Ecological Design A strategy for business practice - Dissertation Example

Ecological Design – A strategy for business practice There is at present a considerable demand for products that are ecological in design and at the same time viable for the business enterprise making that product. It has been identified and accepted by the current generation that a product that is not in sync with nature can cause a detrimental effect on nature in the long run. These also produce a huge strain on the natural resources of the earth and create nations to compete for the same. Therefore it is but natural that the present product apart from displaying its host of unique features would also project the ecological design aspect of the product as an USP. Development of an eco design through research and subsequently incorporating the same in a business operation is the challenge faced by most companies. This general factors influencing eco design, the areas of change where eco design is applicable, the methods adopted by companies in introducing products and the manner in which an eco design is integrated with business operations form a part of this dissertation. Introduction Eco-Design is the design and development of products that are both environment friendly and economically viable. The word derives its origins from the concept of a synergy between design, economy and ecology. (Miriam Borchardt, Leonel A.C.Poltosi, Miguel A Sellito and Gianfraco M.Pereira, 2009) A design which is able to satisfy all three requirements in an effective manner is said to be a successful eco-designed product. With the world globalising at a fast rate there has been a rapid increase in the both the demand and consumption of goods. New players emerging and competing in the global market, has put a severe strain on the available natural resources and the idea of creating a environment friendly product has been relegated to the background. The three basic issues that an eco-design addresses are (1) Reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources (Fuller Buckminster, 2002) (2) Manage the existing renewable resources more effectively (3) Design products that are environment friendly and do not pollute the environment in any manner. (Eco-Design: European State of the Art, 2007) Chapter 1 Forces Influencing Eco-Design Adoption The forces influencing Eco-Design adoption by companies are categorized into external factors and internal factors. The external factors are as follows (1) The new age customer is getting more information regarding the dangers of environment pollution. He is thus getting more informed regarding the choices he can make while selecting a product. Thus he is able to demand products that are safe and environment friendly which leads to a direct pressure on companies to come up with innovative and eco-friendly solutions to their products.( Murphy J et al, 2007) (2) A government that is sensitive to the concerns of the environment shall bring out laws, stipulations and guidelines within which a product needs to function. Adherence to these guidelines necessitates manufacturers to refine and tune their product development strategies. Some of the notable international laws and regulations include the Hazardous Waste Act of Australia(1989) & the ‘Export and Import of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material(2005) of Canada .(Eco-Design: European State of the Art, 2007) (3) The industry in itself tries to own up to its responsibility and moral obligation of providing its customers with products that are clean and which are within the framework of being called ecologically sustainable (Wenz Philip, 1995) The internal factors that are influencing the market forces into eco-design are as follows (1) The process of developing eco-designs presents the design team and ultimately the manufacturer a host of opportunities to try out new variants of designs that serve to work out economically as well. (2) A rethink of the design aspect right from its inception stage may lead to an overall improvement in quality of the product. Apart from being in sync with the environment the overall efficiency of the product might increase leading to a win-win situation. (Sim Van Der Ryn and Cowan Stuart, 1996) (3) Environment friendly strategies in designs open up new markets and avenues for the company and impacts new target population. Figure-1: Source- Martin Charter and Anne Chick, April 1997 Chapter-2 Applicability of Eco-Design The Eco-Design concept that has been formulated and developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) formulates a proactive strategy for the development of an eco-design. (R.Nowosielski, M. Spika and A. Kania, 2007) Its formulates that at every stage of the life cycle of the product which begins from the mining out of the raw product, treating it into usable raw commodity, production, packaging, distribution, consumption and ultimately the reusability of the waste end product by recycling, should be conceptualised at the design stage itself. Figure 2: Source- Herring, H and R. Roy, 2007 ISO 14001 which is the international standard for environmental management systems provides a framework for designing environment sustainable products. Market researches point that adherence to ISO 14001 is not an option but to be considered as a matter of survival. (Johansson, 1996) The scope of eco-design has been widely debated and the following points provide a wholesome argument to the scope and relevance of eco-design in today’s times. (1) Technology is something which never stagnates. It is continuously improving and one needs to innovate constantly to minimize cost and ultimately add value to the product. (2) The production cost can be greatly minimized if a proper system of check and balances are calculated at each stage of the design. The negative parameters are carefully weighed and the product is modified at each stage to cover design shortfalls. (3) Since the customer is always changing in nature and is looking at new alternatives in the market, ecologically designed products have an added attraction to the customer.