Global Responsibility.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

In this core topic we will be covering:

Recycling Symbols

Sustainability

The 6Rs

Carbon Footprint

Fair Trade

Social Impact

Recycling Symbols.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

The FSC logo provides the consumer with a guarantee that the
card board has been made from timber which has come from a
sustainable source.
The forest will have been evaluated and certified as being
managed according to agreed social, economically viable and
environmental standards.
Remember the Velvet
toilet roll baby. When
one tree is cut down to
create a product, three
more are planted in its
place!

Recycling Symbols.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

As promotional packaging is only to be used once

manufacturers are often eager to inform customers
that it can be recycled. Variations of these symbols
are often found on this type of packaging
You are unlikely to be asked to do more than suggest
the position of such symbols on your package

Recycling Symbols.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

It is common to see an anti-litter logo printed onto

the packaging. The symbol on the right is the more
usual Keep Britain Tidy version whereas the one on
the left is from the Love Where You Live campaign.
You are unlikely to be asked to do more than
suggest the position of such symbols on your
package.

Recycling Symbols.
Means that the product
cannot be placed in a
normal bin and needs
specialist recycling
facilities. Usually found on
electrical products and
batteries.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

A general recycling symbol which means

the product can be recycled or it is made
from recycled materials. Found mainly on
packaging.

Provides specific information on the

type of plastic material. This
example is High Density
Polyethylene. Found on some
carrier bags, milk crates, buckets
etc.

Symbols which show specific material information to enable

consumers to separate materials for recycling:
Aluminium, steel and glass. In all cases, take to recycling
bins.

Global Responsibility.
AQA PD Core topic 6.

In this core topic we will be covering:

Recycling Symbols

Sustainability

The 6Rs

Carbon Footprint

Fair Trade

Social Impact

Sustainability.
Non-Renewable Materials.

Traditionally, designers and manufactures use a

range of materials from non-renewable
resources. This means that the raw materials,
such as oil, ores and minerals are taken from
sources that will eventually run out.

These include:
Timbers
Paper/cardboard
Cotton
Linen
Silk
Leather
All food products

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Renewable Materials - Can

be grown and cropped
from plants, trees and
animals.

Sustainability.
Renewable Materials.
If we are to make our natural resources last
longer, we must aim to use greater quantity of
renewable resources in our products. For
example many timber products now carry the
FSC symbol (Forest Stewardship Council) logo,
which reassures the customer that the timber is
from a renewable, managed forest.

These include:
All metals
Most plastics (made from oil)
Stone
Ceramics
Jewels

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Dug out of the ground as

ores, minerals, oil etc. prior
to processing. Once
consumed they are lost
forever!

The logo provides the

consumer with a guarantee
that the products have
come from a forest which
has been evaluated and
certified as being managed
according to agreed social,
economically viable and
environmental standards.

Global Responsibility.
AQA PD Core topic 6.

In this core topic we will be covering:

Recycling Symbols

Sustainability

The 6Rs

Carbon Footprint

Fair Trade

Social Impact

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Six words beginning with the letter R.

Each describes an action that can be taken to
reduce the environmental impact of products.

Recycle
Reduce
Reuse

Rethink
Refuse
Repair

Its important that designers do their part in taking these

things in to account when designing new products.

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Products are converted back to their basic materials and remade into new products.
Examples include:
Glass crushed, melted and made into new bottles.
Aluminium cans melted down to make new
products
Plastic bottles recycled into drainage pipes and
clothing. (It takes 25 two-litre plastic bottles to make
one fleece.)

Designers and manufacturers of products need to design products for recycling. Car
manufacturers are obliged to label all plastic parts in new cars to aid recycling of all
those parts. Electrical and electronic products now have to include recycling
instructions for the consumer. Many local councils now collect materials that can be
recycled separately from normal domestic waste.

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Consumers need to look to reduce the

number of products they buy, or consider
buying products that use less energy.
Manufacturers are looking to design products
that:

have less materials in the product

take less energy to manufacture

need less packaging during transport.

Retailers can reduce carbon emissions by
transporting products straight to the consumer
from the place of manufacture, instead of via
warehouses and shops

Sustainability.

Lots of items can be reused in the same form.

Glass milk bottles are a classic product that is reused. A

more recent product that can be reused is a printer
cartridge, which can be refilled.
Some products have filters that can be washed rather
than using disposable, single-use filters.
Consumers could sell or donate products they no longer
use themselves, so that someone else can use them.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Consumers can ask the question, Do I really

need this product? (Do you really need to
replace your mobile phone every year?)
Designers and manufacturers can make
products that do the same job more efficiently.
They can design the packaging so that it is
easier to recycle (for example, by making the
packaging from a single material).

Sustainability.

The designer and manufacturer have an

increasing need to think about how the consumer
will react to their products; will they refuse them?

Refillable

They can ask the following questions:

Should they refuse the product because it is

too inefficient (in use, or in its use of materials)?

Should they refuse the product because its

packaging creates too much waste?
(Disposable cups from the coffee shop, plastic
carrier bags from the supermarket, plastic
water bottles.)

Disposable

The consumer has the choice as to whether they

buy /use a product or not.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Instead of throwing things away consumers need

to think more about having things repaired.
Designers have a responsibility to design products
that can be repaired more easily.
It takes fewer resources to replace a part of a
product, than to replace the whole item.
Could an item be upgraded instead of replace
with a new one?

