UNIT 15 L1 ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Flashcards
What are the Six R’s of sustainability?
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Repair
Refuse
Rethink
Explain ‘Reduce’ in the six R’s
- Cutting down on the amount of material and energy used to make an package the product. Companies can use less material while retain integral strength properties, and use less raw materials.
Explain the ‘Reuse’ in the six R’s
Reuse the product for the same or another purpose. This may influence decisions such as ease of disassembly when designing
Explain the ‘Recycle in the six R’s
Convert the waste products into new materials for new products, conserving finite resources such as crude oil for making polymers. Legislations exist for manufacturers to meet recycling targets.
Explain Primary recycling
the use of functioning second-hand products, which the first user no longer has a need for, e.g. things for sale at a charity shop.
Explain secondary recycling
At the end of the product’s life, the materials are recycled to make different products.
What is an example of secondary recycling?
Boat sails can be recycled to make seating products such as beanbags.
Explain Tertiary recycling
Completely breaking down a product and reformulating it via a chemical process
What is an example of tertiary recyling?
Polymer drink bottles can be shredded and spun into fibres to make fleece textile clothing. Polymer vending machine cups are made into pencils.
Explain ‘Repair’ in the six R’s
When a product fails, fix it rather than throwing it away. Designers have a responsibility to consider the use of resources as well as address the ‘throw away’ culture many consumers adopt.
Explain ‘Refuse’ in the six R’s
Exercise consumer choice as to whether to buy a product or not. The consumer may choose not to buy a product if they consider the product to be bad for the environment or if they do not need it.
What are considerations for the consumer on whether to buy a product?
- Do I really need the product?
- Has the product been ethically made?
- Is the product sustainable?
Explain ‘Rethink’ in the six R’s
Rethink the way products are designed and manufactured so that they carry out the same function but more efficiently
What is an example of the rethinking principle in the ‘six R’s’ for companies?
Making products more energy efficient in terms of both manufacture and running cost. This include design aspects such as the use of click fittings and SMA’s to aid product disassembly.
What is an example of the rethinking principle in the ‘six R’s’ for consumers?
Taking a refillable cup to a coffee shop outlet rather than using a throw away single-use cup.
What is a carbon footprint?
The carbon footprint is the total amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an individual, a communityy or organisation
What does primary carbon footprint measure?
Measure direct emissions of CO2 from the burning fossil fuels, including transport and domestic energy consumption. E.g. 2.3 kg of CO2 is emitted for every one litre of petrol used
What does secondary footprint measure?
Measures indirect CO2 from the products we use. The production of five polymer carrier bags produces 1kg of CO2.
How do you calaculate your carbon footprint?
Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions caused by your activities over one year
Name environmental pollutants
- carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides
- methane and VOCs
- Particulates
- Petrochemicals
- Biochemicals
What percentage of deforestation is due to greenhouse gases?
15%
What does deforestation lead to?
Soil erosion and flooding
how much plastic do we use in the UK each year?
5 million tones
What caused the use of plastic bags to plummet?
The 5p charge that was introduced in 2015, and the government is currently considering a plastic bottle recycling scheme and tax on takeaway that only plastic packaging
How did Marks and Spencer resign their carton pizza box?
Pizza used to sit on a polystyrene (PS) tray, shrink wrapped in LDPE inside a carton board box, now it sits on a narrow recycled card sleeve
What percentage did Marks and Spencer’s redesign on the carton box reduce the packaging resources to?
Reduced overall packaging by 62 percent, and made a saving of over 480 tonnes of packaging a year.
What is carbon offsetting?
To compensate for the CO2 we create, individuals, companies and countries can ‘offset’ it by stopping it being created elsewhere by:
- planting tress
- using electric vehicles
- choosing renewable energy
- donating to environmental charities
What is a way to reduce the litter caused by single-use plastics?
In Norway, deposit return schemes have led to 96% of plastic bottles being returned
