Ecodesign

Ecodesign (also ecological design or sustainable design ) is based on the principles of sustainability . The aim is to achieve the greatest possible benefit for all actors involved (along the value chain ) with minimal environmental pollution and under socially fair conditions with the intelligent use of the available resources .

This approach calls on designers to actively participate in designing products, systems, infrastructures and services over the entire product life cycle in the sense of sustainability. In eco-design, the embedding of the product in its environment is particularly crucial for the creative solution. System solutions (hybrid service bundles (HLB), product service systems ) are in demand), which are characterized by a conceptual character. This approach always includes the possibility of further development; the product formulated as a result should itself be a solution, rather than a product that exposes itself. The conception of design trained on the ecological problem is thus detached from object-orientation in ecodesign and sees consumer goods in the overall social context. In the area of product design, ecodesign is the design of contexts of use and in the area of communication design also the design of contexts of action and life processes. The designer becomes a mediator between consumers , the environment and the economy .

Ecodesign principles

Ecodesign calls for the integration of environmental aspects into product design and development. For the assessment, the environmental impacts over the entire product life cycle should be considered, minimized as far as possible and coordinated with social, economic, technical and legal framework conditions. Sustainable design also encompasses the social and societal context and poses ethical and social issues.

It can be assumed that 80% of the environmental impacts and costs of a product are determined by the design and thus influencing the environmental performance of the product or company in the planning phase is necessary and possible. What is required here is a formalized development process that systematically analyzes the various options.

The following development goals and principles for Ecodesign should be mentioned:

material-efficient design

material-appropriate design

energy efficient design

Low-emission, waste-avoiding design

Durable, easy to repair and time-resistant design

recycling-friendly , disposal- friendly and logistics- friendly design

Repair friendliness

(see also definition of reparability )

The repairability of products (“ economic obsolescence ”) depends on the technical possibility of a repair (repairability), the availability of a repair service and its costs. In the case of products with mechanical components, repairability means that wearing parts can be replaced. Products that easily break due to "improper use" (e.g. falling down) can be classified as repair-friendly if it is economically viable to repair them. And complex technical devices (e.g. laptops) are considered repairable if they can be technically upgraded and thus adapted to new technological standards.
In addition to the possibility of non-destructive dismantling, the availability of spare parts and repair instructions for professional service providers or assistance for do-it-yourself repairs is important. As the classic repair industry is falling apart, repair cafés could offer an alternative. The problem of spare parts availability could be put into perspective in the future by open workshops in which 3D printers are available ( FabLabs ).

historical development

In the last few decades, the concept of environmental protection and sustainable development with regard to product design has evolved from “ end-of-pipe technologies ” to “ cleaner production ” and “eco-design” approaches and has now reached the phase of system innovations. These combinations of products and services have far greater potential for a sustainable economy due to a significantly higher eco-efficiency than conventional, product-oriented strategies. The ecological design approaches include product improvement, product redesign, new design / eco-innovation and system innovation. In the case of product improvement, the aim is to change individual product properties (e.g. longevity) of an already manufactured reference product, but the property profile and the functional principles are retained. During the redesign, a comparison product is improved in its feature profile on the product and production level (e.g. environmentally friendly manufacturing process). The potential for improvement can be systematically carried out by analyzing the life cycle environmental impacts [life cycle assessment]. In eco-innovation, new products should be designed for the application of newly developed technologies. The entire property profile of the product is put to the test. With system innovation, a fundamentally new solution for user needs and a new business solution are sought. This can be done by combining services and environmentally optimized products (rental of office furniture).

Ecodesign process

The ecodesign process is not fundamentally different from normal product development processes. The integration of environmental aspects into the various planning processes and the product property profile is central. The key is the search and design of alternative, eco-efficient solutions to satisfy the respective user needs.

