<\/a>The problem with making \u2018sustainable\u2019 products<\/strong><\/h2>\nWalk into a clothing store, gift store, or supermarket and you notice it immediately: \u2018Sustainability\u2019 is the product feature of the future<\/strong><\/span>. Brands already disclose carbon footprints or other environmental information on their products.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSustainability is a commercial aspect now. This puts a lot of pressure on R&D departments to deliver real environmentally sustainable products.<\/p>\n
But the problem with sustainability is that it\u2019s very interpretive what it actually means:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- How do you <\/span>define<\/b> a sustainable product?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Which <\/span>aspects <\/b>of your product should be sustainable?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- For <\/span>whom<\/b> or what should it be sustainable?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- For <\/span>how long <\/b>should it be sustainable?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As a result, we now see the terms Ecodesign and circular design pop up too. All trying to create a framework for what a sustainable product should be. How do you know which approach fits you best?<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/image-19.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nThe differences: sustainable design, ecodesign, and circular design<\/strong><\/h2>\nYou can divide the terms sustainable design, ecodesign, and circular design based on their \u2018focus scopes\u2019. Although *secretly*, they all cover <\/span>very similar <\/b>design approaches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>1. Sustainable design<\/strong><\/h3>\nSustainable design is the <\/span>broadest concept.<\/b> Generally<\/span><\/a>, it indicates you design a product in a way that takes the reduction of social, environmental, and economic impacts at the heart. Minimizing these impacts as much as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nReducing \u2018economic impacts\u2019 refer to boosting renewable- and minimizing exhaustible natural resources as physical inputs for economic production. In product design, this \u2018economic impact\u2019 aspect is mainly covered through making environmentally beneficial choices that minimize exhausting natural resources. E.g. by looking into recycling, upcycling, and other circular design aspects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1.1 Sustainable product design in practice.<\/strong><\/h4>\nThe best and most common approach in sustainable product design \u2013 is looking at design choices that reduce social and environmental impacts along <\/span>every step in the life cycle of your products.<\/b> So, from raw materials to the production, to transport, to use by customers, to the waste phase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFor example, take a simple T-Shirt and map out all the life cycle stages. Per stage, critically analyze the social and environmental aspects of your value chain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Social impact:<\/b> Are workers being paid fair wages? How are the working conditions for workers in manufacturing processes? Does your product have health-endangering effects on consumers when used?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Environmental impact:<\/b> Which materials in my production are impact-intensive? Which of my manufacturing processes can be sustainably optimized? How does the waste of my products impact the environment? The best way to answer these questions is by using environmental data to test their effect on your footprint.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Phases-in-a-product-lifecycle-LCA\"](\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Phases-in-a-product-lifecycle-LCA.jpg\")
Image 1: The different phases in a product\u2019s lifecycle (Life Cycle Assessment method)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/a>2. Ecodesign<\/h3>\nEcodesign<\/span><\/a> is a sustainable design approach. Whilst sustainable product design focuses on both social and environmental sustainability \u2013 Ecodesign focuses only on reducing <\/span>environmental impact<\/b> at every step of your product\u2019s life cycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe term Ecodesign is very intertwined with the EU Framework established in 2005: the European Ecodesign Directive. The Ecodesign Directive wants to make durable and sustainable products the norm. It was first developed for energy-consuming products, providing Ecodesign rules to limit the energy consumption of electronics. Its rules now expand to other branches under the proposed \u201cEcodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation\u201d proposal (<\/span>ESPR<\/span><\/a>). Think of Ecodesign rules for construction products, textile products, packaging, chemicals, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe ESPR stimulates sustainable products that are (energy) efficient in use, have a longer lifespan, use recycled materials instead of primary raw materials, and are marketed using <\/span>circular business models<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n2.1 Ecodesign in practice.<\/strong><\/h4>\nThe foundation for Ecodesign is <\/span>environmental data.<\/b> This data is the result of performing the scientific method for environmental footprinting called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). An LCA measures 15+ impact categories for each step in a product\u2019s life cycle. Its environmental data tells you exactly which process, material, or component in which life cycle phase, causes your <\/span>biggest impact<\/b>. It provides focus on where to improve your design \u2013 to gain the biggest impact reduction potential.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA couple of <\/span>Ecodesign strategies<\/span><\/a> are:<\/span><\/h5>\n\n- Product Stewardship: <\/b>Take full responsibility for your product\u2019s entire lifecycle. E<\/span>nsure the product isn\u2019t lost at the end of its life- but stays in the value system. A key element here is a take-back system. A business example here is our customer Philips.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Dematerialization: <\/b>Generally, more materials mean more impact. Dematerialization is all about reducing the weight, size, and number of materials you use in your design.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Modularity: <\/b>Design your product in a way that every individual part can be rearranged to fit the end-user\u2019s needs. The result: products have longer lives as individual parts get updated to fit required changes over time. A business example here is the modular phone from <\/span>Fairphone<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Longevity: <\/b>This means you want your product to have the longest life possible. By making products durable and that retain value over time so people can pass them on or resell them. E.g. Think of high-quality watches or cars that are aesthetically timeless. A business example here is the shoes with extra long lifespans from <\/span>EMMA Safety Footwear. <\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Disassembly: <\/b>Design your product to be easily taken apart for recycling at the end of its life.