Sustainability Flashcards
6Rs
Repair Reduce Rethink Recycle Refuse Reuse
Repair
When a product breaks don’t or not work, fix product instead of throwing it
or have it so parts can be replaced instead of whole to repair
E.g tires and cars, replace tires instead of whole car
Refuses
Refuse to use material that impact environment or is not sustainable/ recyclable
Refuse to buy product that isn’t
Rethink
Rethink design (disassembly, longevity, dematerialisation) rethink if product is needed, rethink properties (how to make to recycle or last longer), rethink materials used
Recycle
Use recyclable or recycled materials
Recycle product after use
Obey recycle laws
Reuse
Reuse product Reusable product EG reuseable cloth masks Reusable lunch box Reusable water bottle
Reduce
Reduce energy used
Reduce material used
Product life cycle
From the collection of raw materials, transport, manufacturing, use, to the recycling or disposal at the end of the product’s life
Life cycle assessment define
A process of scientific investigation that explores the whole of life environmental impacts of a product
Why are life cycle assessments conducted/important
To get a better understanding of the products hidden environmental impacts
Customer often expect products to be daughter abd manufactured in a way that does little or no damage to the environment throughout their entire lifetime
Life cycle stages (6 marks)
Raw material extraction Transport Manufacture Transport and packaging Use Recycling or disposal
Life cycle inputs and outputs
Input: materials, output: waste
Input: energy, output: carbon emissions
Eco design strategies
Design for disassembly (designing a product so it can pulled apart easily)
Design for longevity (lasts longer)
Design for dematerialisation (using less materials without losing quality)
Decrease environmental impacts
Manufacture from sustainable, recyclable materials
Produce as little pollution as possible
Use as little energy/ fuel as possible
What is design for longevity
Design so product lasts longer
What is design for disassembly
Design so product can be easily taken apart
What is design for dematerialisation
Design so less materials used but quality/ properties of product do not reduce
wider initiatives:
internationally-agreed symbols on product packaging, informs consumers
mobius loop- product can be recycled
green dot - manufacturer has contributed to the cost of recycling
Fair Trade
- movement that works to help people in developing countries get a fair deal for the products they produce
- producers are paid an agreed minimum rate for many products - paid even if global prices fall
- receive fair trade premiums payment that can use to invest in local education and healthcare etc
- consumers like to buy fair trade products as it fits with their values and principles
- fairtrade certification mark shows that a product meets fair trade standards
Papers&Boards
Source extraction recycling
Trees. Chopped. Bark removed. Chipped into fibres. Mixed with water and glue and turned into pulp. Pulp rolled and dried into stock form (e.g sheets)
Timber
Source and extraction and recycling
Trees. Chopped . Branches stripped. Bark removed. Logs cut into plank. Dried/seasoned in kiln
Metal
Source, extraction and recycling
Ore. Big rocks dug out of ground. Ore is mined/quarried from it or caves. Contaminants removed. Ore is refined and made pure, collected and melted and casted into pure ingots or other stock forms.
Polymer
Crude oil. Polymerisation (attaching monomers together). Fractional distillation used to separate crude oil into different polymers
Recyclability of paper and boards
All apart from ones made from crude oil. Crude oil ones more difficult to recycle. Biodegradable. Foil lined board cannot be recycled as it is composite
Recyclability/ end life of timber
Shredded. Mixed with water and chemicals and turned into pulp, recycled into paper
or burnt as fuel
or broken down into fibres for use in manufactured boards
Or biodegrade in landfill
Recyclability of metals
Metal collected separate and squashed. Metals shredded and placed in large furnace to melt. Purification happens. Molten metal carrier to conveyer belt to cooling chamber.
Recyclability of polymers
Finite. Synthetic ones aren’t biodegradable. Ones made from vegetable oils are. Thermpolymers can be remelted.
Expanded polystyrene, polypropylene are made from
Crude oil
Social and ethical awareness
Consequences of a design on wider society which may be unintended or unexpected
