Design Technology AHL: Sustainability (Component 8)
Hello future sustainable designers! Welcome to one of the most crucial sections of your Higher Level studies: Sustainability. Don't worry if the topic seems massive—we are going to break it down into focused, manageable chunks.
Why is this chapter important? As HL students, you move beyond simply making products and start addressing the larger systems that products exist within. Sustainability isn't just about recycling; it's about redesigning entire economic models to protect our planet and ensure long-term viability for human society. This knowledge is essential for your design project and future career!
1. The Circular Economy (CE)
At the AHL level, we must shift our focus from the traditional, wasteful system to a restorative one.
1.1 Contrasting Economic Models
Most of the world currently operates on a Linear Economy model.
- Linear Economy (Take-Make-Dispose): Resources are taken from the earth, products are made, used briefly, and then thrown away (disposed of). This model relies on cheap, easily available resources and places the burden of waste on the environment.
- Circular Economy (Restore-Regenerate-Cycle): A regenerative system where waste is eliminated, products and materials are kept in use for as long as possible, and natural systems are regenerated.
Analogy: Think of a Linear Economy like a disposable plastic water bottle. You use it once and it's gone forever. A Circular Economy is like a refillable, durable glass bottle that is constantly tracked, refilled, and at the end of its life, melted down to become a new glass bottle.
1.2 The R-Framework (The 6 Rs of the Circular Economy)
While you learned the basic 3 Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) in the Core curriculum, the Circular Economy demands a deeper, more systematic approach. Designers must apply the following hierarchy:
- Refuse/Rethink: The most powerful R. Can the product or service be redesigned entirely? Do we need the product at all?
- Reduce: Minimizing material and energy consumption during manufacture and use.
- Reuse: Using the product again for the same purpose (e.g., refillable packaging).
- Repair/Refurbish: Fixing a broken product to extend its lifespan, often facilitated by modular design.
- Repurpose: Using a product or component for a different function (e.g., turning old shipping containers into offices).
- Recycle: Processing materials into new substances or products (this should be the last resort, as it still requires energy).
Quick Memory Aid: Start with the biggest impact (Refuse/Rethink) and end with the highest energy cost (Recycle).
1.3 Industrial Symbiosis
This is a key concept in applying the CE at a large scale.
- Definition: The sharing of utility and resources, including materials, energy, water, and by-products, among multiple industrial businesses. Essentially, the waste output of one company becomes the raw material input for another.
- Example: In the famous Kalundborg industrial park in Denmark, the excess heat from a power plant is used by a nearby fish farm, and the gypsum created as a by-product is used by a wallboard manufacturer. This reduces resource use and waste for all partners.
Key Takeaway: The Circular Economy moves design focus from materials to systems. Designers must think about the product's entire journey, planning for eventual disassembly and return to the cycle.
2. Advanced Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Design Strategies
Building on Core LCA, AHL requires you to understand how specific strategies relate to the concept of continuous closed loops.
2.1 Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) Design
If the basic LCA is "Cradle-to-Grave" (product ends up as waste), C2C is the sustainable alternative.
- Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C): A design philosophy that focuses on designing products for closed-loop systems. All materials are viewed as 'nutrients' that flow in one of two cycles: biological or technical.
- Biological Nutrients: Materials that are biodegradable and safely re-enter the environment (e.g., compostable packaging, organic textiles).
- Technical Nutrients: Materials (polymers, metals, alloys) that are high-quality and designed to be disassembled and circulated indefinitely within industrial cycles (e.g., high-grade plastics for electronic casings).
Why C2C is better: It tackles the problem at the source. If a product is designed to be waste, it will be waste. If it is designed to be a resource (C2C), it maintains its value.
2.2 Strategies for LCA Improvement
Designers use these strategies throughout the product's life stages:
Materials Selection:
- Dematerialization: Reducing the total amount of materials used to deliver a service (e.g., switching from physical CDs to digital streaming).
- Selecting Sustainable Materials: Prioritizing materials that are recycled, renewable (rapidly grown), or ethically sourced.
Manufacturing and Processing:
- Energy Audits: Systematically analyzing energy flows in a production process to identify and reduce waste (often heat or friction).
- Closed-Loop Manufacturing: Reusing or capturing all waste materials generated within the factory itself.
Distribution and Use:
- Optimization of Logistics: Designing products (e.g., flat-pack furniture) and packaging to reduce size and weight, minimizing transport fuel consumption.
- Efficiency during Use: Designing products to consume less energy or water during their typical operating life (e.g., A+++ rated appliances).
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't confuse "repurposing" (giving an object a new function) with "remanufacturing" (breaking down a product to component level, inspecting, replacing worn parts, and rebuilding it to 'as new' condition). Remanufacturing is a formal, industrial process.
