2.8 Responsible Design

Question 1

Reuse

Answer 1

At the end of a product’s life, reuse the product for the same or another purpose

Question 2

Reduce

Answer 2

Cut down the amount of material and energy used to make and package the product

Question 3

Recycle

Answer 3

Convert waste products into new materials for new products

Question 4

Repair

Answer 4

When a product or component fails, fix it rather than throwing it away

Question 5

Refuse

Answer 5

Exercise consumer choice as to whether to buy a product (normally due to ethical reasons)

Question 6

Rethink

Answer 6

Rethink the way products are designed and manufactured so they carry out the same function but more efficiently

Question 7

Carbon Footprint

Answer 7

The total amount of co2 released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an individual, a community or an organisation.

Question 8

Primary Carbon Footprint

Answer 8

Direct emissions of C02 from the burning of fossil fuels including transport and domestic energy consumption

Question 9

Circular Economy

Answer 9

An approach the anticipates and designs for the biological and technical nutrients to be continuously reused at the same quality, dramatically reducing the dependency on sourcing new materials.

Question 10

Primary Recycling

Answer 10

The use of functioning second-hand products which the first user no longer wants or has use for. E.g use of charity shops and eBay

Question 11

Secondary Recycling

Answer 11

Materials are recycled to make different products e.g Boat sails can be used to make bean bags

Question 12

Tertiary Recycling

Answer 12

Completely breaking down a product and reformulating it via a chemical process. Polymer drinks can be shredded and spun into fibres for clothing.

Question 13

Advantages of renewable energy

Answer 13

Sustainable and will never run out
Renewable energy facilities require less maintenance
Reduced operational costs
Little to no waste such as Co2 reducing environmental impact
Renewable energy projects create jibs and bring local services to areas.

Question 14

Disadvantages of renewable energy

Answer 14

Difficult to generate large quantities of electricity
Reliant on weather
Cannot be stored in large quantities for later use due to impracticalities of having battery power plant backups
More expensive due to large initial set up cost for new technologies.

Question 15

Examples of reducing packaging

Answer 15

Using concentrate to reduce polymer use in drinks packaging
Using pizza packaging with a narrow sleeve compared to a box, reducing packaging by 62%
Bag for life and charging money for plastic bags. The charge reduced plastic bag use by 80% in Scotland

Question 16

Keepcup: Key example

Answer 16

Reusable coffee cup.
Made through injection moulding, which is a low energy process
Made from one material (pp) which means parts don’t need to be disassembled, and PP has a low melting point.
Light and stackable, reducing the cost of shipping, making use of transport space and uses less fuel to transport items
Reduction of 36%-47% of Co2 emissions compared to paper cups.

Question 17

Secondary Carbon Footprint

Answer 17

Indirect C02 from the products we use