The Environment /

Question 1

Sustainability

Answer 1

The long term sustainability of the planet’s resources. Designers now have a much better understanding of which materials are sustainable and who are not, and the effect that over harvesting and over consumption has on the planet.

Question 2

Finite resources

Answer 2

Ones which are in limited supply or that cannot be reproduced.

Question 3

Non-finite resources

Answer 3

Ones which are in abundant supply and are unlikely ever to be exhausted, or ones that can be grown and replaced at the rate that they are being used.

Question 4

Life Cycle Assessment

Answer 4

Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment is a way for companies to asses the environmental impact of a product during the different stages if the product’s life.

Question 5

Stages of a Life Cycle Assessment

Answer 5

1. Extracting and processing
2. Manufacturing and production
3. Distribution
4. In use
5. End of life

Question 6

Waste disposal

Answer 6

Everybody should take responsibility for recycling, this is to insure that the resources we have will last as long as possible and that landfill sites do not fill up to quickly.

Question 7

Continuous improvement

Answer 7

Kaizen simply means change for the better. An employee that discovers a potential saving will be rewarded. This encourages a sense of teamwork and can lead to greater productivity and less waste in the system.

Question 8

Efficient working

Answer 8

Just in time and lean manufacturing methods are adopted by businesses in order to save money and gain a competitive edge.

Question 9

Pollution

Answer 9

It is almost impossible to make a product without causing some form of pollution. It may be created directly through processing materials or indirectly through energy consumption in manufacture or during the products use.

Question 10

Carbon offsetting

Answer 10

A product is considered to be carbon neutral if it produces zero emissions when the LCA has taken all actions in to consideration.