{"id":24928,"date":"2017-11-01T09:11:35","date_gmt":"2017-11-01T14:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crowdspring.com\/blog\/?p=24928"},"modified":"2025-07-11T10:15:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T15:15:44","slug":"sustainable-product-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crowdspring.com\/blog\/sustainable-product-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Product Design Strategies for a Sustainable Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Climate change is on everyone’s minds.<\/p>\n

And it should be.\u00a0After all, this is the only planet we have.<\/p>\n

Keeping Earth healthy impacts everyone.<\/p>\n

But, even if you’re not convinced that climate change is a real problem, there’s still plenty of reason to prioritize a greener, sustainable future. A 2017 peer-reviewed study<\/a>\u00a0in the Lancet revealed that pollution continues to be a major global health concern.<\/p>\n

According to the study, pollution was responsible for roughly 9 million premature deaths<\/strong> in 2015.\u00a0This makes pollution the “largest environmental cause of disease and death in the world today<\/a>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

No matter how you look at it, poisoning the air, water, and soil we all rely on to survive is not a good idea.<\/p>\n

The great news is that product companies and designers are in a prime position to make a positive impact.<\/p>\n

SolidWorks<\/a>, a developer of 3D design software, points out in their\u00a0Guide to Sustainable Design<\/a>:<\/p>\n

In the midst of the myriad sustainability tools, techniques, global and local activities, and corporate initiatives the product designer plays a key role. This person has an impact in the pivotal stage where decisions are made about what inputs are needed, how they must be processed, what the product\u2019s lifecycle looks like, and what its end of life looks like. Engineering for sustainability early in the design process creates a trajectory that can lock in the benefits from the beginning…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Companies designing products and product designers can protect our planet – and people’s health – through sustainable design choices. With new regulations like the Renewable Energy Directive III in Europe, the push toward renewable energy and sustainable practices is stronger than ever.<\/p>\n

But what is<\/em>\u00a0sustainable design?<\/p>\n

The World Commission on Environment and Development<\/a>\u00a0defines sustainable design or development as:<\/p>\n

…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When creating new products, companies and product designers can advocate for using green tech<\/a> and materials and design products that minimize waste and energy consumption.<\/p>\n

We can all agree that selling products is great, but designing and selling products that support<\/em>\u00a0global health instead of undermining it is even better. Challenge yourself to design a better tomorrow with these proven green product design strategies for a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n

Design for Improved Product Lifecycle<\/h2>\n

One of the most effective ways to design greener products is to think beyond the product itself and optimize its entire “lifecycle.” Every product goes through a lifecycle of at least four stages:<\/p>\n

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  1. Manufacturing<\/li>\n
  2. Transportation<\/li>\n
  3. Use<\/li>\n
  4. Disposal<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Each stage offers opportunities to create or minimize waste and consume or save energy.<\/p>\n

    So start your design process by taking a step back to reflect on the lifecycle of your product.\u00a0Find the lifecycle phases with the biggest negative impacts and focus on improving those in your design process.<\/p>\n

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