(Martin Charter and Anne Chick, 1997) (4) These innovative designs ultimately reduce the burden on natural resources since both the material and the energy consumed is to an optimum. (5) The designs also help in considerably reducing the weight of the product adding a whole new dimension to its saleability. (6) The product designed is of a higher standard in terms of reliability and durability. This greatly reduces the amount of packaging that goes into transporting a product from an overseas location. Packaging a product while managing to create a brand name affects the environment by the waste that is invariably discarded upon receipt of the purchase. ( Eco-Design: European State of the Art, 2007) (7) The end products can be recycled and the part that cannot be reused is generally of benign nature posing no threat to the environment. In fact, recyclability is one of the most preferred characteristic desired in a product. Chapter-3 The Basic Methods and systems developed by companies to produce Eco-Designed Products. The methods and systems used differ between companies. In smaller organizations capable and intuitive people might take the lead in researching and creating prototype of eco-products. In large multinational companies, there might be a different wing that is involved in the R&D of new products that are ecologically sound. These companies follow a system of brainstorming which allows a give and take policy between the innovators and the board management. There are several checklists that are followed at each juncture of the manufacture to assess its impact on the environment. The check lists formulated are then rated against the product and a grading scale of 1 to 10 is followed to assess each criteria of the product, 10 being the highest performance and 1 being the lowest.( R.Nowosielski, M. Spika and A. Kania, 2007) There are six stages that are followed by most companies to develop ecologically designed products. These are (1) Planning stage- This begins with the genesis of the idea and subsequently this idea is put forth among the design circle to develop on it. Since any new product involves a huge amount of investment in energy and capital from the management, the economic viability of such a product is first discussed before proceeding with the idea. Next the technological edge it might have over its competitor is deliberated upon and the any ecological concerns it might have are mulled over. This design planning might be for a totally new product or alteration of an existing product by adding new features to its existing model. The company’s environmental programs are also well documented in a methodological manner in the Environment Management System (EMS) which forms the basis of a company’s environment policy towards environment protection. (Martin Charter and Anne Chick, 1997) Once this phase is over, ways in which this product can be introduced into the market to meet the customer’s expectation is thought over. The parameters that need to be set when defining this product as having an edge over its competitors are also planned. Figure 3: : Source- Martin Charter and Anne Chick, April 1997 (2) The conception stage – This stage involves methods in which the different aspects of the product are integrated into an efficient eco-designed product. From the planning stage, the deliberations proceed on to the action check list stage which actually goes about finding out in paper the technical and economical advantage the product would have. Specifications are thereafter tinkered with to get the right mix of the product that can be used to create a consensus among different departments. The potential suppliers are thereafter contacted to discuss the new product with and also to get a feedback and the probable concerns they might have in marketing these products. (R.Nowosielski, M. Spika and A. Kania, 2007) (3) The detailed design stage – The design that follows the conception stage is made to pass through a severe analysis and different eco-design tools are applied to the design to assess its performance and safety. Discussions are carried out regarding alternative materials that increase the performance, reduce the weight and at the same time keeps the product economically viable. (Herring, H and R. Roy, 2007) This however should not be at the cost of the safety of the product and the user. The process of assembly and disassembly of the product are designed in great detail since once the go ahead is received from the management and the product manages to strike a chord with a customer base, then a large scale production of the product would be imminent to reach out to wider market at one go before market interest fizzles out. (4) The product estimation stage – Information about this product is leaked to select target audiences and the feedback is assessed to gauge the success of the new product. A customer is an entity that is never satisfied and is always on the lookout for other options. To sustain customer interest and to make this product affordable to a wider audience, different variants of the product are decided upon. Also, technological inputs that could be added in the future are also discussed when the company feels that customer interest in the product might be on the wane. Companies remain guarded before the launch of a new product since rival companies are always on the lookout to poach a new idea. ( Dewulf W and Duflou, 2005) (5) Introducing the product into the market - To launch a new product into the market involves a carefully designed strategic approach. The customer consciousness needs to be increased as to the nature of the product, the technological advances that the company has managed to infuse into the product, the ecological sustainability of the product and the performance in terms of energy consumption. The hype that needs to be build around the product should be done gradually over a period of time so that when the D-day approaches the customer is eager to