Coming in 2012: Are You Ready to Support a More Sustainable Approach to Product Design?

According to independent analyst firm, Verdantix – corporate spending on innovation to push product-level sustainability differentiation in 2012 will reach $12 billion in the U.S.; $1.6 billion in the U.K.; $500 million in Canada and $400 million in Australia.

As noted in a related article, “The Five Growth Areas for Sustainability Spending in 2012,” Verdantix reports that spending in the following sustainability-focused areas will experience significant growth in 2012:

1)      Strategic energy management

2)      Product sustainability differentiation

3)      Sustainability business consulting

4)      Smart and sustainable city projects

5)      Pyramid market innovation

In particular, Verdantix reports that as requirements for legislation such as REACH and RoHS become more stringent, and as stakeholders pay greater attention to the sustainability side of products, firms are going to spend more ensuring that their products and services are greener. For example, environmental labeling requirements set to be put in place by end of year 2012 in France will drive product-level sustainability initiatives and reporting.

So, the question is – are you ready? Are your products designed with sustainability in mind? You may not even choose to market these products as green or sustainable – the real issue is whether you are incorporating sustainable practices in your product design and manufacturing efforts.  Tools to assist you in such efforts are becoming increasingly accessible, making it much easier to embrace sustainability than in the past. For example, such tools allow you to identify and incorporate more sustainable materials in your products upfront during the design phase,  can help guide you in the selection of sustainably-sourced materials or components throughout the supply chain, can help you to identify sustainability "hot spots" (or aspects of how your product is created, manufactured or used that score high in terms of having a negative environmental impact)  throughout the lifecycle of your product, and more.

Ultimately, products that are designed and manufactured using less energy, less material and/or more sustainable materials, can be more easily disassembled for reuse or recycling, or that are made using less toxic chemicals or processes – will offer a competitive advantage. Think that’s a bit idealistic? Think again. Legislation changes everything – and it’s coming, whether we’re ready or not. If not, it means scrambling to keep up – when you could have taken the lead and put yourself out ahead of the crowd…

One way to get there? As a designer or engineer, you can begin to ask about and test out some of the new sustainable product design tools being offered by engineering software providers. We’ve mentioned them before – but for those of you “just joining” – to name a few, these include: Sustainable Minds LCA, PE International’s GaBi LCA software, Solidworks Sustainability/Sustainability Xpress, Trayak’s Eco-Designer, Autodesk’s Eco-Materials Advisor, and PTC’s Windchill LCA. Or better yet – just ask your engineering software provider to help you conduct a “sustainability audit.” That will give you an idea of just where your product development efforts might benefit most from a sustainability makeover.

It’s all part of next-generation product design, a topic that is explored in greater detail in our upcoming report, “Sustainability and the Product Lifecycle: A Report on the Opportunities, Challenges and Best Practices for Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing.”

See also:

The Five Growth Areas for Sustainability Spending in 2012

Engineers Still Trying to Make Sense of Sustainability

When it comes to sustainability, engineers are skeptics. But is that such a bad thing?

In its third annual survey exploring how mechanical engineers view the world of sustainability, the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) found that engineers, true to their nature –are still trying to solve the sustainability puzzle. As reported in Mechanical Engineering’s November issue, prevailing attitudes among engineers are that they see the value of sustainability, show skepticism about the hype, and are searching for a better way to quantify what they are doing.

To which I say, “Bravo!” Kudos to the engineering community for being the skeptics that they are – for requiring that sustainability – and, in particular - sustainable design and manufacturing – deliver more than just promises.

As one ASME survey respondent points out:

“We do not subscribe to the politics behind the green/sustainable movement,” one engineer wrote. “We believe in using sound engineering judgment to deliver the most cost-effective means to lower our customer’s energy consumption to save them money. The CO2 savings, a meaningless metric, is simply a function of lower energy consumption.”

Engineers, by definition, are trained to question – which is why, I think, we see such a strong resistance among the engineering community to embrace sustainability simply because it is “the right thing to do.” The reality is that every day, engineers are tasked with addressing challenges like safety, reliability, and performance – and to the extent that sustainability issues have an impact on such design criteria – then sustainability matters.

It matters, for example, if counterfeit parts enter the supply chain and threaten to compromise the performance of a critical engine or electronic component. It matters if a product is dependent on the availability of a rare or scarce material, or if the cost of producing a part or product is at risk of skyrocketing due to rising energy costs. In short, the metrics that are important to engineers effectively remain unchanged – cost, performance, safety, reliability. What has changed is that there are an increasing number of external factors impacting engineering and design that lie outside the control of the engineer.