Sustainability management and ecodesign

Ecodesign activities should be included in sustainability management. Consideration of environmental impacts as early as possible is indispensable in order to utilize the great potential for an anticipatory reduction of environmental impacts and of large proportions of the later environmental costs, which are already defined in the product development. This requires everyone involved in the product development process to be involved and environmental issues to be dealt with at the strategic planning level as well. In this way, eco-design can become a central component of ecological corporate management. By including needs analyzes, dematerialization processes and new product concepts such as service or leasing offers, benefit requirements, product uses and changes in attitudes (e.g. "using instead of owning") are addressed and new business areas can be opened up (fleet management instead of car sales). Various sustainability management instruments are available for assessing the product design, which record the environmental impact of a product: life cycle costing , life cycle assessment and checklist . More sustainably designed products should support the positive perception of the company, increase customer loyalty and, if necessary, enable companies to open up higher-priced market segments. At the same time, the systematic and cross-life cycle consideration of products ((eco) balance) can reduce liability risks, (later unexpectedly high) disposal costs as well as service and repair work.

Ecodesign in the EU

With the Ecodesign Directive to create a framework for the definition of requirements for the environmentally friendly design of energy-using products, the EU took a first step in 2005 to further spread ecodesign. The Integrated Product Policy in the European Union (IPP) is also implemented, i.e. improving or promoting the environmental behavior of products and services along the entire life cycle.

In Austria, the Ecodesign Directive was implemented through the 2007 Ecodesign Ordinance . This regulation defines ecodesign requirements for energy-using products with the aim of ensuring the free movement of these products in the internal market.

Practical example

Many eco-efficiency potentials have already been tapped in the further development of washing machines. So washing temperatures could be reduced, an introduction of the amount of water depending on the amount of laundry, energy savings through longer exposure times, etc. Ä. can be achieved. The EUDORA titan is another development option. It has a removable laundry drum that can be used as a laundry basket. It is also designed to be easy to repair and has the new NCERT sustainability seal for durable devices.

Training examples

At the HTBLA Hallein (Higher Technical College Hallein) the advanced course Ecodesign - ecological product development was carried out from 1997 to 2005 . The training principles of the course, which is probably unique in Europe, are: fusion of technology and design, teamwork in the form of project teaching, involvement of experts from industry and business, interdisciplinary teaching and active participation in competitions and trade fairs. "In this course, technical college graduates can obtain a full HTL degree in Ecodesign, with the aim of empowering people by imparting knowledge, skills and values to design and develop consumer goods according to environmentally conscious guidelines. A working group headed by Helmuth Hickmann in cooperation with the HTL Salzburg began in 1994, a Develop the concept and the curriculum.

The Vienna University of Technology ( Technische Universität Wien ) offers, under the direction of Wolfgang Wimmer, an Ecodesign course - a university course for environmentally friendly product development . The aim of the university course is to impart comprehensive knowledge and skills in environmentally friendly product design / ECODESIGN and to enable product developers, environmental officers and managers in companies to make directional decisions when designing and developing products.

Ecodesign is taught holistically at the ecosign / Academy for Design in Cologne. Since 1994 the academy has offered an 8-semester course that creates the link between design and sustainability. In addition to the classic implementation of Ecodesign in product development and design, the teaching of ecosign strives for a holistic understanding of the term, which also includes design theory, management and communication design taking into account ecological, economic and social issues. Since spring 2015, the "Sustainable Design" course has led to a Bachelor of Fine Arts, which is awarded in cooperation with the Alanus University of Art and Society .

literature

M. Koslowski, G. Dwalischwili, N. Marbach (Eds.): Eco Design Tool. KDID, 2013, ISBN 978-3-00-045531-5 .
Ursula Tischner, M. Charter (Ed.): Sustainable Solutions. Developing Products and Services for the Future . Greenleaf, Sheffield 2001.
Ursula Tischner: What is EcoDesign. A manual for ecological and economic design. Form Praxis, Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-89802-024-X . (also: Birkhäuser, Basel 2002, ISBN 3-7643-6812-8 )
C. Vezolli, E. Manzini: Review: design for sustainable consumption and production systems. In: Arnold Tukker et al. (Ed.): Perspectives on radical changes to sustainable consumption and production. (= System innovation for sustainability. 1). Greenleaf, Sheffield 2008, pp. 138-158.
Karin-Simone Fuhs, Davide Brocchi, Michael Maxein, Bernd Draser (eds.): The history of sustainable design: What attitude does design need? Heinrich Böll Foundation / VAS - Publishing House for Academic Writings, Bad Homburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-88864-521-1 .

