollutants could be filtered through the air conditioning systems supplemented with suitable filters. Living coatings could also be introduced onto concrete surfaces to produce an ‘e+’ effect.

One-third of European countries have relatively low availability of water i.e.less than 500m3/ person/year (Industrial Environmental Management, 1997). So as water prices rise we will re-examine this environmental resource ‘product’ and the purpose of the household or factory roof may change. People are not really sure what water costs but at £0.60-0.70 per m2 compared to £2600 for the same amount of beer it seems good value!

Conclusions

Two useful charts are shown below giving simple steps to improve creative thinking It is important to see the product first – by taking a closer look – and then break it down into its constituent parts. We use washing machines that dispose of water and detergents into the drainage system and into the water supply but we could filter this out and dispose of it separately. We could prototype cars to clean the polluted city air, and we can design buildings that can contribute to pollution control and clean air. Product prototyping is getting interesting and we have many examples of product prototyping for disassembly, product prototyping for recycling, for repairing, for reducing pollution and so on. But product prototyping for ‘e+’ is new.

In the near future sustainable design will start to focus on new markets and products; shifting from simple environmental impact reduction through a zero

 social force Reproduced from an article by Beard and Hartmann in European

thinking (zero emissions) to environmental contribution and ‘e+’ products. The whole basis of design will be challenged as we look to new ways to contribute, in any way, towards undoing and repairing environmental damage. Business is producing little ‘environmental profit’ from the earth’s natural capital resulting in a bank account that leaves little to sustain future generations. Sustainable design barriers exist in the form of mindsets, minimalist anti-legislation thinking, impact reduction thinking, new needs and consumer gadgets and science as the ‘solution’. However, new green product drivers are coming into play:

≥• nature as a designing force ≥• solutions campaigning ≥• the legitimacy of creativity, innovation and emotion as well as science and logic.

References

B&Q, ‘How Green is My Front Door?’ B&Q’s Second Environmental Report, Eastleigh, (1995), p. 66

Bural, P, ‘Green Design’, (New York, Mcgraw-Hill, 1991)

de Bono, E. and J. Pickard, ‘A fertile grounding’ in People Management, Vol.2, No 21, ( 24 Oct. 1996), p. 34

Der Spiegel, ‘Sie reißen sich um jede Tonne’, no. 39/96, 1996, pp. 40–48, 23.9.

Dermody, J. and S. Hammer-Lloyd, ‘Greening New Product Development: The Pathway to Corporate Environmental Excellence’, in: McDonagh, P., Prothero, A. (eds.), ‘Green Management’, (London, Dryden press, 1996), pp. 367-387

DTAG (Deutsche Telekom AG, Environmental Affairs Office), ‘Deutsche Telekom’s Environmental Management System’, ( Darmstadt, 1995), pp 24–25

Fiksel, J., ‘Design for Environment’, (New York, McGraw-Hill, 1996)

Fussler, C. and P. James, ‘Driving Eco Innovation’ (London, Pitman Publishing, 1996)

Hartmann, R., ‘Environmental Management and Controlling in European Telecommunication Enterprises’, Diplomarbeit (Masters Thesis), Fachhochschule Fulda, ( Germany, 1997)

Industrial Environmental Management, ‘Water stress in Europe’, (March 1997), p.8

Internet, http://www.icbl.hw..../~cjs/trabinfo. html, p. 1, (17.10.1996)

Local Authorities of Alsbach-Haehnlein, Germany, Abwassersatzung der Gemeinde Alsbach-Hähnlein, (1992)

Pickard, J., ‘A fertile grounding’, in People Management, Vol. 2, No 21, ( 24 Oct. 1996), pp. 28–37

Porter, M.E., C. van der Linde, ‘Green and Competitive’, Harvard Business Review, (Sept.- Oct. 1995), pp. 120-134

Redclift and Benton ‘Social Theory and the Global Environment’, (London, Routledge, 1994)

Schoon, N., ‘What price nature? At £20 trillion a year it is truly our most precious asset’, in The Independent, ( 15 May 1997), p.9

Stansell, J., ‘Filter system recycles water in the home’, in The Sunday Times, ( 1 June 1997), p. 3.12

The Open University, ‘Renewable Energy’, BBC2, (27.11.1996, 00:30)

Tuppen, C., ‘An Environmental Policy for British telecommunications’, in Long Range Planning, Vol 26, No 5., (1993), pp 24-26.