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Recyclability: <\/b>Focus your design on the recyclability of every material\/part of your product. Look how easy it is to recycle the product\/materials- to ensure they actually end up being recycled.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a>3. Circular Design<\/strong><\/h3>\nFinally, there\u2019s circular product design.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAccording to the <\/span>Ellen McArthur Foundation<\/span><\/a>, Circular design means designing a product or service that creates no waste and pollution and keeps products and materials in use. Circular design essentially contributes to a closed-loop system in our economy where everything is shared, repaired, reused, or recycled. The desired outcome: no waste, no impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n3.1 Circular design in practice<\/strong><\/h4>\nIn practice, circular design means you look at your product\u2019s design with two specific goals. <\/span><\/p>\n(1) Minimum (preferably zero) waste & pollution throughout your product\u2019s life cycle. <\/span><\/p>\n(2) Make sure your product\u2019s value doesn\u2019t decrease at the end of its life. <\/span><\/p>\nFind some of the circular design strategies \u2013 as highlighted by the Ellen McArthur Foundation in the list below<\/span><\/p>\nThe Ecodesign Directive and circular design practices both have circular business models and minimum waste & impacts as end goals. Environmental data, again, plays a huge role. However, measuring circularity is <\/span>very difficult <\/b>and there isn\u2019t one commonly accepted measurement method, like LCA in Ecodesign. There is the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), which also uses LCA results as its foundation. You can find its methodology <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSome examples of circular design strategies<\/a>:<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n- Designing for inner loops: <\/b>Inner loops are the most high-value material loops. It\u2019s where the materials in your product maintain the highest value during- and after the end of its life. Think of designs made for reusing, sharing, remanufacturing, or refurbishing. Recycling is the value loop that lowers the value of your materials the most.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Moving from products to services: <\/b>This is all about shifting from ownership to access. Consumers often only need a product for a shorter time. So instead of buying it, you can offer your product as a service (e.g. via a subscription). This way, many different consumers use the same product. An example is <\/span>Swapfiets<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Product life extension:<\/b> Making products that last is a key element of the circular economy. It results in the production of fewer products, hopefully, used by multiple owners. Here, design focuses on creating emotionally, esthetically, and physically durable products.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Safe and circular material choices:<\/b> It\u2019s crucial that we choose materials safe for both people and the environment. The Circular Design Guide has many methods and tools to help you do so <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ecochain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Sustainable-product-design-apporoaches_Ecochain.jpg\")
Image 2. Summary of the 3 different sustainable design approaches.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe difference between Ecodesign and Circular Design<\/strong><\/h2>\nLifecycle impact vs Resource efficiency\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n\n- The main goal of Ecodesign is to minimize the environmental footprint throughout every phase of the product\u2019s lifecycle (lifecycle impact). Even if that means you are less efficient with the natural resources you use.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- However, Circular Design\u2019s aim is to be as resource-efficient as possible. Designs should use fewer natural resources, whilst reducing the amount of waste generated. Even if that means life cycle impact is bigger.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Reduce waste vs no waste\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Ecodesign is based on the hierarchical structure of waste. You can approach waste in your product design in order of reuse (best option), recycling, recovery, and disposal (worst option). Still, conceptually Ecodesign assumes waste will most likely continue to exist.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- In Circular Design, ideally, materials and products ideally are used infinitely. Eliminating the whole idea of waste in our economy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a>Which product design approach fits you best?<\/strong><\/h2>\nAlthough they differ in focus, the 3 design approaches have these most important aspects in common:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Environmental data as foundation:<\/b> All design approaches use (mostly) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results as the foundation to create improvement scenarios and test the environmental effects of new designs.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Full Life Cycle approach: <\/b>All design types look at reducing the environmental (and social) footprint throughout the complete life cycle of a product \u2013 from production to the end of its life (waste\/recycling\/upcycling\/reused\/etc).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Circular business models:<\/b> all these design approaches have (more) circular business models as the end goal. This means you need to optimize your design to minimize waste and environmental impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Companies adopt both circular and ecodesign. However, since European Ecodesign legislation will highly increase in the next 5 years \u2013 many companies choose to embrace this design approach to improve their footprint and prepare for legislation. Combining it with circular design approaches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe conclusion: <\/b>Which approach fits you best depends on your sustainability drivers (legislation, customer demand, intrinsic motivations). However, even with different terms, these approaches cover many of the same aspects. So, regardless of which design approach you choose: use environmental data, take a full lifecycle approach, and aim for a circular business model.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>First step in sustainable design: Measure impact\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhether you want to test and compare already existing designs- or try out different materials and processes. Sustainable design, Ecodesign, or Circular design <\/span>always<\/b> starts with measuring the environmental footprint (LCA) of your product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Sustainability is a commercial aspect now. This puts a lot of pressure on R&D departments to deliver real environmentally sustainable products.<\/p>\n