make the first purchase. (Herring, H and R. Roy, 2007) (6) Research and Prototype – This is the final stage in which apart from the check at intermediate stage a final analysis is carried out to gauge if all the objectives that were set out by the company have been achieved. Comparisons are made regarding the previous product innovation made by the company and the relative success or shortcoming made by the company in the present product. Figure 4: Eco-Design: European State of the Art, 2007 Chapter-4 Different Eco-Design Strategies adopted by Business organizations as form of marketing Strategy There have been different methods that have been adopted by business organizations to adopt this new eco designed models and create a winning product. Apart from the basic method that has been described above there are primarily three methods that are currently being adopted by companies to market their products. These are 1. The Product focussed approach The basic idea behind this sort of approach is to make the existing product in the market more economical to the consumer. Its negative impact on the environment is reduced and a rapport is built with this consumer for a better after sales service. Programs are also chartered to collect the product back at the end of its life. (Braungart Michael, 2007) 2. The results Focussed approach This method does not necessarily involve selling the eco designed product but by marketing the end use of the product. Use of an electric car rentals in locations which are declared no pollution zones can be taken as an example of result focussed approach. (McDonough William, 2002) 3. Focussed approach This method involves carrying out a research to study the best manner that a product can satisfy the expectations of the potential customer who would be using this product. After this preliminary research is carried out ways are adopted to incorporate these multiple expectations and demands in the new product. Chapter-5 Effectiveness of Ecological design- a survey A survey was conducted among a cross section of the population each representing a different class of society. This questionnaire was put forth to twelve people and the results obtained are as tabulated below. 1. Name: Prince Mathew Designation: Mechanical design engineer Question: How would you rate the performance of the cars in the present market that claim to be eco designed? Answer: The design put forth by these companies is very unique however they seem to be charging a lot on the price of this car. It must be to cover their costs that went into the R & D of the product. Inference: It seems that the respondent who is middle class average salaried employee is bit hesitant in going for the car even though the design is unique. 2. Name: Regina Hill Designation: Housewife Question: How would you rate the performance of the cars in the present market that claim to be eco designed? Answer: I am very satisfied with the electric that I now own since it provides a decent mileage and I have been able to save more on my fuel costs. Inference: The housewife is satisfied that the fuel costs have not been cutting a hole in her purse and she is getting to save more. 3. Name: Dion Nash Designation: Student doing his MBA Question: How would you rate the performance of the cars in the present market that claim to be eco designed? Answer: These cars do not have any power to speak of and I get irritated when using them and these do show me as a ‘cool’ person. Inference: The image of the car having a modest look without providing the engine torque or the power which is so desired by youngsters of the present generation, it seems that this car was a big letdown . 4. Name: Anwar Sadique Designation: Senior Citizen (retired employee) Question: How would you rate the performance of the cars in the present market that claim to be eco designed? Answer: I do own one of the new variants of the fuel efficient cars. Apart from being a savings on my pension fund, the body of the car is more compact and small presumably due to low power. This compact body however lets me park freely in the city; which otherwise would have been a major problem. Inference: It seems that the compact size of the car has been the major attraction for the customer who is always waiting to find car parking spaces. 5. Name: Betty Roberts Designation: Social Activist Question: How would you rate the performance of the cars in the present market that claim to be eco designed? Answer: I find these cars very easy to navigate and being fuel efficient provides further impetus to my work which involves spreading awareness of the means to conserve fuel. Inference: It would be very awkward for a person who would be spreading the message to conserve energy while at the same time use a vehicle which would consume lots of fuel. It improves her social standing in society. 6. Name: Vincent Gomes Designation: Employee Executive (well salaried) Question: How would you rate the performance of the cars in the present market that claim to be eco designed? Answer: The Tata Nano which was a small sized eco friendly car brought about by Tata had some problems in the beginning when one of the engines burst into flame. Also some cities are using this car in taxi service. It goes against my image. Inference: This does not represent a cult status among well salaried professionals. Also, doubts regarding the performance of the cars in extreme driving conditions remain a cause of concern for these classes of people. Chapter-6 Analysis of an Eco Design manual Case Study: Philips Philips being the pioneer in the field of eco design have brought about a manual that instructs or rather guides a designer to follow certain guidelines when coming out with an eco designed product. These can be classified as followed 1. Material use The primary objective of all major designs in the present scenario is finding ways to reduce weight. This has an indirect impact on the performance of the product and also brings in considerable savings to the manufacturer. Reduced weight also brings