Companies can do a lot to promote sustainability. The most effective way is to design their products with sustainability in mind at the start.Thinking about sustainability roadmap from the ground up reduces waste and energy consumption at all levels along a product’s lifecycle. Sustainable design benefits the company too as it reduces costs and saves resources that would otherwise be wasted.
Product Lifecycle
One of the best ways to design more ecological products is to think of the whole product process or “lifecycle” instead of just the finished product. This includes conception, creation, transportation, use, and disposal. There are ways to save energy and resources at each and every one of these lifecycle steps. Begin your product design by considering the lifecycle of your product and locating the steps that are potentially the most damaging to the environment. Then, you can focus on making them more ecological. Here are a few examples of questions to answer when considering your product’s lifecycle.How much energy is required to get the materials, create the product, and transport it to retail outlets? How sustainable are other companies in your supply chain?How much energy does the product itself use?How much waste is created during manufacturing?Can you reuse or recycle the product later?Will the product biodegrade quickly?After answering such questions, you’ll know which steps are most harmful and research if there might be more sustainable alternatives. Online sustainable development courses can point to many ways to reduce the highest points of waste and energy use and help you decide what to do with the product when it’s life is over.