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Federal Environment Ministry (BMU); econsense (ed.); S. Schaltegger, C. Herzig, O. Kleiber, T. Klinke, J. Müller: Sustainability management in companies. From the idea to practice: management approaches to implement corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability. 3. Edition. BMU, econsense, Center for Sustainability Management, Berlin / Lüneburg 2007, p. 111. (PDF)

^ W. Hopfenbeck, C. Jasch: Eco-Design. Environmentally oriented product policy. Modern industry, Landsberg / Lech 1995, p. 128.

↑ C. Burschel: Sustainable Design Management. In: Gudrun Linne, Michael Schwarz (ed.): Handbook on sustainable development. How is sustainable business feasible. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2003, ISBN 3-8100-3758-3 , p. 293.

↑ B. Lemser, C. Brodhun: Eco-Design and New Product Planning . Basic problems and solution approaches for planning environmentally-oriented product innovations in mass products. (= Nordhäuser Hochschultexte. Business Administration series. Issue 4). 2007, ISBN 978-3-9809391-7-1 , p. 3.

↑ Influence of the useful life of products on their environmental impact: Creation of an information base and development of strategies against "obsolescence". Study by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA), February 2016.

↑ Repairability. ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Competence network for environmentally friendly product development, Ökopol Institute for Ecology and Politics, Hamburg @1@ 2

↑ Environmental effects of the reparability of upholstered furniture. In: Ecodesign Kit. Ed .: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) together with the Federal Environment Agency (UBA)

↑ Repairability and repair information as possible elements of binding ecodesign requirements. Federal Environment Agency (UBA), July 22, 2015.

↑ Support from repair cafes. In: Ecodesign Kit. Ed .: Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) together with the Federal Environment Agency (UBA)

↑ R. Wimmer et al: Success strategies for product-service systems. (= Reports from energy and environmental research. 35). Published by BMVIT, 2008, p. 17. (PDF)

↑ U. Tischner et al: What is EcoDesign. A manual for ecological and economic design. Verlag form Praxis, Frankfurt am Main 2000, p. 42 f.

↑ U. Tischner et al: What is EcoDesign. A manual for ecological and economic design. Verlag form Praxis, Frankfurt am Main 2000, p. 39.

↑ Federal Environment Ministry (BMU); econsense (ed.); S. Schaltegger, C. Herzig, O. Kleiber, T. Klinke, J. Müller: Sustainability management in companies. From the idea to practice: management approaches to implement corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability. 3. Edition. BMU, econsense, Center for Sustainability Management, Berlin / Lüneburg 2007, p. 112. ( CSM Lüneburg , PDF; 1.6 MB)

↑ Sustainability seal for devices. marktcheck.greenpeace.at, archived from the original on July 25, 2013 ; accessed on May 12, 2014 .

↑ - Ecodesign HTBL Hallein

^ Josef Schermaier: Technical schools in Austria - schools of skilled worker training. The technical schools for individual commercial branches. A contribution to the past and present of the vocational middle school system in Austria. Peter Lang, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, Frankfurt am Main 2009, pp. 200–201.

^ Josef Schermaier: Technical schools in Austria - schools of skilled worker training. Peter Lang, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, Frankfurt am Main 2009, p. 163.

^ TU Vienna: Ecodesign

↑ ecosign: ecosign.net

↑ Premiere for the "Sustainable Design" course in Alfter. In: Bonner General-Anzeiger.

[1] Federal Environment Ministry (BMU); econsense (ed.); S. Schaltegger, C. Herzig, O. Kleiber, T. Klinke, J. Müller: Sustainability management in companies. From the idea to practice: management approaches to implement corporate social responsibility and corporate sustainability. 3. Edition. BMU, econsense, Center for Sustainability Management, Berlin / Lüneburg 2007, p. 111. (PDF)

[2] W. Hopfenbeck, C. Jasch: Eco-Design. Environmentally oriented product policy. Modern industry, Landsberg / Lech 1995, p. 128.

[3] C. Burschel: Sustainable Design Management. In: Gudrun Linne, Michael Schwarz (ed.): Handbook on sustainable development. How is sustainable business feasible. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2003, ISBN 3-8100-3758-3 , p. 293.