3. Sustainable Energy Systems
AHL students must understand the classification of energy sources and their application in technology design.
3.1 Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Energy
Sustainability hinges on transitioning away from sources that deplete natural capital.
- Non-Renewable: Sources that are finite or cannot be replenished in a human lifetime (e.g., coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power (uranium)).
- Renewable: Sources that are naturally replenished (e.g., solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, tidal, biomass).
Did you know? While nuclear power is carbon-free during operation, the fuel (uranium) is finite, and the waste disposal problem means it is usually classified as non-renewable in sustainability contexts.
3.2 Energy Efficiency and Audits
Energy efficiency is the measure of the useful output achieved compared to the total energy input.
As designers, you need to conduct Energy Audits—a systematic procedure to determine how energy is used in a building or production system.
Steps in an Energy Audit:
- Data Collection: Meter readings, utility bills, process observation.
- Analysis: Identifying where energy is wasted (e.g., heat loss, friction, inefficient machinery).
- Implementation Plan: Developing strategies (insulation, switching to efficient lighting, changing machinery) to reduce consumption.
- Monitoring: Checking that the changes implemented achieved the intended energy savings.
Example: An energy audit in a ceramics factory might reveal that 30% of the natural gas used is wasted because the kiln is poorly insulated, leading to a redesign of the firing process.
Key Takeaway: Designing for sustainability means designing products that utilize renewable energy (if possible) and systems that maximize energy efficiency through rigorous auditing.
4. Assessing Environmental Impact: Tools and Metrics
We need robust frameworks to measure if a design or company is truly sustainable, beyond just profit margins.
4.1 The Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
The TBL (sometimes called '3BL') offers a holistic view of performance. A truly sustainable organization must succeed in all three areas, not just financial profit.
TBL Components (P.P.P.):
- Profit (Economic): Traditional financial measure (revenue, profit, operational costs). For TBL, this includes the economic benefit to the community and ethical trading.
- People (Social): Measures the company’s impact on all stakeholders (employees, communities, customers). Includes ethical labour practices, fair wages, safety, and community contribution.
- Planet (Environmental): Measures the company’s environmental impact. Includes energy use, waste generation, pollution, biodiversity impact, and resource management.
Don't worry if this seems tricky at first: The TBL simply forces organizations to stop treating social and environmental costs as 'externalities' (problems someone else deals with) and start integrating them into the core business model.
4.2 Natural Capital
This concept helps economists and designers quantify the value of the environment.
- Definition: The world's stock of natural resources, including geology, soil, air, water, and all living organisms. We rely on this capital for our survival and economic activity.
- Services Provided: Natural capital provides ecosystem services, such as pollination, water purification, climate regulation, and raw materials.
Design Relevance: Sustainable design seeks to ensure that our rate of consumption of natural capital (e.g., deforestation, oil extraction) does not exceed the environment's ability to replenish it, otherwise we risk depleting the capital base entirely.
5. Legislation, Standards, and Green Design
5.1 International Standards: ISO 14000
When operating globally, companies need standardized methods for managing their environmental responsibilities.
- ISO 14000 Series: A family of international standards for Environmental Management Systems (EMS). The most commonly used standard in the series is ISO 14001, which sets the framework for an effective EMS.
- Purpose: It provides a structured approach for organizations to manage their environmental aspects, fulfill compliance obligations, and address risks and opportunities.
- Key Focus: It specifies the requirements for continually monitoring, measuring, analyzing, and evaluating the organization's environmental performance. It is a process standard, not a product standard (meaning it doesn't certify the product is green, but that the company's management system is effective).
Why ISO 14000 matters to DT: If a designer works for a company compliant with ISO 14001, all design decisions—from material sourcing to waste handling—must adhere to the documented EMS, forcing sustainability integration.
5.2 Green Design vs. Sustainable Design
While often used interchangeably, there is a subtle but important difference at the AHL level.
- Green Design: Focuses primarily on reducing the negative environmental impact of a product during its life cycle (e.g., using less energy, using recycled materials). It often aims for a "less bad" outcome.
- Sustainable Design: A broader, more holistic approach that considers environmental, social (people), and economic (profit) factors, aiming for a "net positive" or restorative impact (C2C principles).
Quick Review Box: Sustainability AHL
| Concept | Core Idea | Application in DT | |---|---|---| | Circular Economy | Keep resources in use; eliminate waste. | Designing modular products; selecting C2C materials. | | Cradle-to-Cradle | Materials are biological or technical nutrients. | Ensuring disassembly is easy for material recovery. | | Triple Bottom Line | Evaluate performance by People, Planet, Profit. | Assessing social impact (labour) alongside environmental costs. | | ISO 14000 | Standardized Environmental Management Systems. | Following defined protocols for waste management and resource use in the factory. |