"This step of avoiding harmful materials can be surprisingly complex Designers begin by specifying materials with as low an environmental impact as possible and this requires understanding their material chemistry and life cycles in detail- not only the toxicity of a material itself, but also where it came from and how it was produced." (Robertson, 2014, p. 254)
I love to know that many companies are keeping a consideration of the impacts products have, whether that be through the simple delivery of materials, production of these said materials, or at the very end, in disposing of it in a reusable manner. Prior to having read this subsection concerning product design, I hadn't been aware of the steps many companies have taken to efficiently create a product design that can have less of a negative impact on our environment. An example within the text, for example, elaborated on how in 2008, Ford altered the type of foam used in the seats of their Mustang's, by using a soybean-based foam instead petroleum based. To think that by simply changing the type of foam, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted could be at least reduced a little, is amazing. This expanding understanding and knowledge of alternate materials in having a more energy efficient process can surely aid in conserving more energy for the future.
"In contrast, modern cultural expectations are that each individual or household will acquire its own set of objects and that many of the objects, such as cell phones or clothing, will be discarded and replaced frequently" (Robertson, 2014, p. 256)
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| Photo by Peter Essick. National Geographic |
I'm in complete agreement with what was said in this section of the reading. The influences of product life are entirely dependent on cultural aspects and time period. Although certain changes have been placed to minimize this, it's self-evident how we currently are discarding and changing many of our material belongings. Phones, and other electronics are the first things that come to mind when I read this. Apple, for example, year after year, releases an updated and "better" version of the iPhone or another electronic. People fall into that trap and, as a result, are constantly changing their electronics. "One solution is to develop simple, elegant designs made of single or limited numbers of materials." (Robertson, 2014, p. 256) I always thought, "why doesn't Apple simply have just upgrades with the current phone one has and leave it at that. A pro with Apple, as do other phone companies, is that (if I'm not mistaken) they do offer people to turn in their old phones and recycle them. I have always used this for my phones, and the same goes for my parents. However, I'm not sure if this would count as a takeback program, but I would assume it could be. Goodwill is another good example. They offer the public an ability to donate any clothing, that of which is redistributed in their stores. As I remember hearing, if a person's clothing items isn't sold for an allotted amount of time, the clothes are sent to other places be it goodwill outlets, auctions, or textile recyclers. The kicker is this: if the clothes are wet, moldy, or contaminated they are thrown out to a landfill. All in all, they aren't disposing this properly, when clothes can be very easily recycled.
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| Photo by Tyrone Turner. National Geographic |
Transportation is a major key in product distribution, and as a result, also a primary source of greenhouse gases. Especially now, with sites such as Amazon and eBay, etc. transportation has become an even more added stressor- an unstoppable and leading cause for these destructive emissions. It's comforting to know that there are companies out there that are trying to make a difference, however.
Source: Robertson, M. (2014). Sustainability principles and practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
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