2014  INNOVATION  FORUM  

8  AUGUST  2014,  TAURANGA  NEW  ZEALAND  

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SUSTAINABILITY      A  CATALYST  FOR  INNOVATION?  Some  Ideas,  Experiences,  Outcomes  &  Lessons        John  Gertsakis  –  Chief  Sustainability  Officer  InfoacPv,  Melbourne  Australia  

THE  GREENING  OF  DESIGN  ..  SOME  CONCEPTS  ECODESIGN  +  SUSTAINABLE  PRODUCT  DEVELOPMENT  

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What  is  Sustainable  Development?  

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, 1987

Consuming  the  Future  

Per  capita  consumpPon  of  materials  and  energy  across  OECD  countries  is  increasing.    Designers,  engineers  and  entrepreneurs  can  intervene  at  a  very  early  stage  to  maximise  the  environmental  performance  of  products  and  services.    

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Defining  EcoDesign  

 

The  development  of  products  by  applying  environmental  criteria  aimed  at  the  reducPon  of  environmental  impacts  along  all  stages  of  the  product  life  cycle.  

Role  of  EcoDesign  

•  Address  key  issues  at  source    

•  Lock-­‐in    posiLve  environmental  features  eg.  durability,  recycled  content,  Design  for  Disassembly,  Recycling  and/or  Remanufacturing,  water  and  energy  efficiency  in  use.    

•  Lock-­‐out    negaLve  environmental  features  eg.  avoid  specificaPon  of  toxic  or  hazardous  substances,  eliminate  or  reduce  consumables,  high  embodied  energy  materials.    

 

Product  impacts  

Need  to  consider  impacts  at  every  stage  :  materials  and  energy  consumed;    wastes  and  emissions  produced  

 

Raw Materials material processing

Product manufacture

Distribution and storage

Use Disposal/ Recycling

Materials  and  energy  

Wastes  and  emissions  

Basic  EcoDesign  Strategies  

•  Efficient  design  •  Cyclic  design  •  Safe  design  •  CommunicaPons  design  

The Total Beauty of Sustainable Products by Edwin Datschefski

Efficient  Design  

Keep  the  material  and  resource  inputs  to  a  minimum    Doing  more  with  less    

Cyclic  Design  

Design  to  enable  materials  to  be  conPnuously  cycled  through  natural  or  industrial  systems

Safe  Design  

Avoid  toxic  and  hazardous  substances  and  processes    Keep  human  health  in  mind  as  well  as  ecological  impacts    

CommunicaLons  Design  

Ensure  product  and  packaging-­‐related  communicaPons  are  informaPve  and  accurate    Encourage  and  enable  responsible  consumer  behaviour    

Beyond  EcoDesign  

Sustainable  Product  Development    Key  factors  acPng  concurrently:    

1.  Economic  2.  Environmental  3.  Social        4.  Ethical        

THE  GREENING  OF  DESIGN  …  REAL  OUTCOMES  

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EcoDesign  outcomes  

•  Materials  efficiency  •  Design  for  extended  product  life  •  Designed  for  disassembly  •  Designed  for  recyclability  •  Fewer  components  and  assemblies  •  Designed  for  refurbishment  •  Post-­‐consumer  cycled  content  •  Minimal  coaPngs  &  hazardous  substances  

DEAD  TELEVISIONS,  COMPUTERS  &  PHONES  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  PRODUCT  STEWARDSHIP  

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CONFIDENTIAL    /

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Extended  Producer  Responsibility  

EPR  is  defined  for  the  purposes  of  the  OECD  project,  as  the  extension  of  the  responsibiliPes  of  producers  to  the  post  consumer  stage  of  products’  life  cycles.      EPR  strategies  suggest  that  the  use  and  post-­‐consumer  phases  of  a  product’s  life  cycle  are  important  aspects  of  the  polluPon’  for  which  responsibility  must  be  assumed  under  the  Polluter  Pays  Principle.  

Product    Stewardship  

A  concept  with  a  longer  history  and  its  origins  in  the  petro-­‐  chemical/plas6cs  industries  but  now  expanding  to  electrical  &  electronics  products,  packaging  and  commercial  furniture.    Product  Stewardship  is  about  managing  the  life  cycle  of  a  Product  from  ‘cradle  to  grave’,  to  systemaPcally  limit  its  direct  and  indirect  impacts  on  the  environment  at  all  stages  of  that  ‘life’.

     

1996    First  Australian  report  on  e-­‐waste  recycling  –  RMIT  University  

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   2000    Pilot  TV  collecPon  &  recycling  project  –  Metro  Melbourne  

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2004    A  NaPonal  Product  Stewardship  Approach  for  Electronics  –  Strategy  

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2007    ByteBack  pilot  computer  recycling  project  –  Metro  Melbourne  

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2009    Environment  Ministers  iniPate  development  of  legislaPon      

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2011    Product  Stewardship  (TVs  &  Computers)  RegulaPons  -­‐  November    

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2012    NaPonal  Television  &  Computer  Recycling  Scheme  commences      

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   2014    New  opportuniPes  &  challenges:    bajeries,  appliances,  furniture    

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LESSONS  FROM  MANY  PROJECTS  RELENTLESS  PERSISTANCE  

CONFIDENTIAL    //   40  

PrevenLon  by  Design  

It  is  esPmated  that  70%  of  a  product’s  environmental  impact  is  determined  at  the  design  stage      Designers,  engineers,  product  developers  and  entrepreneurs  are  in  a  key  posiPon  to  influence  and  reduce  these  impacts,  open  through  straighqorward  methods  

Sustainability  –  a  catalyst  for  innovaLon  A  key  role  for  designers  and  engineers  et  al  

•  History  of  ingenuity  and  innovaLon    

•  Well  placed  to  lock-­‐in  posiLve  features  at  the  design  stage        

•  Even  bejer  placed  to  lock-­‐out  negaLve  materials,  substances  and  ajributes    

•  Ability  to  work  across,  and  with  other  disciplines.    

•  Knowledge  of  interacPons  between  people,  cultures,  products,  services  and  spaces  

CONTACT  VISIT:    WWW.ECOACTIV.COM.AU    CALL:    1800  489  278    EMAIL:    INFO@ECOACTIV.COM    OR      JOHN.GERTSAKIS@INFOACTIV.COM  TWITTER:    @INFOACTIVGROUP  FACEBOOK:    WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/INFOACTIV.FB  

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