Sustainability in Design
We all know the shape of a pizza is round. Have you ever thought about why pizza boxes are rectangular, square, or hexagonal? Why not round? If the boxes are made in round shape, there are many wastages. Hence the boxes are made in shapes other than round. That is what we call sustainability in the design of pizza boxes.
Sustainability is a holistic, integrated approach that constructively impacts all phases of building a life cycle and stimulates tradeoffs and compromise. It is a method to create products and services that consider the environmental, social, and economic for the entire life cycle of the product.
The 4 R’s in sustainability design are Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover. Some examples are edible coffee cups, biodegradable furniture, bamboo toothbrushes, recycled tableware, ecological gold jewelry, etc.
It is better to use durable materials for sustainable design as it increases longevity. Materials should contribute to the conservation of water and energy. Wise choice of sustainable materials will reduce wastage and promote preservation.
Strategies
Sustainable design strategies aim to optimize size potential, protect and conserve water, enhance operational and maintenance practices, minimize non-renewable energy consumption and waste, use environmentally friendly products, and create productive and healthy environments.
The Ecodesign strategy set for sustainable design consists of certain techniques like Design for Disassembly, Design for Modularity, Design for Longevity, Design for Dematerialization, and Design for Reusability. These strategies help to plan how to design, and maintain functions of products, services, and systems.
The Sustainable Guide from SVID is a framework of sustainable design and developmental practices. A circular system describes the wide lifecycle of the design process interconnected with product and environmental factors.
Sustainable design focuses on building performance and minimizes negative impacts on the environment. It is very significant to consider more sustainable design practices to reduce carbon footprint. It makes long-term solutions and helps societies to ensure the well-being of the planet Earth and harmony for future generations.
Adidas is a leading brand that focuses on ending plastic waste. Half of their activewear collections are from recycled polyester and their mission is to eliminate virgin plastic by 2024.
Final thoughts
Earth’s resources are depleting day by day. We have seen both increased production and product waste in the last 10 years. Compared to durable products, non-durable goods have generated more waste. Sustainable design and energy efficiency principles should be incorporated into construction and modernization projects, balancing cost, and human, societal, and environmental benefits to meet the objectives and functional needs. It should reduce the impact of limited resources on the planet. All should have an optimistic approach to a more sustainable future.
-Praveena Lakshmi, is a certified content writer, Business Communication, and Soft skills Trainer
