1.49-Enviornmental Issues

Question 1

What are the 6 stages of product life cycle

Answer 1

1- Raw material extraction
2-raw material processing
3-manufacture
4-distribution
5-use
6-disposal

Question 2

What are the 6 R’s

Answer 2

Rethink
Reuse
Recycle
Repair
Reduce
Refuse

Question 3

Environmental impact of raw material extraction

Answer 3

Mining metals emits greenhouse gases, deforestation reduces amount of trees that can process co2 emissions, oil extraction emits greenhouse gases

Question 4

Environmental impact of material processing

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Environmental impact of manufacture

Answer 5

Making the product uses huge amounts of energy while producing waste material. Transforming material into parts using moulds or tools, assembling parts into products.

Question 6

Environmental impact of distribution

Answer 6

Packaging can take up large amounts of material while also taking up expensive cargo space in distribution vehicles.

Question 7

Environmental impact of use

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

Environmental impact of disposal

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

How does product design contribute to climate change and greenhouse gases

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

3 Ways to reduce environmental impact through design

Answer 10

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

Question 11

2 more ways to Reduce environmental impact through design

Answer 11

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

Question 12

what is an environmental audit

Answer 12

a regular procedure that measures the environmental performance of a business.

Question 13

reasons for an environmental audit

Answer 13

changes in government policies toward a greener more sustainable outlook.
profitability
accountability
efficiency
PR

Question 14

what does an environmental audit identify

Answer 14

where processes are working
where they need improvement
potential risks
that they meet environmental legal/policies requirements

Question 15

what is waste management

Answer 15

deals with collection, transport, processing, recycling and disposal of waste, the reason is to reduce the effect waste has on the environment

Question 16

3 examples of national government and EU influence

Answer 16

vehicle duty and fuel duty
waste electronic and electrical equipment
plastic bag charging

Question 17

examples of ethnic and cultural influences on design and manufacture of products

Answer 17

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

Question 18

what is embodied energy

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

What is responsible sourcing

Answer 19

Taking into account social, economic and environmental dimensions when obtaining materials and products from the supply chain

Question 20

4 Examples of responsible sourcing

Answer 20

Fair payment of workers
Adequate consideration to local communities
Safe acceptable working conditions
Sustainable environmental controls during extraction and processing

Question 21

Examples of responsible sourcing

Answer 21

Forest stewardship council (FSC)
Fairtrade

Question 22

Issues with recycling plastic

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Advantages of Sustainable use of metals

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

Disadvantages of sustainability in manufacturing of plastic

Answer 24

Non renewable sources are used.
High GHG emissions associated with the use of energy for manufacturing resins for plastics and and processing of plastics.

Question 25

Disadvantage of disposal of plastics

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

What are biodegradable plastics

Answer 26

Plastics that break down manually e.g. disposable food packaging

Question 27

Properties of biodegradable plastics

Answer 27

Good tensile strength
Biodegradable
Lightweight
Lees plastic ending up in landfill

Question 28

What are photodegradable plastics

Answer 28

Plastic that breaks down when exposed to light

Question 29

What are photodegradable plastics used for

Answer 29

Used as plastic mulch in agriculture