Materials and Design - Chapter 3.10

Eco-design opportunities for critical material supply risks

A number of recent publications point to the important role of eco-design approaches in risk mitigation for critical materials supply. The core of eco-design is life cycle thinking – usually as some form of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach together with a set of generic guidelines such as checklists, etc. There has however been little...

Rethinking Eco-design Priorities: The case of the Econova television

Eco-design heuristics (defined as experience-based techniques for problem solving) can play a useful role in helping designers prioritize eco-design strategies. One of these eco-design heuristics (the ‘use phase’ heuristic) is: Frequently used electric and electronic products usually have, over their life span, a dominant impact in the use phase...

Case Study 8: Company awareness and response to critical materials in product design

Nature inspired design: Strategies towards sustainability

Current design practices focus on eco-efficiency as the main approach in the field of sustainable product development. This approach mainly aims at improving existing products and services. Environmental product performance can be greatly improved using ecoefficiency but in many cases the improvements are incremental. Furthermore, the overall...

Innovation and complex governance at times of scarcity of resources: A lesson from history

Historians understand the important role that access to critical raw materials has played in the development of civilizations, however access to materials has regularly led to distrust and conflict. Near future material scarcity scenarios appear to be severe and could include a mix of price volatility, supply disruptions and geopolitical...

Living climate change: Design thinking and learning in complexity

As the world moves into an era of significant changes predicated by the challenge of sustainability, the future holds many questions, with serious consequences depending on the answers. Given the implications of these changes, the world’s design community needs to be constantly challenged to respond. To support conversations on what life will be...

Vehicle telematics; a learning studio for vehicle designers

Vehicle Telematics is a growth field and is transforming the transport sector. EADIS is a two year international initiative funded by Leonardo Da Vinci UK. It involves five European automotive and design-related educational institutions who have developed an internationally available online training programme that shares knowledge about...

Broadening industry perspectives of vehicle telematics application through virtual learning environments

EADIS is a two year international initiative funded by Leonardo Da Vinci UK. It involves five European design-related educational institutions who have developed a Vehicle Telematics Road Map. The map acts as the basis for an internationally available online training programme that shares knowledge about telematics and its innovative and...