in reduced wastage at the end of the life cycle of the product. This therefore keeps a check on the amount of electronic waste generated when the product has decayed down. 2. Hazardous substances and materials It is very essential for the designer to ascertain that the materials that would be intended for use in the new product are not of hazardous nature. The list of such substances can be found in the EACEM (European Association of Consumer Electronics Manufacturers). It is imperative that such toxic raw materials be isolated delving into the new design. The substances listed out in the EACEM are classified into three categories in the status of their release into the environment. (i) Materials that can be released based on the existing environmental standards. (ii) Those materials that can be released temporarily until other alternatives that could replace the existing ones are recommended. (iii) These materials are those that are never to be released into the environment. 3. Industrial Processes It has been recommended by the principles laid out in the EACEM that there are certain chemicals that could be avoided in the fabrication of certain components along with a number of industrial processes that could be limited if desired. These are (i) Restricting the use of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) and Hydrochloro-fluorcarbons (HCFC) as these are considered to be toxic in nature if inhaled by humans. (ii) The soldering process also releases certain gases which are not conducive for human respiration. (iii) Certain kinds of glues used in the industry are also not ecologically friendly and can have an adverse impact on contact with human skin. (iv) The EACEM also charts out the list of metal coatings, paints and other lacquers that could be avoided if possible to reduce human interaction with these chemicals. 4. The End of Life (i) The manual provides information regarding the cost of the material at the end of the life cycle and also the fraction by weight which would exist as the product becomes dead and extinct. (ii) The manual also provides general rules for disassembling the product once the life of the product is over. This is a very essential part of the manual as the dead product cannot be disposed off in situ. Some part of the product can be recycled and some parts of the product need to be disposed off safely to avoid human contact. (iii) This manual also provides rules for the use of plastic in product and the compatibility issues it would face when interacting with other materials. (iv) The packaging of the product as it forms part of the advertising strategy of the manufacturer. An attractive package is able to garner attention quickly. However excessive packing creates lot of wastage which is inadvertently not used by the purchaser and leads to the degradable and non-degradable waste on the earth. 5. Energy Use This provides information regarding the energy consumed by the product in operational mode and the energy that would be consumed by the product in standby mode. The new designs in case of LCD monitors that are being designed by Philips have the advantage that these consume the lowest energy over a period of eight working hours. Also, if an employee were to leave his seat for a while and is not using his computer, then the stagnation of the pointer due to the lack of movement of the mouse would inform the CPU that the person is currently not at his desk. This would immediately cause the LCD monitor to slip into standby mode. This proves very beneficial in large companies that have thousands of computers working together at a given point in time. 6. Evaluation of the design and its compatibility with the environment .At the end of the design an analysis is carried out the performance of the product against certain parameters that could construe as a design that is compatible with the environment in all aspects. (Ludwig Art, 1997) The weight of the product before use and the afterlife weight of the product are tabulated. The costs required to dispose of the end of life products also need to be analysed. A procedure explaining the manner of the release of the product into the environment is also to be assessed and put forth. Life Cycle Assessment The Life Cycle assessment is therefore an important tool that seeks to analyse the eco design concepts. It studies in detail the materials and other raw products that go into the input stage of the design cycle and records the emissions and wastage at the end of each cycle. These outputs are then studied in terms of impact it generates on the environment. The details of the framework have been tabulated in the ISO14040 series. Chapter-7 Examples of Eco-Design adopted by Multinational Companies and Smaller Organizations (1) Philips Sound & Vision were one of the pioneering companies that introduced eco-design after it faced a backlash from the public regarding the use of certain prohibited substances in its manufacture. Also, several questions were raised regarding the disposal of the electronic and electrical waste. The company owing its moral responsibility had then after the 1973 global oil crisis brought about the first energy saving campaign. This was brought about more as a reaction to the public outcry and there always remained a degree of scepticism among the people regarding the real intentions of Philips. Thereafter a manual that serves as a guide regarding the use of materials that could be used in the designing of the product was brought about which was universally accepted by everyone. Major innovations followed thereafter significant among them being the Green Television. Minimum energy consumption with total recyclability of end product was some of the key areas addressed in this effort. In 1991 Philips published its first environment policy and has been one of the leaders in the forefront of eco-design. (Miriam Borchardt, Leonel A.C.Poltosi, Miguel A .Sellito and Gianfraco M.Pereira, 2009) (2) Eco-Tourism – The tourism ministry in private participation has brought about a