Product sustainability Flashcards
what is sustainability
not causing permanent damage to the environment and not using up finite resources
what are finite resources
ones that’ll run out eventually
what does the sustainability of a product depend on
- what material it’s made out of
- whether or not it’s recyclable or biodegradable
- the process used to make the product, e.g - how much energy was used?
- does it create a lot off waste and pollution?
- how long lasting and efficient the product is
meaning of biodegradable
it’ll breakdown over time
what is a products carbon footprint
the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere by making, using, reusing, recycling or disposing a product
what is design for diassembly
when a new product is designed so it can be easily taken apart at the end of its lifetime, allowing all the parts to be reused or recycled to make new products
why is design for diassembly used
because products made from lots of components with several different materials are awkward to recycle because it’s difficult to separate all the parts before you can recycle them
what is planned obsolescence
when products are designed to become useless (obsolete) quickly
- e.g - disposable razor blade
what is built in obsolescence
when design or technology go obsolete because they go out of fashion
e.g- phones
why is built in obsolescence bad
because more materials and energy is being used to make replacement products, which is bad for the environment
what is design for maintenance
when products are designed to last and have less impact on the environment, involves making it durable and making it so that parts of the product can be repaired ,maintained etc
- e.g - household appliances and modular electronics
what is deforestation
the cutting down of trees and forests to allow a different land use
why cant people just plant back the trees they cut down
it will take many years for them to grow back, hardwood trees take many years to mature
what is the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
an international, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting responsible management of the world’s forests. It provides certification for companies so that consumers know that there has been some responsible management of the forests.