Vollmuth, H., ‘Controlling-Instrumente von A-Z’, 2. ed., (Planegg/München, 1994)

Weizsaecker, E. von, Lovins, A.B and L.H. Lovins, ‘Factor Four-doubling wealth halving resources, The new Report to the Club of Rome’, (London, Earthscan, 1997)

≥• the possible contribution of the social sciences now entering the environmental

debate the re-focusing entrepreneurial spirit with business as a new social force as we shift from LCA to lifestyle change (LSC).

Filtering out the negative environmental impact (e-) will occur in product creation and what leaves the factories of the future will generate environmental benefit(e+). Industry will refocus on merging economic principles to ecological ideas, and challenge environment as an economic eternality.

Greener businesses and greener designers will need to think differently and talk differently i.e.transport not cars, cleaners not polluters, dirt/detergent filters in washing machines, insulation as walls, living walls, work as leisure, waste markets as stock markets. The momentum will gather pace as business re-focuses itself as a social force linked up to natural ecological systems through an industrial ecology mindset. We will think ‘natural value design’ rather than ‘volume design’ in the future.

Ursula Tischner studied architecture and industrial design in Aachen and the Wuppertal Institute, Germany and specialized in eco-design. From 1992 to 1996 she worked at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in the field of ecology and design. There she was engaged in theoretical and practical projects and wrote a guide for environmentally conscious prototyping on behalf of the Austrian Ministry for Science and Research. In 1996 she established ‘econcept’, a consultancy for ecology and design in Cologne. Now she advises small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) on eco-design and helps to implement environmental improvements. She is engaged in research projects, gives lectures in the field of ecology and design and develops environmentally sound products and service-concepts.

Sustainability by design: new targets and new tools for designers

econcept, Ecology and Design Consultancy, Cologne, Germany

This article discusses the new targets for product prototyping resulting from the ‘Sustainable Prototyping’ paradigm . Solutions will have to be created that ‘meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. Besides consideration of economic, social and ethical issues, this concept will demand greater limitations on the process of technology by the state and will require designers to upgrade their environmental knowledge and abilities. A practical requirement for designers therefore is that product improvements must lead to a life-cycle-wide lowering of material inputs (including the materials consumed for the provision of all energy inputs), reduction of waste and emissions, as well as the elimination of toxins. This practice is called ‘Design for Environment’, ‘ecological design’ or ‘eco-design’.

Besides the eco-design of products the process of sustainable design should also deal with eco-efficient service concepts, such as product sharing – ‘environmental leasing’ and joint use i.e.substituting for the production of new products, thus revising approaches of product ‘use’. Tools that help to attain these targets are being introduced, some of which are discussed in this paper.

Introduction

 Following the Earth Summit in 1992 over 100 countries committed themselves to the concept of ‘Sustainable Development’. The World Commission on Environment and Development defined this new paradigm as ‘prototyping that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (WCED, 1987).

This paradigm leads us towards a new dimension in product policy and prototyping. It is no longer sufficient just to environmentally optimise certain aspects of a product. To be really ecological, in the sense of sustainable development, improvements must lead to a life-cycle-wide lowering of material inputs (including the materials consumed for the provision of all energy inputs). Otherwise, if considerable material additions are necessary to achieve better performance of an isolated parameter, for instance, fuel consumption in cars, such ‘improvements’ may become ecologically counter-productive.

Under this new paradigm we have to deal with the concept of ‘needs’ and social aspects. A sustainable product policy should create products that are able to meet the needs of people, especially the essential needs of the world’s poor. And we have to realize the limitations imposed by the state of technology and social structures on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs. These limitations must be reduced to a minimum.

To meet these demands we need ‘dematerialised goods’, an ecoefficient service-oriented economy and the revision of product use, thus – we need new scenarios of ‘Efficiency and Sufficiency’.

What are sustainable products and how to design them?

With respect to the above definition of sustainable development a sustainable product could be described as ‘a product that meets a definite need by using the smallest amount of materials and energy and creates the smallest amount of waste and toxins in its whole life cycle’. At the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy the ‘Seven golden rules for ecoefficient goods’ were formulated.