bubble boat which could act as a small submarine for the tourists. The speciality of such a design is that the boat is totally eco-friendly with the electric drive system of the boat operated by batteries that are charged by solar panels built onto the roof. Since this boat is not engine driven the problems of environment pollution caused by oil leakages and the disturbances caused by engine sound are also avoided. This serves as a great boon for tourists visiting the Australian coral reefs as the noise that is an irritant to sea life is greatly avoided. (Australian Bubble Boat, 2007) The dangers posed to the reefs due the harmful effects of oil are also mitigated. One of the other advantages of this exercise was the almost zero dependency on fossil fuels. The solar panels had an initial capital investment. However, the daily maintenance cost and running cost of the boat was minimal since there was no cap in the energy from the sun. Charging of the battery using the solar panels was the only requirement. These panels being were very robust were capable of charging batteries even in rainy weather. Figure 5- Gheorghe Razvan and Koushe Ishii, 2005 (3) Eco-design in the auto industry – There are several constraints for the auto industry to adopt eco-design practices. This is because the production of single automobile fundamentally breaks all rules set by eco-design. About 15 tonnes of raw material and 40,000 litres of water are required to manufacture a car. (Eco-Design: European State of the Art, 2007) Since cars invariably run on fossil fuel, and cannot be done without there is always a degree of pollution like oil leakage, Carbon dioxide leakage etc associated with car maintenance. Since safety and the power are prime reasons that customers look while selecting a car, a promising eco-designed car on the other hand will not find too many takers. However car manufactures are now concentrating on trying out hybrid engines and using parts that have been manufactured using recycled composite materials. Lubricating oils now used are of higher durability which thereby reduces the number of oil changeovers. Suppliers to automobile companies are being provided with ‘white lists’, ‘gray lists’ and ‘black lists’. White lists identify materials that can be used. Grey lists identify materials that have the potential to be used if certain conditions are met and waivers are obtained. Black lists identify materials that are prohibited. (Miriam Borchardt, Leonel A.C.Poltosi, Miguel A Sellito and Gianfraco M.Pereira, 2009) Conclusion Companies in the present age are recognising the need to produce and market environment friendly products. With the technology boom and information dissemination regarding the hazards of environmental pollution, today’s generation is more circumspect about selecting a new product that is not eco friendly. Moreover the government should play a more pro-active role in holding companies that are not working in line with the safe considered practices as far as environment safety is concerned. Also different governments in different countries have different guidelines as to what are the allowable limits of pollution. Unless a coherent strategy can be evolved between all member countries it would be difficult to bring all the countries under a single uniform code. However, Environment Life Cycle Assessment (ELCS) (R.Nowosielski, M. Spika and A. Kania, 2007) is now being introduced in all major manufacturing companies more as a way of design principle so that when new concepts are being formulated at the initial stage itself, the importance of the design being eco-friendly stands in the forefront instead of being relegated to the background. Figure 6- Gheorghe Razvan and Koushe Ishii, 2005 These new design concepts which are however a bit difficult to comprehend by the new generation should be made knowledgeable by the representatives of the company. It is only in such a manner that maximum information and its potential benefits over other products can be made available to the general public. (David W Orr, 2002) It is however difficult for any company to satisfy all individuals in a single product but an effort should be made to address the maximum concerns at the same time bringing out an eco designed product. Reference Lists 1. R.Nowosielski, M. Spika and A. Kania, July 2007, Methodology and Tools of Ecodesign 2. Martin Charter and Anne Chick, April 1997, The Journal of Sustainable Product Design 3. Miriam Borchardt, Leonel A.C.Poltosi, Miguel A Sellito and Gianfraco M.Pereira, 2009, Environment Quality Management. 4. Herring, H and R. Roy, Technological innovation, energy efficient design and the rebound effect, 2007, pp.194-203, Wiley Periodicals Limited. 5. Eco-Design: European State of the Art, 2007, Available at ftp://ftp.jrc.es/pub/EURdoc/sps00140.pdf, [ Accessesd 9th November 2010] 6. Australian Bubble Boat, 2007, Available at: http://www.sail-world.com [Accessed 10th November 2010] 7. Murphy J et al, 2007, Organization Theory and Design, South-Western Cengage Learning. 8. Dewulf W and Duflou, 2005, Integrating Eco-design into Business Environments A muli-level approach, Product Engineering 9. Braungart Michael, 2007, The Anatomy of Transformation, available at http://www.catalyst-partners.com, Accessed on 28th March 2011. 10. Ludwig Art, 1997, Integrating Technology, Economics and Ecology, Principles of Ecological Design, available at http://www.oasisdesign.net. Accessed on 28th March 2011. 11. Wenz Philip, 1995, The Future of sustainable design, Ecotecture, The Journal of Ecological Design. 12. Sim Van Der Ryn and Cowan Stuart, 1996, Ecological design, Island Press 13. David W Orr, 2002, The Nature of Design: Ecology, Culture and Human Intention, Oxford University Press. 14. McDonough William, 2002, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the way we make things. North Point Press. 15. Fuller Buckminster, 2002, Critical Path, St Martins Press 16. Gheorghe Razvan and Koushe Ishii, 2005, Eco-Design Value Alignment, Stanford University Read More