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Design for Sustainability: Every Choice Has a Cost Somewhere
Note
- Sustainable design is not a material you swap in at the end.
- It is a set of decisions taken across the whole life of the product, from what it is made of to what happens when it dies.
- By the time a product reaches manufacture, most of its environmental impact is already locked in by the design.
The Three Impacts a Designer Controls
- Waste: Avoiding unnecessary material use and designing for reuse or recycling
- Pollution: Reducing harmful emissions and toxic substances during manufacturing or disposal
- Energy Consumption: Using less energy in production, transport, and product use and favouring renewable energy sources
Sustainable Design Strategies
Design for Disassembly
- Use standard fasteners (e.g. screws) instead of permanent adhesives
- Minimise mixed-material components to ease recycling
- Label or colour-code parts to aid sorting and repair
- Plan for easy access to frequently repaired components
Design for Durability
- Choose robust materials that resist wear, corrosion, or fatigue
- Avoid unnecessary moving parts that increase failure risk
- Design for consistent long-term performance
- Offer warranties or service support to extend product life