That said, what IS becoming more important to the engineering community is the ability to better predict how such external factors stand to impact their design decisions or threaten the safety or reliability of the products they make.

Which is why tools that, for example, enable engineers to more easily identify and specify sustainable or alternative materials in their design efforts, matter – and why tools that allow them to evaluate and understand the performance of these materials in context, matters. It’s why tools or processes that allow engineers to more easily develop products that either consume less energy during the use phase, or use less energy in the manufacturing or production phase, matter. It’s why if it becomes clear that “doing things the way it has always been done” is no longer sufficient, that we can expect to see our engineers come up with a new, more innovative approach to solving the problem, whether that problem relates to sustainability or something else.

So – a tool that allow us to reduce our carbon footprint may prove useful not necessarily because it shows us how to reduce our environmental impact – but because it shows us how to reduce our energy use. But is that a bad thing? Either way, whether companies are motivated to reduce their energy use to cut costs or to reduce their environmental impact, does it really matter? At the end of the day, what matters is that less energy is used, and there are quantifiable benefits. 

If embraced in this way, perhaps sustainability would have more followers among the engineering community. Perhaps we simply need to ask the question, “What are the engineering benefits of sustainable product design and manufacturing?” Or as Mechanical Engineering magazine’s recent article on this topic asks, “what could be more sustainable than improving efficiency and eliminating waste to lower the cost of new products and manufacturing processes?”

What do you think? Tell us. It’s not too late! We’re still seeking participants for our study,  “Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing: What’s Happening Now… and What’s Ahead?”

See also:

Sustainability (Mechanical Engineering magazine, November 2011 issue)

Participate in a New Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing Research Study and Be Eligible to Win an iPad 2! (survey)

The Sustainability Consortium Releases “High Impact” Profiles for 10 Product Categories

“The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) took a major step forward today when they announced the completion of 10 Category Sustainability Profiles as part of research on 50 product categories, with a commitment to develop 50 additional product categories by the end of 2011.” - source: The Sustainability Consortium

A bit of background
Several years ago, Walmart supported the creation of “The Sustainability Consortium” in an effort to drive product-level sustainability. (See earlier post on this subject.) Supplier scorecards for reporting sustainability across the supply chain were put in place – and efforts to move towards some mechanism for easily creating and comparing a product’s “sustainability score” against its competitors – was envisioned. To date, the Sustainability Consortium’s efforts have been embraced by some and criticized by others. But whether you’re a supporter or not, it’s worth paying attention to the Consortium’s latest developments because of the potential impact their work may ultimately have on the Walmart supplier community. In that light, noted below are some of the key points of their latest announcement. 

Which product categories are included?
The Sustainability Consortium announced that it has completed 10 category sustainability profiles. The categories that are a part of this initial launch include beef, coffee, cotton towels, yogurt, fashion dolls, laptops, laundry detergent, televisions, toilet tissues, and wheat cereal.

Why were these product categories selected?
TSC members chose these categories because of their business relevance, potential for improvement, and magnitude of impact.

According to the press release, “The Sustainability Consortium’s work on these profiles, which identify and prioritize the largest impacts in the life cycle of a product, is extremely valuable,” said Helen van Hoeven, director of market transformation at World Wildlife Fund and a recently appointed Consortium Board member. “This information allows retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers to focus their efforts on innovating and improving on products and their supply chains where it matters most.”

How are these profiles created? 

“The Consortium collects the best available knowledge by reviewing published life cycle assessments, scanning literature, interviewing subject matter experts, integrating life cycle models, and utilizing our large network of corporate, NGO, academic, and government partners. We turn over every rock for information to see what’s available,” said Joby Carlson, Knowledge Base manager for The Sustainability Consortium. “From that, we begin to understand the most well supported environmental and societal issues related to a product category. We also reveal relevant and actionable best practices or product attributes that organizations can implement to address these priority issues. 

What’s the objective?
TSC’s objective is to have this information serve as the basis for driving sustainable change in research and development, understanding supplier sustainability through scorecards or benchmarking, establishing sustainable sourcing policies, and guiding product designs. TSC believes that these deliverables represent a significant milestone for The Consortium’s Sustainability Measurement and Reporting System to inform retailers, buyers, manufacturers, and suppliers about the impacts various consumer goods and supply networks have on the climate, water, energy, biodiversity, toxicity, and society.

