Evolution of Sustainable Design Approaches

course System Design for Sustainability
subject 1. Sustainable development and design: the reference framework

learning resource 1.2
Evolution of sustainability within design

carlo vezzoli
politecnico di milano . DESIGN dept. . DIS . School of Design . Italy

Learning Network on Sustainability (EU asia-link)
Learning Network on Sustainabile energy systems (EU edulink)

Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy

CONTENTS

. increasing role of design (for sustainability)
. evolution of sustainability within design
. low environmental impact materials/energies
. product life cycle design/ecodesign
. Product-Service System design for eco-efficiency
. design for social equity and cohesion
. design for sustainability: state of the art
. a “pluralism of aesthetics” for sustainability

Carlo Vezzoli

APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABILITY

- intervening after processes’ damages
intervening on processes
TIME

intervening on products and services
+ intervening consumption patterns (SCP)

INCREASING (POTENTIAL) ROLE FOR DESIGN

Carlo Vezzoli

INCREASING (POTENTIAL) ROLE OF DESIGN

emphasis on prevention
emphasis on socio-cultural dimension

> responsibility for:
the “technical” definition of the solutions
the “attractiveness” of solutions

Carlo Vezzoli

WHAT DO THE DESIGN COMMUNITY (IN GENERAL)
KNOWS OF DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY?

Carlo Vezzoli

cardboard seat

HOW MANY (IN THE DESIGN
COMMUNITY) WOULD THINK IT IS WITH A
LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?

Carlo Vezzoli

Savonarola seat

walnut-wood, so far
500 years life span

MADE WITHOUT ANY
CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT …
Carlo Vezzoli

+ + + + + + +
…

+ + + + + + +
…

……………………………………………………………..
=

time/function
Carlo Vezzoli

Chadwick , Stumpf
Aeron, Herman Miller

seat steel and plastics,
12 years warranty
even
in use commodatum

DESIGNED TODAY WITH A
RIGHT CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Carlo Vezzoli

pen,
biodegradable material
(from corn starch)

HOW MANY (IN THE DESIGN COMMUNITY)
WOULD THINK IT IS WITH A LOW
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?
Carlo Vezzoli

Pen,
MONTBLANC

DESIGNED WITHOUT ANY
CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT …

Carlo Vezzoli

+ + + + + + +
…

+ + + + + + +
…
…………………………………………………………….............
=

time/function
Carlo Vezzoli

“Natural” materials
HOW MANY
(IN THE DESIGN COMMUNITY)
WOULD THINK THEY ARE
ALWAYS WITH A LOW
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?

Asbestos (amianto) is a natural material!
(and one of the most cancerogenic!)

Carlo Vezzoli

how many
persons within the
design community

?
would evalaute
correctly the
environmantal
sustaianbility?

“natural”
“njatural”
HOW MANY COULD
materials
materials
CORRECTLY DESIGN
FOR SUSTAINABILITY
(AND TEACH IT)?

Carlo Vezzoli

THE TRUTH IS …
... TODAY FEW WHTIN THE DESIGN COMMUNITY
ARE “EQUIPPED” WITH A SOLID KNOWLEDGE-BASE
AND KNOW-HOW (METHODS AND TOOLS) ON
DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY

… TODAY THE DESIGN COMMUNITY (AS A WHOLE)
IS STILL MORE PART OF THE PROBLEM THEN PART
OF THE SOLUTION!