But the problem with sustainability is that it\u2019s very interpretive what it actually means:<\/span><\/p>\n As a result, we now see the terms Ecodesign and circular design pop up too. All trying to create a framework for what a sustainable product should be. How do you know which approach fits you best?<\/span><\/p>\n You can divide the terms sustainable design, ecodesign, and circular design based on their \u2018focus scopes\u2019. Although *secretly*, they all cover <\/span>very similar <\/b>design approaches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sustainable design is the <\/span>broadest concept.<\/b> Generally<\/span><\/a>, it indicates you design a product in a way that takes the reduction of social, environmental, and economic impacts at the heart. Minimizing these impacts as much as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Reducing \u2018economic impacts\u2019 refer to boosting renewable- and minimizing exhaustible natural resources as physical inputs for economic production. In product design, this \u2018economic impact\u2019 aspect is mainly covered through making environmentally beneficial choices that minimize exhausting natural resources. E.g. by looking into recycling, upcycling, and other circular design aspects.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The best and most common approach in sustainable product design \u2013 is looking at design choices that reduce social and environmental impacts along <\/span>every step in the life cycle of your products.<\/b> So, from raw materials to the production, to transport, to use by customers, to the waste phase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For example, take a simple T-Shirt and map out all the life cycle stages. Per stage, critically analyze the social and environmental aspects of your value chain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ecodesign<\/span><\/a> is a sustainable design approach. Whilst sustainable product design focuses on both social and environmental sustainability \u2013 Ecodesign focuses only on reducing <\/span>environmental impact<\/b> at every step of your product\u2019s life cycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The term Ecodesign is very intertwined with the EU Framework established in 2005: the European Ecodesign Directive. The Ecodesign Directive wants to make durable and sustainable products the norm. It was first developed for energy-consuming products, providing Ecodesign rules to limit the energy consumption of electronics. Its rules now expand to other branches under the proposed \u201cEcodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation\u201d proposal (<\/span>ESPR<\/span><\/a>). Think of Ecodesign rules for construction products, textile products, packaging, chemicals, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The ESPR stimulates sustainable products that are (energy) efficient in use, have a longer lifespan, use recycled materials instead of primary raw materials, and are marketed using <\/span>circular business models<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The foundation for Ecodesign is <\/span>environmental data.<\/b> This data is the result of performing the scientific method for environmental footprinting called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). An LCA measures 15+ impact categories for each step in a product\u2019s life cycle. Its environmental data tells you exactly which process, material, or component in which life cycle phase, causes your <\/span>biggest impact<\/b>. It provides focus on where to improve your design \u2013 to gain the biggest impact reduction potential.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, there\u2019s circular product design.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to the <\/span>Ellen McArthur Foundation<\/span><\/a>, Circular design means designing a product or service that creates no waste and pollution and keeps products and materials in use. Circular design essentially contributes to a closed-loop system in our economy where everything is shared, repaired, reused, or recycled. The desired outcome: no waste, no impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In practice, circular design means you look at your product\u2019s design with two specific goals. <\/span><\/p>\n (1) Minimum (preferably zero) waste & pollution throughout your product\u2019s life cycle. <\/span><\/p>\n (2) Make sure your product\u2019s value doesn\u2019t decrease at the end of its life. <\/span><\/p>\n Find some of the circular design strategies \u2013 as highlighted by the Ellen McArthur Foundation in the list below<\/span><\/p>\n The Ecodesign Directive and circular design practices both have circular business models and minimum waste & impacts as end goals. Environmental data, again, plays a huge role. However, measuring circularity is <\/span>very difficult <\/b>and there isn\u2019t one commonly accepted measurement method, like LCA in Ecodesign. There is the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), which also uses LCA results as its foundation. You can find its methodology <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lifecycle impact vs Resource efficiency\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Reduce waste vs no waste\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Although they differ in focus, the 3 design approaches have these most important aspects in common:<\/span><\/p>\n Companies adopt both circular and ecodesign. However, since European Ecodesign legislation will highly increase in the next 5 years \u2013 many companies choose to embrace this design approach to improve their footprint and prepare for legislation. Combining it with circular design approaches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The conclusion: <\/b>Which approach fits you best depends on your sustainability drivers (legislation, customer demand, intrinsic motivations). However, even with different terms, these approaches cover many of the same aspects. So, regardless of which design approach you choose: use environmental data, take a full lifecycle approach, and aim for a circular business model.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Whether you want to test and compare already existing designs- or try out different materials and processes. Sustainable design, Ecodesign, or Circular design <\/span>always<\/b> starts with measuring the environmental footprint (LCA) of your product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
<\/figure>\nThe differences: sustainable design, ecodesign, and circular design<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a>1. Sustainable design<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1.1 Sustainable product design in practice.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n
<\/a>2. Ecodesign<\/h3>\n
2.1 Ecodesign in practice.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
A couple of <\/span>Ecodesign strategies<\/span><\/a> are:<\/span><\/h5>\n
\n
<\/a>3. Circular Design<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3.1 Circular design in practice<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Some examples of circular design strategies<\/a>:<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\n
The difference between Ecodesign and Circular Design<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
<\/a>Which product design approach fits you best?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
<\/a>First step in sustainable design: Measure impact\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n