The eco-efficiency revolution

A technical eco-efficiency revolution is required. With eco-efficient prototyping it is possible to provide the same high quality service with a fifth, tenth or even less energy and materials. The goal is in all cases to reap as many units of service as possible from each ‘service delivery machine,’ with as little material (and low material intensive energy) inputs as necessary. This holds equally for tableware, cars, and railroad infrastructures, during their manufacturing phase, through ‘use’ cycles (maintenance, operation, cleaning, repair, collection, sorting, re-manufacturing, recycling etc.) to the environmentally acceptable disposal (legally prescribed). In all phases, transportation and packaging intensities need to be considered.

In order to assess the resource intensity of goods and services in a consistent manner, and thus to accomplish a first comparison of the respective environmental impacts, ‘ MIPS’ has been developed at the Wuppertal Institute. ‘ MIPS’ stands for ‘Material Inputs Per units of Service’ and must be computed from ‘cradle to grave’. It counts all material and energy-inputs needed to provide a defined service unit. The MIPS concept allflows for, for example, the monitoring of progress toward sustainability on the product or process level, or for companies, regions, or countries. MIPS does not account for toxic materials or noise pollution, but leads to time and cost-efficient estimations (see Footnote).

There are two ways for designers to reach a low- MIPS product or service, each with a different validity:

Seven Golden Rules

• The assessment of the environmental impacts of goods has to integrate the     whole life cycle (from ‘cradle to grave’)

• The service intensity of processes and goods has to be increased drastically

• The material intensity of processes and goods has to be reduced drastically

• The energy intensity of processes and goods has to be reduced

• The land-use through processes and goods has to be reduced

• The emission and use of toxins have to be eliminated

• The ecologically sound use of renewables has to be maximized.

• By re-designing existing products and inventing new ones which meet eco-efficiency demands. This requires the designer to consider the original purpose of the product, and how this service could be fulfilled with the minimum of harmful environmental effects during the product’s entire ‘cradle to grave’ life cycle.

By adopting a more systematic approach, to reflect the reorganization of production and consumption systems, but not necessarily resulting in a new product, but in a new service. Such systematic solutions are usually more effective than changes to the product. Nevertheless, they require behavioral changes on the part of producers and consumers, thus they may be more difficult to implement.

Rather than designing, producing and consuming more and more new products we need to create both, new dematerialised goods and alternative ways of selling services to the user. Concepts like product sharing, joint use, multiple purpose, and ‘environmental leasing’ are possible steps in that direction.

Steps toward sustainable prototype and design

The first question in a new design process should be: precisely, what kind of service must the new good or service fulfil? and what are the problems that need to be solved? With this in mind, the designer should search for environmentally.

Source: Schmidt-Bleek/Tischner, 1995

sound solutions that reduce the ‘cradle to grave’ consumption of matter and energy to a minimum, as well as waste and harmful substances.

In designing eco-efficient goods and services, ecological parameters should be considered before those for health, ergonomics, safety, and beauty. This is because only the availability of ecologically sensible goods and define the problem.

The bundle of services which the product or service should offer must be defined as clearly as possible.

The search for dematerialised solutions

Is it possible to fulfil the requirements without producing a new product? If not, then search for new solutions which provide an appropriate service.

Select the best ideas

Eliminate obviously unrealistic options and choose the most promising solutions, with the purpose of preserving the environment.

Detail the solutions selected environmentally relevant product properties and the package of services defined in step 1 must be considered.

Evaluation

The solutions in Step 4 should be compared, as well as current solutions, to find which will be the most effective. Ensure that all existing optimizations have been taken into account. Use MIPS to estimate the environmental impact potential.

Implementation (or return to Step 2) If a new solution appears advantageous, then it should be implemented, otherwise return to step 2 and try again. If it seems to be impossible to find a better and more environmentally sound design, the research should be terminated and directed towards another problem which could be solved more efficiently.

 A new planning method for eco-efficient design

services will prevent our ecological collapse in the future, making all other considerations less basic.

The most important decision in an ecologically-oriented product policy process is, what kind of customer demands and needs the company should deal with.

Does it have to produce and sell a product to meet this demand?

Is it possible to offer a service?

 Efficient eco-design without Manufacturing phase:

Is it possible to offer product telling the company that this is material intensity leasing? the design process you

How long should the lifespan are undertaking. Another is to renewable resource inputs of the product be extended?