Carlo Vezzoli

EVOLUTION OF THE (POTENTIAL) ROLE OF DESIGN
FOR SUSTAINABILITY: (in industrially mature
contexts)
d
ig ne
d es
be
o
t ”t low impact ~1970-…
c mat./energies
fa
r te
“a Product
t he Life Cycle Design
~1990-…
n ing ecodesign
de
wi
system design for
eco-efficiency
~2000-…
design for social
equity and
cohesion ~2005-…

Carlo Vezzoli

1. LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
MATERIALS/ENERGIES
… since the ’70 research has started to "produce knowledges"
for the selection of low impact materials/energies:

. NON-TOXIC
. “NATURAL”
. RECYCLABLE
. RENEWABLE
. BIO-DEGRADABLE

Carlo Vezzoli

2. PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
(ECODESIGN)
… since the beginning of the ’90 design research has started to
redefine the approch to product design:

an extended design horizon

to the design of the product LIFE CYCLE stages

the design “reference”
from product design
to product’s “FUNCTION” design

Carlo Vezzoli

PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE DESIGN: DEFINITION
(ECODESIGN)
“the design of the product life cycle
stages that, while considering all
requirements, aims at minimising
the environmental impact of the
whole of the life cycle phases in
relation to the functional unit”

(Vezzoli & Manzini, Springer, London, 2008)

Carlo Vezzoli

… in the ’90 research has developed a fundamental method
for the product environmental impact assessment:

LCA: LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
a quantitative method to assess the environmental
effects of the life cycle of a given product/service in
relation to its functional unit

ISO 14040

Carlo Vezzoli

… since the ‘90 some methods and tools have been developed for
product life cycle design

METHODS/TOOLS

…
UNEP-TUD (PROMISE, 1997) POLIMI-DIS (MPDS, 2009)

in 2002 has been issued the ISO/TR 14062:2002 Environmental
management - Integrating environmental aspects into product
design and development
Carlo Vezzoli

3. (PRDUCT-SERVICE) SYSTEM DESIGN FOR
ECO-EFFICENCY
… since the end of the ‘90 some business cases offering as a full
package a mix of product (not in owned by the customer) and
services shows to be capable of creating (new) value decoupling
it from the materials and energy consumption has been studied

Carlo Vezzoli

RICOH: PAY PER PAGE GREEN
photocopiers/printers >
PRINTED PAGES AND COPIES
Ricoh offers a package
deal (Pay per Page Green)
and installs, maintains
and collects at the end-of-
life the printers and
photocopiers (not owned
by the customer); the
customer pays for the
number of delivered
pages and copies.

the innovative interaction between the company and the
client, make the companies’ economic interest to provide (and
design) long lasting, reusable and recyclable photocopiers i.e.
environmentally friendly.
photocopiers > COPIED PAPER
Carlo Vezzoli

DEFINITIONS OF PRODUCTS-SERVICES SYSTEMS
autors year definition
(country)
Goedkoop, van 1999 a Product Service System (or combination of products and services) is a set of marketable products and
Halen, te Riele, services jointly capable of fulfilling a need for a client. [...] The PSS may lead to a benefit for
environmment in connection with the creation of a (new) business
Rommens (The
Netherland)
Mont (Sweeden) 2001 PSS is a system of products, services, networks of actors and supporting infrastructure that
continuously seeks to be competitive, satisfy customer needs and have a lower impact of traditional
business models

UNEP- Manzini, 2002 result of an innovative strategy that shifts the center of the business design and sale of products only
Vezzoli (world- (physical) systems offer products and services that are jointly capable of satisfying a given application
wide)
Brandsotter 2003 PSS is a product of material and intangible services designed and combined so that both jointly are able
(Austria) to satisfy a specific need of a user. In addition a PSS may reach sustainability targets

UE, MEPPS (AA. 2005 result of an innovation strategy focused on the design and sale of a system of products and services
VV.) that are jointly capable of fulfilling a specific customer demand

(Cranfield) Evans 2007 PSS is an integrated offering of a product and a service that provides a value. When using a PSS offers
et al. (UK) the opportunity to decouple economic success from material consumption and thus reduce the
environmental impact of economic activity

UNEP-Tischner, 2009 system of products and services (and infrastructure), jointly cope with the needs and demands of
Vezzoli (world- customers in a more efficient and better value for both businesses and customers, compared to only
offer products [...].
wide) PSS can decouple the creation of value from the consumption of materials and energy and thus
significantly reduce the environmental impact in the life cycle of traditional systems of product

