Systematic Review - Network for Business Sustainability

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN STRATEGY SUB STRATEGIES
Strategy 5:
Reduction of Impact During Use
Reduce the consumables (such as energy, water,
detergent, batteries, etc.) associated with the use
of a product.
Strategy 6:
Optimization of Initial Lifetime
Aim to make the product useful for the longest
possible time, by prolonging the technical,
aesthetic and initial lifetimes of a product.
Strategy 7:
Optimization of End-of-life System
Require proper waste-management and end-of-life
treatments. Material cycles should be closed when
possible or otherwise disposed of appropriately.
2. Reduce materials’ impacts and products’ energy
consumption
Firms can reduce materials’ impacts by incorporating
recycled materials or replacing harmful components
with biodegradable alternatives; using materials lists
to identify substances or components that should not
be used; and integrating recovery, reuse and disposal
thinking early in the design process. Energy impacts
can be moderated through the technological redesign
of products so that they consume less energy and by
reducing energy consumption on-site (e.g. through the
use of energy efficiency and/or renewable energy in
production).
Lower energy consumption – evaluate the efficiency of energy-related components
Cleaner energy sources – choose renewable energy, when possible
Fewer consumables needed – make products as autonomous as possible
Cleaner consumables – chose benign ingredients
Reduce wastage of energy and other consumables – encourage efficient usage of the
product
Reliability and durability – make a good quality product
Easier maintenance and repair – ensure necessary maintenance is completed on time
Modular product structure – revitalize broken or unwanted products
Classic design – avoid trendy designs
Stronger product–user relation – encourage users to properly care for products, which
will lead to respect and proper product maintenance
Reuse of product – encourage retaining products in their original forms to achieve greater
environmental merit
Remanufacturing/refurbishing – reuse subassemblies in new manufacturing processes
Recycling of materials – build a take-back and recycling infrastructure to ensure a high
percentage of recycling
Safer incineration – promote thermal recycling from incinerated products, which can be
beneficial when done safely
3. Design “green” from the outset: e.g. integrate
recovery, reuse and disposal thinking early in the
design process; set targets early
By designing green from the outset rather than
redesigning green (Alston & Roberts, 1999), and by
setting environmental and technical targets early,
design teams are obliged to take sustainability into
account in the early stages of product development,
avoiding costly remedial action. Operational Optimizers
set targets likely to be achieved through incremental
innovations (e.g. reducing the percentage of harmful
emissions or increasing the percentage of renewable
materials as components).
Innovating for Sustainability 34