 Find business benefits for the useful material outputs company such as marketing  waste intensity.

Experience

Efficient use of land area production, distribution and flows that eco-designers can water consumption consumption system that is produce improved solutions the Use phase connected with a good or a earlier they are integrated into material throughput service offered by a company. the planning process, provided energy inputs and outputs that they are able and willing to.

There are three main reasons why water consumption deal with issues relating to  why companies are interested…

 weight strategic decisions of thein ecologically sustainable or size and area coverage company environmentally conscious

auto-control, auto design: Ultimately, eco-design is only:

Optimization and multifunctionality as they have problems with as effective as the people who potential for subsequent environmental laws or other utilise it, because apart from the uses conditions and are forced to best available eco-efficient tech potential for joint use improve their products or nologies, we also need a change (i.e. by several households) production processes in terms in people’s behavior.

 Efficiency, longevity of ecology in technologies alone cannot  surface properties they expect sales advantages solve the ecological problems if anti-corrosivity by integrating environmental we continue to buy and discard reparability and social aspects into product as many products as we do today.

Structure and ease of prototyping and their market-Consumers also should realize disassembly ing activities that it is not always necessary robustness, reliability to own a product, to be able to strong personalities lead the

likelihood of material fatigue use it. With a little organization,company and integrate social adaptability to technical a system of sharing should be environmental responsibility progress feasible and relatively effortless business activities (and After first use phase for such products as cars, lawn their whole life). material composition mowers, washing machines, elecand complexity For other companies, which are tric drills, etc. Furthermore, the  collecting and sorting not concerned about environ-goods we own should have their opportunities mental and/or social issues, useful life extended as long as recycling potential of designers need to have sound possible through effective repairparts and materials business arguments to convince ing and then through selling incineration potential management that eco-design is them into an efficient second potential for composting the right thing to do. That is hand market. This means a impact on environment  always easy where ecology and change in our patterns of use,after disposal.

Economy go together and eco-as well as increasing product efficient design leads to cost-responsibility on the part of effective solutions. In other cases consumers and producers alike.

FRIA – an example for sustainable design

The FRIA is a hybrid between a traditional larder and a modern refrigerator. Once installed, the FRIA, unlike other kitchen furniture, remains in place. Built into a wall near the kitchen. The FRIA remains there until the building is demolished. During its entire life span the FRIA needs no material input apart from a small amount for energy and minimal spare parts.

When the FRIA is installed near an exterior wall it can utilise the outside air for cooling in winter. Cold air is conducted into the cooling chamber if the temperature is low enough. This method saves a great deal of energy.

The FRIA is designed to use circulating air for cooling. There are three cooling compartments. The two uncooled compartments are for storing canned goods and other non-perishable items. The cooled compartments are located in the most ergonomically suitable position, the freezer is at the top, the cooling chamber in the centre, and at the bottom a drawer at ‘cellar temperature’ for storing items such as fruits and vegetables. The temperature can be controlled from outside the appliance and the cooling volume can be adjusted from 100 to 220 liters.

This makes the FRIA adaptable to a user’s personal needs.

The FRIA’s doors are convex, which is not just an aesthetic design feature, but a functional element. Despite its narrow width, the FRIA has a large interior volume and a small surface-to-volume ratio. This means that less of the low temperature is lost through its housing, as is the case with a normal fridge, which can lose up to 80 percent of its energy in this way.

The FRIA’s cooling system could be a standard compressor unit, but almost any new technology is possible. This is because the cooling system is installed independently from the cooling chamber, which makes it easy to exchange. In this way technical improvements could be installed at convenient intervals. Through its installation into a wall recess the product can be insulated with alternative chloroflurocarbonfree (CFC) materials, such as blown concrete, cork or recycled paper. The blow-moulded doors can be filled with aerogel, which has improved insulating properties compared to CFC-containing polyurethane foams and is environmentally harmless. With this insulation material, the FRIA has even better insulating properties than today’s best ‘ecorefrigerators’. This, combined with the cold outside air being conducted into the cooling chamber in winter and the possibility of decreasing the cooling areas individually, reduces the FRIA’s energy consumption to at least 50 percent less than that of a conventional fridge.

The FRIA even considers the user’s taste, as it offers the option of matching the front of the doors and the handles to existing kitchen furniture.