What’s the view from its membership community? Are these profiles valid?
“We are big believers in The Consortium’s approach,” said Dr. Len Sauers, vice president for global sustainability at Procter & Gamble and Consortium Board member. “Having these profiles will be immensely helpful to bring people around the table to make real progress towards product sustainability.”

What’s the key takeaway?
The impact of the efforts of the Sustainability Consortium to provide guidance around sustainability metrics for retail products like toys, electronics, and cleaning agents promises to be significant in the years ahead. While the foundation for the sustainability ratings and/or rankings to come may be questioned by some, the reality is that the groundwork is being laid to make product design more sustainable, in general – and to make more eco-friendly product options available to mainstream consumers. Ultimately, the key will be for a manufacturer to be able to provide some kind of verifiable qualifying data to back up its eco-design or sustainability claims. At the end of the day, this is a good thing – perhaps the system isn’t perfect, but it’s a start – and it’s better than what exists currently. So – we’ll be watching. And critics should be, too. If there’s something that seems totally amiss, then it is the job of the watchdogs among us to speak up.

See also:

Sustainable Product and Consumption Starts to Get Real in the Marketplace  The Sustainability Consortium Adopts PE International's GaBi Tool to Perform LCA

Is Sustainability Really Good for Business?

(Note: If you’re not a “save the planet” type, no worries. Sustainability offers lots of other benefits, too. Like the ability – to make money.)

“Sustainability is about making money,” says SAP’s Chief Sustainability Officer Peter Graf.  Is that just the talk of a silver-tongued executive – or is it really true? What if the road to riches really is paved with green? What if a company that embraced sustainability could really rise to the top of its class and point to its sustainability efforts as a key ingredient in that success?

SAP seems to have done just that. And it seems intent on helping its customers to do the same. According to Graf, the message is a simple one. As noted in a related article on the subject, his views on sustainability are easy to understand:

“There is money to be made. There is money to be saved,” says Graf. “That’s why companies need to engage.”

So, just for a moment - forget about “saving the planet.” Instead, think in terms of the other benefits that a sustainable approach can deliver. This includes cost-savings, energy-savings, reduced waste, and less risk (safer products, less exposure to toxic materials, less reliance on rare materials, no risk of penalties due to non-compliance, etc.) And that’s just the beginning – many companies also experience an increase in product innovation, revenue growth and product quality – alongside the expected environmental and energy-related improvements.

So the question is – what’s holding companies back from integrating sustainability into their product development efforts? Is it too difficult? Too costly? Or is it simply a cultural issue – one that is characterized by a general “resistance to change”?

Even small steps can have a big impact

Actually, some of the best advice I’ve heard on this subject is that even small steps can have a big impact. This message is perhaps best illustrated by the teachings of the Bressler Group – a small product design firm based in Pennsylvania. The company is a huge proponent of sustainable thinking – but not just because it’s good for the environment – and not just because it’s cool. They see sustainability as being a key ingredient in building a better product – and ultimately, even doing so more cheaply, and more efficiently.

Their free video, “Cut the Crap: A Method for Developing Greener and Cheaper Products” offers some valuable insights into the process of applying sustainability principles in product design – namely that embracing sustainability doesn’t require companies to completely overhaul their product development process. They can make even small changes – substitute a more eco-friendly material, for example; or reduce the amount of waste generated by their manufacturing operations. Such changes, multiplied over time, can really add up- and can, as the firm suggests – have a real impact on not only the environment – but on the bottom line, as well.

As Bressler Group’s Mathieu Turpault puts it:

“Cost reduction is a tangible benefit of more sustainably-designed products,” says Mathieu Turpault, Managing Partner for Design, Bresslergroup. According to Turpault, “Each year there are millions of new consumer and industrial products released. Using our process, developers can realize a series of ongoing improvements which has huge potential when multiplied across millions of units.”

Through its incremental approach to sustainable product design, detailed in the “Cut the Crap” webinar, Bresslergroup proves that changes can actually be made right here and now, with readily available tools. As one webinar attendee from a major consumer products company commented: “For an industrial designer who’s heard a lot about sustainable design, but never experienced anyone actually doing it, this presentation offers practical steps and real tools to begin implementing these hyped methodologies.”

So - do you have what it takes to design sustainable products? Or wish you did? Tell us more. By taking this short survey, you’ll be helping to shed light on this very important – and often highly debated – topic. Whether you’re a sustainability expert or just beginning your journey – your feedback is invaluable.

It’s all part of next-generation product design, a topic that is explored in greater detail in our current research study, “Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing: What’s Happening Now… and What’s Ahead?”

