Chapter 8: Sustainable Design & The Circular Economy
Sustainable design integrates ecological considerations with social equity to address the pressing global challenges of resource depletion, pollution, and social injustice. By utilizing methodologies like Life Cycle Assessment, stakeholders can evaluate a product's environmental impact throughout its lifecycle. The chapter highlights the principles of the circular economy, emphasizing reuse, recycling, and design for disassembly to foster sustainable production and consumption practices.
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What we have learnt
- Sustainable design is crucial for the long-term well-being of the planet and its inhabitants.
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) allows for a comprehensive understanding of a product's environmental impact throughout its lifecycle.
- The circular economy revolves around minimizing waste, reusing materials, and designing products for disassembly to promote sustainability.
Key Concepts
- -- Sustainable Design
- An approach focused on creating products that minimize environmental impact and promote social equity over their entire lifecycle.
- -- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
- A methodology that evaluates the environmental impact of a product from raw material extraction to disposal.
- -- Circular Economy
- An economic model aimed at maintaining resource value in use and reducing waste by designing products for reuse, recycling, and sustainable management.
- -- Design for Disassembly (DfD)
- A design strategy that facilitates the separation of product components to enhance repair, reuse, and recycling.
- -- Ethical Sourcing
- A practice that ensures fair treatment of workers and environmentally responsible sourcing throughout a product's supply chain.
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