EU-asia link, 2010 an offer model providing an integrated mix of products and services that are together able to fulfil a
LeNS (AA. VV.) particular customer demand (to deliver a “unit of satisfaction”), based on innovative interactions
between the stakeholders of the value production system (satisfaction system), where the economic
and competitive interest of the providers continuously seeks environmentally beneficial new solutions

Carlo Vezzoli

… since ~2005 methods/tools have been developed (EU and UNEP
researches) to support the development of eco-efficient PSS
NEW METHODS/TOOLS

HiCS, Highly MEPSS, MEthodology SusProNet, Network Design4Sustainability Product-Service
Customerised for Product Service on sustainable PSS Step by step System Design for
Solutions System development development approach Sustainability
[see Manzini et [see van Halen et al. [see Tukker [see Tischner & [see Vezzoli et al.,
al. 2004] 2005] &Tischner, 2006] Vezzoli, 2009] tbp 2012]
METHODS
DESIGN
TOOLS

Story Interac
board SDO B portfoli tion
Solution toolkit
Offering diagram l o diagram table
SDO
elements u Story
System Interac toolkit
tion board
assessmen Offering diagram
t table

Carlo Vezzoli

… since ~2005 a new design role has been defined to develop
eco-efficient PSS:

SYSTEM DESIGN FOR ECO-EFFICIENCY:
A DEFINITION
“the design of the system of products
and services that are together able to
fulfil a particular customer demand
(deliver a “unit of satisfaction”) based on
the design of innovative interactions of
the stakeholders (directly and indirectly
linked to that “satisfaction” system)
where the economic and competitive
interest of the providers continuously
seeks environmentally beneficial new
solutions
[to be published in 2013, by Greenleaf
english, chinese, thailandese,
pdf free of charge and in copy left www.lens.polimi.it]

Carlo Vezzoli

… since ~2005 new design approaches has been defined to
develop eco-efficient PSS:

A. “SATISFACTION-SYSTEM” APPROACH
design the satisfaction of a particular demand (satisfaction
unit) and the mix of product and services

B. “STAKEHOLDER CONFIGURATION” APPROACH
design the interactions of the stakeholder of a particular
satisfaction-system

C. “SYSTEM ECO-EFFICIENCY” APPROACH
design the interactions of the stakeholder (offer model)
leading them for economic-competitive reasons towards
the innovation reducing the environmental impact

Carlo Vezzoli

4. DESIGN FOR SOCIAL EQUITY

where various forms of social inequality are
directly addressed in the design process

Carlo Vezzoli

… todays’ main approaches to design for social equity and
cohesion

. product design for low-income contexts and basics
needs (design for the BOP, etc.)

. PSS (stakeholder interaction) design joining eco-
efficiency with social equity and cohesion

Carlo Vezzoli

AN EXAMPLE OF
SOCIO-ETHICAL + ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILE
SYSTEM INNOVATIONS

Carlo Vezzoli

SOLAR HOME KITS, Brasil
TSSFA company offers to Brasilian rural
people a solar home kits that include the
hardware to generate solar energy, the
installation service and products that use
the electricity, e.g. lighting and electrical
outlets. Customers sign a three-year
service contract (all of the tangible inputs
are owned by the provider).

environmentally sustainable because it
uses the solar energy + socioethically
sustainable because give to poor people
access to useful services + it is
economically sustainable because in a
business for TSSFA company.

Carlo Vezzoli

… since 2002 a working hypothesis has been by few proposed promoting
PSS (stakeholder interaction) as capable to joining eco-efficiency with
social equity and cohesion

A PSS may act as a business opportunity to
facilitate the process of social-economic
development in an emerging and low-income
context – by jumping over or by-passing the
stage of individual consumption/ownership of
mass-produced goods – towards a more
‘satisfaction-based’ and low resource
intensity advanced service-economy,
characterized by locally-based and network-
structured enterprises and initiatives, for a
sustainable re-globalization process aiming
to democratize access to resources, goods
and services.

