Ecodesign and the plastics industry

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Ecodesign and the plastics industry Helen
Lewis Plastics New Zealand Workshops Christchurc
h and Auckland 29-30 August 2005
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Overview

• What is ecodesign?
• Why ecodesign is important
• Ecodesign principles and strategies
• Ecodesign case studies
• The ecodesign process
• Life cycle thinking
• How to select an ecodesign project

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Participants

• Your company
• Your products
• Your role

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What is ecodesign?

• Design for Environment or ecodesign is about
  developing products in a way that reduces their
  environmental impact
• The aim is to design products that are
  functional, desirable, cost-effective, and have
  no harmful side effects on the environment

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Life cycle thinking

• The key to ecodesign is understanding the
  environmental impacts of your product throughout
  its life cycle, i.e. from raw materials
  extraction or harvesting, through to how the
  product is disposed of or recycled at the end of
  its life

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Life cycle thinking (cradle to cradle)
MATERIALS, ENERGY, WATER
SOLID, AIRBORNE, WATERBORNE WASTES
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Why focus on design?
Most of the environmental impacts of a product
are locked in at the design stage, when
materials and processes are specified. This
determines - whether extraction of raw materials
will contribute to land degradation or
biodiversity loss, etc - whether toxic or
hazardous wastes will be produced in the
manufacturing process - whether the product will
be easy or hard to recycle - etc
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Ecodesign could involve.

• Design of a new greener product
• Minor changes to an existing product, e.g.
  switching from 100 virgin polymer to 25
  recycled
• Redesign of your transport packaging system to
  improved efficiency (e.g. secondary / transport
  packaging)
• Ecodesign guidelines for suppliers
• Taking waste back from customers for to reprocess
  back into their product
• New labelling to encourage responsible disposal
  or recycling

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Why ecodesign is important

1. Business reasons
2. Ecological reasons
3. Social reasons

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1. Ecodesign and business

• Ecodesign can add value to business by
• Reducing costs (materials, energy, waste,
  transport)
• Meeting product stewardship regulations here and
  overseas
• Improving corporate reputation (impacts on share
  price, access to finance)
• Provide a competitive edge in environmentally
  aware market segments
• Improving relationships with suppliers and
  customers
• Becoming a new source of innovation

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Product stewardship regulations

• Take-back requirements / producer responsibility
• Recycling / recycled content targets
• Bans on toxic or hazardous substances
• Container Deposit Legislation (CDL)
• Voluntary programs supported by regulation
• The preferred model in Australia and NZ

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Competition

• Our products are designed with the environment
  in mind. The latest Canon digital cameras are
  totally free of hazardous materials. Our new
  Bubble Jet printer uses 68 less energy than the
  previous model.
• (Canon advertisement, The Age, 21/8/04)

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2. Ecodesign and the environment

• Humans are embedded in and entirely dependent on,
  the processes of nature
• BUT we causing irreversible harm to the natural
  environment
• Environmental damage is caused by
• Growing population
• Technological advances
• Increasing affluence and consumption
• Manufacturers have a critical role to play in
  reducing impacts

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Packaging a major focus..
12 of waste to landfill
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3. Ecodesign and society

• Consumers care about the environment (although
  back of mind issue for most)
• Environmental pressure groups can have a major
  impact on business
• Confrontational campaigning (e.g. Greenpeace,
  Boomerang Alliance)
• Advocacy and partnerships (e.g. Plant Ark, Clean
  Up Australia)

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NGO campaigns

• Greenpeace plastics hierarchy (no PVC)

http//archive.greenpeace.org/toxics/pvcdatabase/b
ad.html
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NGO campaigns

• Planet Ark,Clean Up Australia no plastic bags
• Say no to plastic bags campaign, Christchurch

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Discussion

• Has your company already implemented any
  ecodesign strategies?
• Why or why not?
• Are there any external pressures on your
  business, e.g. from customers, government or NGOs?

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Ecodesign principles and strategies

1. Efficient design
2. Cyclic design
3. Safe and clean design
4. Communication design

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1. Efficient design

• Keep material and resource inputs to a minimum
• Do more with less
• Strategies
• Eliminate unnecessary components
• Use less material in the product (e.g. downguage)
• Maximise efficiency of operation (minimise use of
  energy, water, consumables)
• Design for durability

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2. Cyclic design

• Design to enable materials to be continuously
  cycled through natural or industrial systems
• Eliminate waste

Natural (biological) cycles
Industrial (technical) cycles
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2. Cyclic design (cont)

• Strategies for natural cycles
• Use renewable energy
• Specify materials which are renewable and
  sustainably harvested
• Specify biodegradable materials
• Select the right biodegradable material for the
  disposal environment
• Design the product so that it can actually
  biodegrade
• Strategies for technical cycles
• Specify materials which are technically
  recyclable and which have an existing
  collection/recycling system
• Design for disassembly and recycling
• Use recycled materials
• Establish product stewardship programs (take-back)

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3. Safe and clean design

• Avoid toxic or hazardous substances and processes
• Protect human health
• Strategies
• Eliminate processes which generate toxic or
  hazardous wastes in production
• Replace potentially toxic substances (heavy
  metals in inks and pigments, flame retardants,
  plasticizers etc)

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Communication design

• Encourage responsible consumer behaviour
• Ensure product and packaging related
  communication is informative and accurate
• Strategies
• Label plastic components (PIC or international
  codes)
• Use energy and water labels
• Provide information on recyclability /
  appropriate disposal
• Provide information on other environmental
  attributes

     gtPA 66-GF 30lt
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Ecodesign case studies
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Formway LIFE chair

• Design for low impact materials
• No PVC specified
• Water used as blowing agent in foam
• 52 recycled content

