Life Cycle Design Approach

1. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN APPROACH
Sergio Antonio Salvi
LIFE CYCLE
DESIGN

2. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
The position of a
designer in relation
to environmental
emergency (adapted
by Salvi, 1997-2012)
The environmental emergency made us to understand that a
designer must approach in a new way to the development
process for a new product. This new attitude is necessary to
prevent the problems that the population increase involves
(together with a wrong management of environment).
The more relevant issues that a designer, by means of her/his
action, can help to solve concern the decreasing of the
consumption of:
1.1 water;
1.2 food;
1.3 raw materials for industrial production;
1.4 energy resources;
and she/he can help to counteract:
2.1 pollution and global warming;
2.2 deforestation, hunting, intensive fishing and breeding;
and above all help to suggest:
3.0 new development models, based on the concept of
“sustainable development”.
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

3. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
A solar-electric
propelled
“sustainable”
product prototype
from NASA (2003)
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

4. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
“Sustainable
development”
definition according
to WCED (Brundtland
commission, 1987),
compared with the
“biocentric” point of
view
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi
“Sustainable development” is a development which meets today’s
needs without placing the ability of future generations to meet
their needs at risk, in other words, the preservation of the
resources.
From the “biocentric” point of view (cfr. Naess, Singer etc.), we
should understand that the needs of the generations of today
and of the future must also be referred to other living beings…
In this way we will be able to talk about “environmental
sustainibility”.
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5. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
“Biodiversity” is a
precondition for
sustainable
development: we
cannot have a future
without them…
(American Museum
of Natural History)
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

6. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
Governements’ and
communities’ laws to
lowering the product
environmental
impact, in
accordance with the
“sustainability” idea In order to approach in a new way the environmental emergency,
and in accordance with the “sustainability” idea, some new
concepts have been suggested, often becoming new laws. Among
these are: “Extended Producer Responsibility” (EPR; the
producer is responsible for the whole product life cycle: for example
the producer must “take back” the empty packaging once it has
been used); “Shared Responsibility” (SR; other actors of the
product life cycle are involved in the process: for example the
organizations of trade must contribute in the material recuperation;
furthermore, as known, also the citizens are asked to recycle
their waste).
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

7. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
An italian law
promotes the
institution of
consortiums to
recycle plastic, in SR
way, since 1988 (L.
475): nowadays it is
not enough…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

8. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
LCD approach to
develop new
industrial products
The Life Cycle Design (LCD) is one of the several methods
–sometimes just ideas– (including: “Eco Design”, “Environmental
Design”, “Green Design”, “Sustainable Design” etc.) that have been
suggested to address the environmental crisis, in terms of
product design.
The LCD method is based on the “Life Cycle Assessment”
(LCA). This means that, before you design a new product, it is
necessary to verify the assessment of its entire lifecycle,
extending the assessment to what precedes and follows the
smaller industrial process. The so-called "assessment" must
indicate and solve critical points from the perspective of
(environmental) sustainability.
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

9. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
Flows of matter and
energy in the whole
product life cycle
(Turner, Pearce,
Bateman, 1994;
adapted by Salvi,
1997)
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

12. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.1 Targets of LCD
compared to water
needed
A designer may help reduce the water needed for:
1.1.1 agriculture processes (e. g. the water consumption to wash
vegetables);
1.1.2 industrial processes (e. g. the water consumption in galvanic
procedures);
1.1.3 directly induced consumption (e. g. the water consumption
of a shower head, incorrectly designed, that causes a waste of
water) or caused by induced behaviour (e. g. lawn irrigation
system sold as suitable for irrigation of vegetables).
…
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

13. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.1 Targets of LCD
compared to water
needed: an
automated vegetable
washing plant (the
water will be
reused?)
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

15. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.1 Targets of LCD
compared to water
needed: a well
designed shower
head can save water
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

16. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.1 Targets of LCD
compared to water
needed: a “drip”
irrigation system
saves a lot of water
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

17. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.2 Targets of LCD
compared to food
needed
A designer may help reduce the food needed for:
1.2.1 directly induced consumption (e. g. the consumption of food
due to a portion which exceeds the required, when that portion is
“designed”) or caused by induced behaviour (e. g. the advertising
of foods that are not needed for certain categories of people, such
as for children).
…
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

18. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.2 Targets of LCD
compared to food
needed: sometimes a
large portion is not
consumed…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

19. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.2 Targets of LCD
compared to food
needed: a well
designed food
packaging can help
to save food…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

21. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.3 Targets of LCD
compared to raw
materials needed for
industrial production A designer may help reduce the raw materials needed for:
1.3.1 products production (e. g. the material used for unuseful
parts; e. g. the material wasted because not “recyclable”);
1.3.2 products packaging production (e. g. the packaging not
needed for some products, like some fruits or vegetables);
1.3.3 directly induced consumption (e. g. design of disposable
products, when it is not essential, like instead for medical use or to
preserve drink and food) or caused by induced behaviour (e. g.
design of containers to collect specific kinds of material who can be
recycled).
…
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

22. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.3 Targets of LCD
compared to raw
materials needed for
industrial
production: many
components, like a
car spoiler, can be
unuseful and just a
marketing strategy
(in many cases it
does not work at all!)
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

23. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.3 Targets of LCD
compared to raw
materials needed for
industrial
production:
sometimes nature
designs packaging
for itself…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

24. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.3 Targets of LCD
compared to raw
materials needed for
industrial
production:
disposable products
are not always
essential…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

25. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.3 Targets of LCD
compared to raw
materials needed for
industrial
production: thinking
to design containers
to collect waste
materials a designer
can induce
“sustainable
behaviours”, helping
this way to save
materials
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

26. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed
A designer may help reduce the energy needed for:
1.4.1 collection or extraction of raw materials;
1.4.2 transformation of raw materials into industrial materials;
1.4.3 production of the components;
1.4.4 assembling of the product (if not monocomponent);
1.4.5 packaging of the product;
1.4.6 material, components and product transportation and
distribution;
1.4.7 use of the product in terms of duration or induced directly
(e. g. a product that, because of its brief life, must be substitute in a
short time; e. g. the energy consumption of a lamp) or caused by
induced behavior (the energy consumption due to a pot designed
without lid).
…
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

27. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed:
offshore oil and
natural gas
extraction is
energetically very
expensive and
critical, especially for
the catastrophic
environmental
damage that may
occur…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

28. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed:
the timber can be
produced by
planning the growth
of trees, that grows
by itself –without
energy addition–, and
can be planted near
the site of
transformation, this
leads to other
benefits for the
environment
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

29. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed:
production,
transformation and
recycling of many
metals need a great
amount of energy
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

30. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed:
production,
transformation and
recycling of many
polymers need a little
amount of energy,
above all if
processed by means
of “low pressure”
and “low
temperature”
technologies
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

31. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed: a
complex product
architecture involves
high energetic cost
due to the assembly
operations
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

33. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed: a
“net shape” product,
thought with a simple
architecture, saves
much energy
because many
assembly operations
are avoided
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

34. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed:
transportation and
distribution may be
energetically
expensive
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

35. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed:
even if impactive, the
quarry where the
stone is extracted
can be located next
to the construction
site, and that means
low energy costs for
transportation, as
well as the ancients
knew
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

36. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed:
packaging is a
product architecture
extension, in other
words components
to produce, and
energy
consumption…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

37. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed: a
“fashion watch”
induces
“overproduction”,
because its life is
very brief (fashion
often counteracts the
sustainability…);
watch is a kind of
product that has
been transformed
into a “consumer
product”…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

38. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed: a
solid stainless steel
nutcracker can last
for ever, and it
means that its
substitution will be
very far in the time,
saving energy…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

39. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
1.4 Targets of LCD
compared to energy
resources needed:
thinking to design a
LED lamp, instead
than a lamp with the
old technology, a
designer can drive
the users behaviour,
and at the same time
help to save energy…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

41. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
2.1 Targets of LCD
compared to
pollution produced
and global warming
A designer may help counteract the pollution produced and the
global warming acting as follows:
2.1.1 indicating materials and processes not polluting when
he/she designs a new product;
2.1.2 taking part to the design development of products that do
not produce uncontrolled pollution (e. g. every kind of product
well designed and produced in accordance with current
“environmental” norms) and do not induce behaviours that could
produce pollution (e. g. products that can be used in an
inappropriate way, from the environmental point of view).
…
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

42. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
2.1 Targets of LCD
compared to
pollution produced
and global warming:
some products can
be produced by
means of polluting
processes because
the country they
come from do not act
in accordance with
the international
“environmental”
norms
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

43. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
2.1 Targets of LCD
compared to
pollution produced
and global warming:
an “inappropriate
use” of the products,
above all at product
life cycle end, can
determine every kind
of pollution…
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

44. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
2.2 Targets of LCD
compared to
deforestation,
hunting, intensive
fishing and breeding
A designer may help counteract deforestation, hunting, intensive
fishing and breeding acting as follows:
2.2.1 indicating sustainable woods when he/she designs a new
product (e. g. referring to the FSC –the Forest Stewardship Council
– and asking the producer to emit the related specification, in order
to obtain the material certification);
2.2.2 indicating the environmental advantage achievable
chosing a product made with sustainable wood (e. g. the
graphics of the packaging that comunicates this point);
2.2.3 teaching indigenous people to use better their resources
(e. g. suggesting them to use simple but valuable tips, like cooking
using pots with their lids…),
2.2.4 avoiding to design hunting weapons, intensive fishing and
breeding equipments… (these should be individual conscious
choices).
…
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

45. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
2.2 Targets of LCD
compared to
deforestation,
hunting, intensive
fishing and breeding:
the FSC mark
guarantees that the
wood comes from
“well managed”
forests
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

46. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
2.2 Targets of LCD
compared to
deforestation,
hunting, intensive
fishing and breeding:
simply teaching
indigenous peoples
use the lid you can
counteract
deforestation
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

47. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
3.0 Targets of LCD
compared to new
development models
A designer may help suggest new development models acting as
follows:
3.0.1 what is obvious: designing products that are
“sustainable”, that will be made in accordance with current –
and future, if possible– “environmental” norms;
3.0.2 participating in research campaigns, and related
conferences, on the “sustainability”, promoted by associations,
schools, universities etc;
3.0.3 writing news… articles, books etc;
3.04 teaching Life Cycle Design…
…
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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

48. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
APPROACH
3.0 Targets of LCD
compared to new
development models
LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
Sergio Antonio Salvi

49. OMITTED