Carlo Vezzoli

… since 2005 few methods/tools have been developed (EU and UNEP
researches) to support the design sustainable PSS

NEW METHODS/TOOLS

MEPSS, MEthodology Design4Sustainability Design for Sustainability: Product-Service
for Product Service Step by step approach A Practical Approach for System Design for
System development [UNEP funded project] Developing Economies Sustainability
[EU funded project] [UNEP funded project] [see Vezzoli et al.,
tbp 2012]
METHOD
DESIGN
TOOLS

works
Stor heets Interac
yboar SDO portfoli B tion
d Interac
Offering diagram
toolkit o diagram l table
tion SDO
u Story
table toolkit
board
Offering diagram

Carlo Vezzoli

… since 2005 a new design role has been defined to develop eco-
efficient and socio-ethically sustainable PSS:

SYSTEM DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY:
A DEFINITION
“the design of the system of products
and services that are together able to
fulfil a particular customer demand
(deliver a “unit of satisfaction”) based on
the design of innovative interactions of
the stakeholders (directly and indirectly
linked to that “satisfaction” system)
where the economic and competitive
interest of the providers continuously
seeks both environmentally and socio-
ethically beneficial new solutions

Carlo Vezzoli

SUSTAINABILITY IN DESIGN ROLE: STATE OF THE
ART (in industrially mature contexts) … aim at
100%

e d
(education and practice)

sign
de
DISSEMINATION

o be low impact
t ”t mat./energies
jec
ob
e“
Product
h
gt
Life Cycle Design

n in ecodesign

w ide system design for
eco-efficiency
design for social
equity and
cohesion

new
research 0 CONSOLIDATION 100%
frontier … (research achievements on knowledge-base and know-how)

Carlo Vezzoli

IN “SYSTEM DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY” WE WILL SEE:
… aim at
100%

e d
(education and practice)

sign
de
DISSEMINATION

o be low impact
t ”t mat./energies
jec
ob
e“
Product
h
gt
Life Cycle Design

n in ecodesign

w ide system design for
eco-efficiency
design for social
equity and
cohesion

new
research 0 CONSOLIDATION 100%
frontier … (research achievements on knowledge-base and know-how)

Carlo Vezzoli

.
A NEW AESTHETICS FOR SUSTAINABILITY?

Carlo Vezzoli

… BUT SUSTAINABILITY REQUIRE A
DIFFUSED (RADICAL) CHANGE

DIFFUSED INNOVATION
PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE (SYSTEM) INNOVATION
FEASABLE AND “ATTRACTIVE”

Carlo Vezzoli

AN AESTHETIC FOR SUSTAINABILITY?
the aesthetic has a fundamental role!

A “ICONIC-ENVIRONMENTALIST AESTHETIC”?
a mass of “green-recycled-panda” products?

A “PLURALISM OF AESTHETICS FOR
SUSTAINABILITY”
arise from the sustainability’s (new) values that take
the expressions in a multiplicity of forms

Carlo Vezzoli

AN NEW AESTHETIC FOR
PRODUCTS
as well as
SERVICES AND INTERACTIONS BETWEEN
SOCIO-ECONOMIC STAKAHOLDERS

Carlo Vezzoli

DESIGNER: A SOCIO-CULTURAL “INNOVATOR”?

A DESIGNER MAY …
… observe emerging/new types of demands
(coherent with sustainability) and transforming
them into products, services and systems

… A DESIGNER MAY …
… induce new quality criteria (coherent with
sustainability) throughout the offer of (more)
attractive products, services and systems

Carlo Vezzoli

Evolution of Sustainable Design Approaches

Recomendados

Recomendados

Más contenido relacionado

Similar a Evolution of Sustainable Design Approaches

Similar a Evolution of Sustainable Design Approaches (20)

Más de LeNS_slide

Más de LeNS_slide (20)

Evolution of Sustainable Design Approaches