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Formway LIFE chair

• Design for waste avoidance and materials
  efficiency
• Less material (23 - 65 lighter than competitor
  products)
• Knit-fabric back eliminates foam / solid plastic
• 18 less components

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Formway LIFE chair

• Design for reuse and refurbishment
• Seat and sub-assemblies easily removed and
  replaced
• Arms easy to upgrade or add-on
• Upholstery easy to replace

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Formway LIFE chair

• Design for disassembly
• Most adhesives replaced with snap fits, clips etc
• Need only a screwdriver, allen key, mallet and
  pliers to disassemble whole assembly

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Formway LIFE chair

• Design for recycling
• Most plastic parts have in-mould labels to assist
  with identification / sorting
• 70 80 of materials technically recyclable
  (steel, aluminium, PP, nylon)

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Axis electric kettle

• Design for recycling
• Coding of plastic components
• 66 made from recyclable materials (PP)
• Design for disassembly, e.g. glues and screws
  avoided in favour of ultrasonic welding or snap
  fits

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Axis electric kettle

• Design for energy efficiency
• Insulated body
• Temperature indicator
• Up to 25 less energy used

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Axis electric kettle

• Design for materials efficiency
• 40 reduction in number of components
• 16 reduction in weight

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Freeplay Energy radio

• Design for renewable energy
• Self-powered wind up
• PV solar cells

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Freeplay Energy radio

• Design for society
• Designed for use in developing countries with no
  access to power
• Access to information provides social benefits
  (e.g. Aids, agricultural education)

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Sony TV (KD 32HR500)

• Design for recycled content
• Recycled plastic and glass in TV
• Recycled EPS packaging (recycled with limonene)

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Sony TV (KD 32HR500)

• Design for consumer information
• Eco info label
• Other specific information provided

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Other Sony TVs

• Design to eliminate toxic substances
• Lead-free solder
• Halogen free frame retardants

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Email fridge packaging

• Design for efficiency
• Elimination of corrugated boxes
• Visibility of product reduced damage in transport

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Email fridge packaging

• Design for reuse
• PS top and strips

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Email fridge packaging

• Design for recycling
• PE shrink film

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The Green Pipe

• Design for recycled content
• 100 post-consumer waste HDPE

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Biodegradable chocolate trays

• Design for renewable materials
• New Plantic polymer made from corn starch

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Biodegradable chocolate trays

• Design for degradability
• Compostable
• Dissolves in water

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Inflatable distribution packaging

• Design for efficiency
• Lightweight
• Minimal use of material
• Relies on air for cushioning

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Inflatable distribution packaging

• Design for recycling
• Single material (HDPE)
• Labelled with plastic code

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The ecodesign process
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Selecting your ecodesign project

1. Select a product for ecodesign
2. Map out the product life cycle product flows
   and all of the inputs and outputs along the life
   cycle
3. Identify any internal or external stakeholders
   (e.g. customers, government regulators) who are
   driving change
4. Identify environmental hot spots i.e. where
   are the greatest impacts?
5. Identify ways that you can influence
   environmental impacts through ecodesign
6. Select ecodesign objectives
7. Select ecodesign strategies
8. Take steps to integrate ecodesign in your business

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1. Selecting a product for ecodesign

• Possible criteria
• Do any of your products have significant
  environmental impacts?
• Are any of your products non-compliant with local
  and international regulations?
• Are you under pressure from regulators or NGOs to
  change any of our products?
• Are any of your products / markets at risk from
  future regulations or NGO campaigns?
• Are you likely to increase sales of one of your
  products by appealing to environmentally aware
  consumers?
• What are your competitors doing - are you going
  to lose market share for one of your products if
  you do nothing?

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2. Map out the product life cycle
Raw material
Raw material
Manufacturing process
Packaging
Component
Component
Product
Distribution / retail
Use
Disposal / recycling
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3. Identify external pressures

• Customers, e.g. supplier guidelines,
  questionnaires
• Government, e.g. voluntary programs, regulations
  (now and in the future)
• Environment groups, e.g. campaigns against your
  product
• Consumers, e.g. interest in greener products

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4. Identify environmental hot spots

• These are key issues that will be addressed in
  the design process
• Based on your review of life cycle impacts AND
  stakeholder concerns

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5. Identify ecodesign objectives

• Translate hot spots into design objectives,
  e.g.
• design for recyclability
• reduce product waste / damage
• reduce secondary / tertiary packaging
• improve efficiency of transport logistics

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6. Select ecodesign strategies
Category 3 Significant environmental benefits but technically and economically questionable Category 1 Significant environmental benefits and technically and economically feasible
Category 4 Limited environmental benefits and technically and economically questionable Category 2 Limited environmental benefits but technically and economically feasible
Environmental gains
Technical and economic feasibility
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7. Design process

• Incorporate objectives and strategies in the
  Design Brief
• OR
• Try to influence customers to include in THEIR
  Design Brief

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8. Take steps to integrate ecodesign in your
business

• Ecodesign commitment (policy)
• Ecodesign procedures or checklists
• Supply chain partnerships

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Conclusions

• Ecodesign aims to reduce the environmental
  impacts of products over their life cycle
• Ecodesign is important for business,
  environmental and social reasons
• You dont need to be an environmental scientist
  or expert
• Start smalllook for incremental improvements
• Get support from management (e.g. ecodesign
  policy)
• Change your NPD process to integrate ecodesign
  into future projects

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Questions / comments
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Small group discussion

• Map the life cycle of a simple product
• Identify environmental hot spots
• Identify some changes that could be made at the
  design stage to reduce these impacts

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Discussion

• Feedbackhow did you go? What did you learn?
• Next steps your own ecodesign project