1.49-Enviornmental Issues Flashcards
What are the 6 stages of product life cycle
1- Raw material extraction
2-raw material processing
3-manufacture
4-distribution
5-use
6-disposal
What are the 6 R’s
Rethink
Reuse
Recycle
Repair
Reduce
Refuse
Environmental impact of raw material extraction
Mining metals emits greenhouse gases, deforestation reduces amount of trees that can process co2 emissions, oil extraction emits greenhouse gases
Environmental impact of material processing
Turning raw materials into usable materials. Refining crude oil into plastic, processing wood into paper, smelting metal ore to alloys. This can use huge amounts of energy as well as producing harmful by products and waste materials
Environmental impact of manufacture
Making the product uses huge amounts of energy while producing waste material. Transforming material into parts using moulds or tools, assembling parts into products.
Environmental impact of distribution
Packaging can take up large amounts of material while also taking up expensive cargo space in distribution vehicles.
Environmental impact of use
Products are now being developed to waste less energy as part of legislation and consumer demand, though this process hasn’t been perfected and use still can have environmental impact.
Environmental impact of disposal
Products which are not recycled are thrown away in landfill sites, landfill is a big problem as it affects local people and also is harmful to nature and nearby habitats.
How does product design contribute to climate change and greenhouse gases
Levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased steadily over the last 200 years due to the Industrial Revolution. As population rises it demands a reliance on fossil fuels for energy which emits green house gases which is the main contributor to climate change.
3 Ways to reduce environmental impact through design
Using recycled materials in a products manufacture
Lowering products use of energy in use or manufacturing
Eco design- considering environmental lifecycle through design and manufacture of a product
2 more ways to Reduce environmental impact through design
Sustainable design- analysing an existing product and finding new ways of making the product more environmentally friendly
Sustainable innovation- finding new ways of producing products that reduce the impact on the environment
what is an environmental audit
a regular procedure that measures the environmental performance of a business.
reasons for an environmental audit
changes in government policies toward a greener more sustainable outlook.
profitability
accountability
efficiency
PR
what does an environmental audit identify
where processes are working
where they need improvement
potential risks
that they meet environmental legal/policies requirements
what is waste management
deals with collection, transport, processing, recycling and disposal of waste, the reason is to reduce the effect waste has on the environment
3 examples of national government and EU influence
vehicle duty and fuel duty
waste electronic and electrical equipment
plastic bag charging
examples of ethnic and cultural influences on design and manufacture of products
colour- Chinese people see black as evil and red as good luck, which affects the design of things in China
clothing- western style ladies clothing may not sell well in the middle east due to religious practises
furniture design- normal designs in Europe would not sell well in Japan where it is a tradition to kneel on the floor to drink tea
what is embodied energy
the name given to the collective sum of all energy required to produce any material, product or service. encompassing a whole range of processes from manufacture of the product through its transport to its place of use and its use for particular application.
What is responsible sourcing
Taking into account social, economic and environmental dimensions when obtaining materials and products from the supply chain
4 Examples of responsible sourcing
Fair payment of workers
Adequate consideration to local communities
Safe acceptable working conditions
Sustainable environmental controls during extraction and processing
Examples of responsible sourcing
Forest stewardship council (FSC)
Fairtrade
Issues with recycling plastic
Emits GHG and carbon.
Plastic degrades quickly during recycling so it’s sustainability for packaging is questionable.
Plastic recycling can result in more pollution and energy consumption to clean, sort, store and transport than it saves.
Advantages of Sustainable use of metals
Higher content of recycled metal will result in less energy used.
Cheaper to use recycled metals rather than mining new ones.
Applying responsible sourcing can achieve sustainability objectives.
Disadvantages of sustainability in manufacturing of plastic
Non renewable sources are used.
High GHG emissions associated with the use of energy for manufacturing resins for plastics and and processing of plastics.
Disadvantage of disposal of plastics
Many products end up in landfill.
Recycling can be expensive and time consuming.
Due to poor management plastic is disposed of in unauthorised dumping sites or burned uncontrollably.
Plastic can end up in marine environments harming wild life.
What are biodegradable plastics
Plastics that break down manually e.g. disposable food packaging
Properties of biodegradable plastics
Good tensile strength
Biodegradable
Lightweight
Lees plastic ending up in landfill
What are photodegradable plastics
Plastic that breaks down when exposed to light
What are photodegradable plastics used for
Used as plastic mulch in agriculture
