Renewable Resource - Define
Renewable resources are consumed at a lesser rate than they are replaced by natural processes.
Renewable Resource - State
Wind, Solar, Hydro Electric, Biomass & gas, Geothermal
Non-Renewable Resource - Define
Non-Renewable resources have a limited supply
Non-Renewable Resource - State
Oil, Coal, Nuclear power
Linear Vs. Circular Economy
Linear works: Make -> Use -> Dispose. Circular tries to keep the product out of the waste stream as long as possible.
Waste Mitigation Strategies
Re-use: Repeated use of components or products with the same or different purpose
Recycle: Involves the collection, separation, and processing of materials removing them from the waste stream.
Repair: To restore a damaged item
Recondition: Used product returned to their original condition aimed at extending the product’s life cycle
Reengineer: To significantly redesign the product with improvments
Waste Stream - Define
Waste stream is the complete flow of waste from domestic or industrial areas through to final disposal
Dematerialization - Define
Use fewer materials or materials that use less energy
The reduction of:
- Raw materials at the production stage
- Energy and material inputs at the usage stage
- Waste at the disposal stage
Dematerialization - Strategies
- Miniaturization - Design and manufacture of a smaller product
- Alternative Construction - Design and manufacture of lighter products
- Replacement of material goods by non-material substitutes eg. Paper by email
- Reduction in the use of material system or of systems requiring larger infrastructures eg. Work from home vs using a car to go to work
Embodied Energy
The sum of all energy needed to produce a product
Microgeneration
small scale systems that generate electricity and/or heat for domestic purposes
Clean Technology - Define
Clean technology seeks to reduce waste/pollution from production processes through radical or incremental development of a production system.
Clean Technology - Drivers
Consumer, Regulatory & Industry interest
Clean Technology - Incrementalism
Incremental changes within a company are small steps towards a larger goal.
Advantages
- Manufacturers do not need to invest in large changes to processes, technology, personnel or approaches.
- Manufacturers can respond to aspects of legislation quickly and efficiently
- Manufacturers can follow the lead of others without investing in R&D
Disadvantages:
- Manufacturers might need to make small changes on a more frequent basis
- The small changes might not fulfil the requirements of the legislation
Clean Technology - Radicalism
Making a great and sudden impact to how ‘clean’ a company
Advantages:
- Companies can benefit from an improved reputation
- Sometimes radical approaches are required to respond to drastic legislation
- Might actually be a cheaper solution
Disadvantages:
- Radical solutions sometime require R&D
- Can involve investment in personnel, training, technologies, equipment
- Untried methods are not risk-free
End of Pipe Technologies - Define
End of Pipe refers to technical measures for reactive environmental protection such as filtering plants, wastewater treatment plants etc., which serve to contain emissions (exhaust gases, wastewater, noise), pollutants and other polluting substances which have already occurred or arisen, or to render them controllable or disposable.
Green Design - Define
Green design integrates environmental considerations into the design of a product without compromising its integrity. Often over a short timescale of 2-5 years
Green Design - Strategies
- Process streamlining
- Product optimisation
- Parts standardisation
- Improvements in reliability
- Benchmarking against competitors
Green Design - Drivers
Consumer Pressure & Legislation
Green Design - Objectives
- Increasing efficiency - through the use of materials, energy and other resources
- Minimizing damage/pollution - from the chosen materials
- Reducing to a minimum long term harm - caused by the use of a product
- Efficient life expectancy - ensuring that the planned life of the product is most appropriate in environmental terms and that it functions efficiently for its full life
- End of disposal - taking full account of the effects of the disposal of a product
- environmental packaging & instructions - encourage efficiency
- Minimize nuisances- such as noise and smell
- Minimize potential safety hazards - analyzing these.
labelling materials - so they can be identified for recycling
Green Design - Prevention Principle
A number of risk assessment tools can be used by companies to assess their operations for risk and introduce management systems to protect the health and safety of employees and minimisze waste. Actions should be taken before damage occurs.
Green Design - Precautionary principle
Precautionary principle - the anticipation of potential problems in relation to the environmental impact of the production, use and disposal of a product.
Eco Design - Cradle To Grave
Assessment of the whole life cycle of a product
Eco Design - Cradle to Cradle
The target is to develop and design products that are truly suited to a biological or technical metabolism, thereby preventing the recycling of products which were never designed to be recycled in the first place.