To learn more, see: Participate in a New Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing Research Study and Be Eligible to Win an iPad 2! 

See also:

“Sustainability is About Making Money”

“Cut the Crap: A Method for Developing Greener and Cheaper Products”

Participate in a New Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing Research Study and Be Eligible to Win an iPad 2! 

Sustainable Product Development Saves Energy, Fuels Innovation and Drives Revenue Growth

Manufacturers cite “significant improvement” in revenue growth, product innovation and energy use from sustainable product development, according to new study

New Hampshire, USA – According to early findings from a new research study, “Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing: What’s Happening Now… and What’s Ahead?” manufacturers have much more to gain than just a better reputation by embracing sustainability in their product design and development efforts.

In particular, according to independent market research and analyst firm, Four Winds Research, select manufacturers are experiencing not only a significant improvement in energy use, but a significant improvement in revenue growth and innovation, as well, as a result of their sustainable product development efforts.

That’s good news, because in today’s tough economic climate – it’s the ability to not only address environmental or social concerns, but to drive business forward -- that companies need most.

But some companies are beginning to realize that they can do both. While the cost-savings and environmental benefits of improved energy efficiency, waste reduction, or a reduced carbon footprint are often cited as key benefits of employing a leaner, more sustainable approach to design and manufacturing, the research suggests that additional financial benefits are also possible.

For many, it may come as somewhat of a surprise that a growing number of organizations – from automotive and aerospace manufacturers to makers of high tech electronics products and industrial machinery – cite increased revenue growth, as a result of their organizations’ sustainable product development efforts, with some even seeing a significant improvement in both revenue growth and innovation. In addition, many manufacturers are experiencing improvements in product quality, as well, according to the research.

So, how do they do it? Nearly sixty percent of those surveyed indicate that their company leverages lean or green design strategies (i.e. fewer parts, less material, reduced complexity) to achieve cost savings and minimize environmental impact, while nearly fifty percent indicate that they employ design for sustainability (DfS) principles and lifecycle thinking to support ROI across the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit).

In addition, early findings reveal that approximately thirty-five percent of manufacturers surveyed indicate that product design software is “used widely” to identify and evaluate more sustainable design alternatives; and over thirty percent use “up-front” LCA (lifecycle assessment) tools and methodologies during the conceptual design phase to identify and estimate the potential environmental impacts of design decisions. Also, in seeking to achieve their sustainable product design objectives, companies also most often cite “the ability to identify and use more eco-friendly materials in our products” as a top priority.

It’s all part of next-generation product design, a topic that is explored in greater detail in the new research study, “Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing: What’s Happening Now… and What’s Ahead?” To learn more, or to participate in this research effort, see: Participate in a New Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing Research Study and Be Eligible to Win an iPad 2! 

For more information, contact: Amy Rowell at amy.rowell@fourwindsresearch.com.

About Four Winds Research
Four Winds Research is an independent market research and analysis firm focused on topics related to sustainability. Its current research efforts are centered around identifying the key issues and challenges facing designers and engineers today as they attempt to create sustainable products; understanding how organizations can effectively apply sustainability principles in product design and development both internally and across the supply chain; and the critical role that sustainability metrics, tools, and technologies promise to play in product design and manufacturing in the coming decade. To learn more, see: www.fourwindsresearch.com

New Global Study Examines Sustainable Product Design Tools, Strategies and Practices

Participate in a New Sustainable Product Design Study and Be Registered to Win an iPad 2!

New global study examines the sustainability practices, strategies, and tools being applied in product design and manufacturing today

New Hampshire, USA – Four Winds Research, an independent market research and analysis firm focused on topics related to sustainability - announced today that it is seeking participants for a new global study on sustainable product design and manufacturing.

Sustainability managers, engineering and design professionals, regulatory compliance officers, environmental health & safety professionals, quality managers and other practitioners who are either currently involved in supporting sustainable design and/or manufacturing – or expect to be - are all encouraged to take part in this important baseline study.

To participate, individuals are asked to simply complete a short survey. All responses will remain strictly confidential. Deadline for participation is September 1st, 2011. 

All qualified survey participants will be entered into a drawing for an iPad 2!

The study, “Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing: What’s Happening Now… and What’s Ahead?” seeks to gain greater insight into the sustainability issues and challenges facing manufacturers today –  and to identify important trends and developments in sustainable design and manufacturing. The study will also take an in-depth look at manufacturers’ concerns involving sustainability or sustainability-related issues – from questions surrounding increasingly strict regulatory environmental compliance requirements and pending legislation, to the level of adoption of lifecycle thinking and sustainable product design tools or strategies in manufacturers’ product design and development efforts.

