regulations and government's role in green product and service design

1. IF PRODUCTS
COULD SPEAK
TOWARDS A MODEL OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
JEN VAN DER MEER
NYU ITP
WEEK 4: FEBRUARY 23, 2009

2. RECALLED 2_12_2009

3. RECALLED 2_17_2009

4. THAT WAS ONE POWERFUL
PEANUT CORPORATION OF AMERICA

5. 2_20_2009 OBAMA SIGNS STIMULUS PLAN

6. TODAY’S FOCUS:
THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT + REGULATORS ON
GREEN PRODUCT + SERVICE DESIGN
_Shift in power from US to EU
_Precautionary Principal
_Sex and plastic
_Eco-Nomics

7. REFRESHER:
WEEK 1: Creators of products and services have
a responsibility to know what’s in the stuff that
we make.

8. REFRESHER:
WEEK 2: The greatest environmental impact, in
terms of product life cycle, is often in the hands
of the end consumer – use and disposal of
products and services. To improve
environmental impact, give consumers the tools
to be better owners/operators of their stuff.
Challenge: Create Spimes.

9. REFRESHER:
WEEK 3: Environmental advocates and activists
have a role to play in alerting us to the green
agenda, but often focus on campaigns that isolate
a specific effect, or toxin, rather than a
comprehensive, holistic view.
Consumers feel they are being politically active
when they change their buying behavior.
Challenge: Design for the role of citizen/consumer

10. HOMEWORK
Example of a campaign lead by an NGO/Activist
organization using technology-enabled tools.

11. RISE OF EU, DECLINE OF US
America used to lead the world in protecting its citizens from
environmental harm.
Over the last 15+ years, the EU began to lead the way in establishing
stronger environmental standards.
Other countries are banning toxic chemicals that Americans still use.

13. WHY THE SHIFT IN POWER?
1989: Montreal Protocol– led by the US – to ban ozone-depleting
chemicals.
2001: POPS convention: Stockholm Convention on Persistent
Organic Pollutants.
Bush signed just after he took office in 2001, but it was never
ratified.
President’s legal team took issue with the fact that the international
agreement could supersede US law, and introduce new chemicals to
ban without the US’s direct authority.
Lack of cooperation leads to a lack of power.

14. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
EU adopts the precautionary principle: acting to avoid serious or
irreversible potential harm, despite lack of scientific certainty as to
the likelihood, magnitude, or causation of that harm.
Look for patterns, act in anticipation of risk.
Particularly when children are involved.
US principle: do not act until scientific consensus on causation has
been established.
Greater risk is in tempering economic growth for uncertain
environmental outcome.

15. ARGUMENT VS. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
Stifles innovation.
Stops progress.
Anti-business.
Embedded in the Precautionary Principle is the notion that we can
anticipate all of the ramifications of a technology in advance and can
tell whether on balance it will be a net benefit or cost to humanity and
the environment.

16. What’s the harm in these ducks?

20. Learning from rats: effect of phthalates on hormonal
development in male rats and baby boy humans

21. ANO-GENITAL DISTANCE
Dr. Shanna Swan: studied pregnant mothers and
their infant sons.
Certain phthalates serve as endocrine disruptors
– potentially leading to the “feminization of
infant boys.”
Chemical industry response: this is “rat
syndrome.”

26. US has become a “dumping ground” for
Chemicals not sold in the ROW

27. EFFECT OF BAN ON BUSINESS OF PHTHALATES
Danisco and BASF developed alternatives, no change to the
European toy market in the years after the ban.
Mattel, Hasbro, Toys R Us developed their own ban on levels of
phthalates in children’s toys.
Dr. Swan: “Substitutes are working. Why take the risk? Why put this
into kids bodies if we don’t have to?”

28. PHTHALATES TODAY in the US
2006 California state senator – Wilma Chan – launched a bill to ban 6
types of phthalates that were already banned in the EU.
Heavy lobby by Toy industry to halt the ban.
90% of toys are made in China, but the fear was that the ban would
affect small-medium sized toy makers.
Banned first in San Francisco 2007.

29. PHTHALATES NOW BANNED IN TEETHERS
Then in 2008, in response to a crisis in consumer confidence, the CPSIA
was passed.
Starting on February 10, 2009, certain children’s toys and child care
articles can no longer be sold, offered for sale, manufactured or
imported for sale in the United States if they contain more than 0.1% of
specified phthalates. In addition, CPSC staff will sample teethers,
rattles and pacifiers to confirm that manufacturers continue their
practice of not using prohibited phthalates.
Major conflict and confusion pits environmental activists against small
business owners, ETSY and Ebay sellers, who are now facing significant
testing costs to comply with the ban.
Major toy companies that already adopted their own bans are ahead of
the curve.

30. BIG BUSINESS BENEFITS
Major toy companies that already adopted their own bans are ahead of
the curve in terms of testing:
Mattel, Hasbro, Toys R Us.

31. http://heatherknitzdesigns.blogspot.com

32. SHIFT IN LOCUS OF INNOVATION
US’s refusal to sign Kyoto accord is shifted business opportunities
from the US to the EU and China – investments in renewable energy,
clean development, and updating of old factories.
Hot Flat and Crowded: proposes that an ambitious national strategy
—which Friedman calls quot;Geo-Greenismquot;—is not only what we need to
save the planet from overheating; it is what we need to make
America healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and
more secure.

33. TWEAKED TO TELL THE TRUTH
We already had a market that subsidizes fossil fuel at the
expense of renewable energy.
In a world that's hot, flat and crowded, clean tech has to be
the next great global industry and therefore the country that
takes the lead in clean power and clean tech is going to, by
definition, be an economic and strategic leader in the 21st
century; and that's why there's absolutely no contradiction
not only between going green and being patriotic,
geopolitical and geostrategic. They actually go together.
The free market will be fine, he says, so long as it’s tweaked
to start telling the truth, reflecting the true cost to the earth
of all that we consume.

34. ECO-NOMICS

35. TESLA ROADSTER

36. GREEN JOBS

37. BETTERPLACE.COM

40. NEXT CLASS:
Readings:
Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday
Products and What’s at Stake for American
Power. Chapter 1: Soft Power, Hard Edge.
Chapter 4: Two Houses of Risk, pp. 1-19,
67-82.
Assignment due next class: Develop initial ideas
of product or service systems you would like to
explore, to present in class.