Product sustainability and social issues

Question 1

what is continuous improvement

Answer 1

the process by which manufacturers are constantly trying to improve their products

Question 2

advantages of continuous improvement

Answer 2

• manufacturers can use this process to make changes to their product to make them have a reduced environmental impact
• e.g - with a lower carbon footprint
• products can be made more efficient, lowering carbon footprint

Question 3

disadvantages of continuous improvement

Answer 3

• can encourage consumers to replace existing products with new ones, which can result in older models being disposed of
• new replacement models have a higher carbon footprint
• new products being manufactured, packaged, transported and eventually disposed can result in the increase usage of finite resources

Question 4

what is the purpose of a life cycle assessment

Answer 4

to work out the potential environmental impact of a product

Question 5

what are the six Rs

Answer 5

• Repair
• Re - use
• Recycle
• Rethink
• Reduce
• Refuse

Question 6

Summarise Repair

Answer 6

• it’s better to fix rather than throw away, better for the nvironment

Question 7

Summarise re - use

Answer 7

customers can extend a products life by using it again

Question 8

summarise recycle

Answer 8

recycling uses less energy then obtaining new materials

Question 9

summarise rethink

Answer 9

think about your design carefully, you might be able to make the product in a different way

Question 10

summarise reduce

Answer 10

making long lasting, durable products like rechargeable batteries reduces the number of products consumers need to buy, meaning manufacturers spend less on energy and transport

Question 11

.summarise refuse

Answer 11

you can refuse to buy a product if you think it’s wasteful

Question 12

why might someone think a product is wasteful

Answer 12

• product has a lot of unecessary packaging
• product is inefficient or costly to run
• product has travelled long distances round the world to the UK

Question 13

how do employers make sure there is a safe working condition for employees

Answer 13

• using sufficient protective equipment
• training employees on how to be safe in the workplace

Question 14

parts of a life cycle assessment

Answer 14

Extraction
Manufacture
Transport
Usage
Disposal

Question 15

what is the ETI

Answer 15

Ethic Trading Initiative, which give certain standards for working conditions

Question 16

what is a products social footprint

Answer 16

how the extraction - disposal of a product affects people

Question 17

what is consumer demand

Answer 17

designers designing things to satisfy the wants and needs of the consumer