Increasingly, sustainability is a topic that is of growing interest to manufacturers – but it is also one that raises many questions for organizations and individuals alike. Is it difficult to design products with sustainability in mind? Does it require special tools? Does it involve special training? Will it change the way I design, or require additional steps in the design process? Can I still work with my existing suppliers or will I have to find new ones? And what about the materials or processes that I’m using to manufacture my products – are these sustainable? If not, what are my alternatives? What about using an LCA (life cycle assessment) to help guide my product design efforts? How does all this impact my work?

Today, product designers from across all industry sectors – from footwear and apparel to high tech/electronics and transportation – wrestle with these and other questions in their quest to support sustainability initiatives within their companies. What we’d really like to know is - what’s happening in your organization? Is sustainability important? In particular, is it important at the product-level? If so – how is sustainable product design currently being tackled by your product development teams?

Tell us.  By taking this short survey, you’ll be helping to shed light on this very important – and often highly debated – topic. Whether you’re a sustainability expert or just beginning your journey – your feedback is invaluable.

For more information, contact: Amy Rowell at amy.rowell@fourwindsresearch.com.

About Four Winds Research
Four Winds Research is an independent market research and analysis firm focused on topics related to sustainability. Its current research efforts are centered around identifying the key issues and challenges facing designers and engineers today as they attempt to create sustainable products; understanding how organizations can effectively apply sustainability principles in product design and development both internally and across the supply chain; and the critical role that sustainability metrics, tools, and technologies promise to play in product design and manufacturing in the coming decade. To learn more, see: www.fourwindsresearch.com

How Hazardous Are Your High Tech Electronic Products?

Expect that many of you may have already made note of the recent updates to the RoHS legislation w/respect to its impact on the design of electronics' products - but thought this reference might still be of interest, “RoHS Recast New and Improved?”

At first glance, it seems this article is written from the perspective of the European manufacturer, but as it turns out, this particular electronics’ manufacturer, TTI, is actually based in North America - and is simply paying close attention to this legislation because of its European customer base. 

One of the key changes involves an expansion of the definition of what constitutes an electronics’ product. For example, greeting cards and toys containing electronics are now subject to the same RoHS compliance requirements as other electronic “gadgets.”

In particular, according to the press release,

The Council today revised the directive on hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. This will extend protection from dangerous chemicals to more electrical appliances and improve the safety of products such as mobile phones, refrigerators and electronic toys (62/10 +COR4, 8117/11 ADD1 REV1).1

First adopted in 2003, the law bans six hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, including lead, mercury and cadmium.

The review extends the scope of the ban to more products, while harmonising it across the EU: the ban will now in principle apply to all electrical and electronic equipment as well as to cables and spare parts. Certain transitional periods are provided for, though: monitoring and control devices and medical devices will be covered in three years, in vitro medical devices in five years and industrial control appliances in six years.

The law adopted today also obliges the Commission to regularly review and adapt the list of restricted substances according to a number of criteria. This means that further substances in electrical and electronic equipment may be banned in future.

So, ultimately – what do these RoHS changes mean for a manufacturer or supplier of electronics’ products? In short, increased scrutiny. As TTI’s Ken Stanvick puts it:

"If your company chose to do little or nothing to insure demonstrable compliance to the “old” RoHS directive then your company will be faced with a significant outlay of time and resources needed to catch up and legitimately supply RoHS compliant products, or subassemblies or components used to assemble finished products to the EU market."

Translated? If your company is involved in the design of electronics’ products – or supplies parts, components or subassemblies containing electronics – then it will need to both support and document its compliance efforts in this area. Failure to do so threatens a manufacturers’ ability to participate in the European marketplace – and is likely to threaten the ability to participate in markets worldwide, as RoHS legislation is enacted elsewhere.

It’s all part of next-generation product design, a topic that is explored in greater detail in our upcoming research study, “Sustainability and the Product Lifecycle: A Report on the Opportunities, Challenges and Best Practices for Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing.”

So - do you have what it takes to design sustainable products? Or wish you did? Tell us more. By taking this short survey, you’ll be helping to shed light on this very important – and often highly debated – topic. Whether you’re a sustainability expert or just beginning your journey – your feedback is invaluable.

See also:

Council Tightens Rules on Hazardous Substances in Electrical of Electronic Equipment

RoHS Recast New and Improved?

Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing: Are We There Yet? (survey)