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Around 65 million carrier bags are thrown away in the county every year, with
many ending up in landfill sites where they take many years to degrade.
What are supermarkets doing to help reduce the number of carrier bays their
customers use?
Tescos are asking their customers to refuse the standard carrier bag and
instead rethink about how they carry their shopping. Instead they offer
bags for life. The customer can buy a thick carrier bag which can be
reused. If the bag breaks they can exchange for a new one, the old one
will then be recycled.
They also offer a strong fabric bag - The Natural Green bag. This bag can also
be reused but it can also be repaired should it need to be.
Customers are also encouraged to recycle any unwanted carrier bags.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Sustainability.
They encourage
customers to
refuse standard
bags & rethink
about how they
carry their
shopping in
order to reduce
the number of
bags used.

The Natural
Green Bag
A strong
fabric bag
which can
be reused
and repaired
if needed.

Bag For Life

- can be reused,
if it breaks it can
be exchanged
for a new one
and the old one
will be recycled.

Tescos offer
recycling of
their
standard
carrier bags
in all their
stores.

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Don't you hate it when something breaks just after

the warranty runs out?
What about that new electronic gadget that fails to
work with your old accessories from the same
manufacturer?
Some of these infuriating problems were caused on
purpose, by product designers practicing "planned
obsolescence.
Planned obsolescence occurs when something is
intended to wear out or stop being useful after a
predetermined period of time - and that time is
often as short as a few years.

Sustainability.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

There can be many reasons why something becomes no longer useful, including
technological irrelevance or changing social tastes. And some degree of
planned obsolescence is probably necessary in many fields, through so-called
"value engineering" (eg, a car would not be affordable if every part had to be
made strong enough to last 100 years).
There are also ways manufacturers exploit planned obsolescence to make
consumers buy more product, such as by purposefully making it difficult, or too
costly, to make repairs, or by preventing backwards compatibility.

The Six Rs revision Card.

The Six Rs revision Card.

Recycle and reprocess the materials

Re-use materials/components/products for another
purpose
Reduce the amount of energy and resources used
throughout the whole product life cycle
Repair products/design them to be easily repaired
Rethink our current lifestyles and the way we design and
make
Refuse products which are unnecessary or wastefully use
resources

Global Responsibility.
AQA PD Core topic 6.

In this core topic we will be covering:

Recycling Symbols

Sustainability

The 6Rs

Carbon Footprint

Fair Trade

Social Impact

Carbon Footprint.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have

on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases
produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.

Carbon Footprint.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Everything we produce, buy and use has a carbon

footprint. A total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2)
or other greenhouse gases emitted during a
products lifetime. This includes its production, use
and disposal.
Carbon footprints can have a serious impact on
climate change and manufactures should make
every effort to minimize these factors.
Reducing the use of fossil fuels, cutting down
energy use, careful disposal and minimisation of
transportation can all help to improve the carbon
footprint of a product.

Many materials travel LONG distances before

they reach the consumer. Transportation
increases carbon footprints and so manufactures
should endeavour to source materials LOCALLY
where possible.

Carbon Footprint.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

How many miles does the product travel?

Source material to primary processor

Material to factory
Product to distributor
Distributor to retail outlet
Retail outlet to home

Product miles

How much energy is consumed just through transporting

materials, components and products?

Carbon Footprint.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Ask yourself, can you?

Explain the issues which relate to the carbon footprint of
everyday products?
Explain ways of reducing the carbon footprint of everyday
products?

Global Responsibility.
AQA PD Core topic 6.

In this core topic we will be covering:

Recycling Symbols

Sustainability

The 6Rs

Carbon Footprint

Fair Trade

Social Impact

Fair Trade.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

The FAIRTRADE Mark is an

independent consumer label which
appears on products as an
independent guarantee that
disadvantaged producers in the
developing world are getting a better
deal.
They receive a minimum price that
covers the cost of sustainable
production and an extra premium
that is invested in social or economic
development projects.

The most important aspect is to

ensure:
That a fair and stable price is
agreed between the manufacturer
(farmer) and the retailer
(shops/supermarket).

Global Responsibility.
AQA PD Core topic 6.

In this core topic we will be covering:

Recycling Symbols

Sustainability

The 6Rs

Carbon Footprint

Fair Trade

Social Impact

Social Impact.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Prevent wasting materials

Bags for life

Recycling bins readily available
Reduce packaging
Buy local products to reduce product miles

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Social Impact.
Designed obsolescence is no longer
acceptable.

Victor Papaneck (1970)

Lots of products are still designed for a very limited life span
Some are designed to be disposable
Some are outdated as soon as they hit the High Street

Social Impact.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Environmental concerns

The impact our

lifestyle is having
upon the
environment has
to be adjusted as
a matter of
urgency.

All manufacturing
produces some
form of pollution
Is that always
going to be the
case?
Is there a better
way?

Social Impact.
All our resources come
from one place

Food, energy, materials,

chemicals

AQA PD Core topic 6.

The problem is, in the UK

we are currently the using
the resources as if we have
3 of these!

Social Impact.

AQA PD Core topic 6.

Key requirements for sustainability

Re-use the product

without further
processing
Repair the product to
return to original
standard
Recycle the materials
and components

Use resources carefully

Avoid solving your problem if you
create another problem for someone
else
Improve your environment do not
damage

Plant filled air purifiers