This document discusses the evolution of sustainability within design. It describes how design's role has expanded over time from intervening on products and materials to intervening on entire systems and consumption patterns. Specifically, it outlines how design has progressed from focusing on low-impact materials in the 1970s to life cycle design and ecodesign in the 1990s to system design for eco-efficiency starting in the 2000s. The document also notes that while design's potential role in sustainability has increased over time, many within the design community still lack knowledge and skills related to design for sustainability.
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1.2 evolution of sustainability in design vezzoli 14-15 (41) (n)
1. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
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)
2. 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
3. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
intervening after processes’ damages
intervening on processes
intervening on products and services
intervening consumption patterns (SCP)
APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABILITY
INCREASING (POTENTIAL) ROLE FOR DESIGN
TIME
-
+
4. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
> responsibility for:
the “technical” definition of the solutions
the “attractiveness” of solutions
INCREASING (POTENTIAL) ROLE OF DESIGN
emphasis on prevention
emphasis on socio-cultural dimension
5. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
WHAT DO THE DESIGN COMMUNITY (IN GENERAL)
KNOWS OF DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY?
6. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
cardboard seat
HOW MANY (IN THE DESIGN
COMMUNITY) WOULD THINK IT IS WITH A
LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?
7. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
Savonarola seat
walnut-wood, so far
500 years life span
MADE WITHOUT ANY
CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT …
8. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
=
time/function
……………………………………………………………….
+ + + + + + +
…
+ + + + + + +
…
9. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
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
10. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
pen,
biodegradable material
(from corn starch)
HOW MANY (IN THE DESIGN COMMUNITY)
WOULD THINK IT IS WITH A LOW
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?
11. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
Pen,
MONTBLANC
DESIGNED WITHOUT ANY
CONCERN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT …
12. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
=
……………………………………………………………..............
time/function
+ + + + + + +
…
+ + + + + + +
…
13. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
“Natural” materials
Asbestos (amianto) is a natural material!
(and one of the most cancerogenic!)
HOW MANY
(IN THE DESIGN COMMUNITY)
WOULD THINK THEY ARE
ALWAYS WITH A LOW
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?
14. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
“njatural”
materials
“natural”
materials
how many
persons within the
design community
would evalaute
correctly the
environmantal
sustaianbility?
??HOW MANY COULD
CORRECTLY DESIGN
FOR SUSTAINABILITY
(AND TEACH IT)?
15. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
... 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!
THE TRUTH IS …
16. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
low impact
mat./energies
~1970-…
Product
Life Cycle Design
ecodesign ~1990-…
system design for
eco-efficiency
~2000-…
design for social
equity and
cohesion ~2005-…
EVOLUTION OF THE (POTENTIAL) ROLE OF DESIGN
FOR SUSTAINABILITY: (in industrially mature
contexts)
widening
the
“artefact” to
be
designed
17. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
1. LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
MATERIALS/ENERGIES
. NON-TOXIC
. “NATURAL”
. RECYCLABLE
. RENEWABLE
. BIO-DEGRADABLE
… since the ’70 research has started to "produce knowledges"
for the selection of low impact materials/energies:
18. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
2. PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE DESIGN
(ECODESIGN)
… since the beginning of the ’90 design research has started to
define a new approch (role) to product design:
“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)
19. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
… 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
1997 (>2006): ISO 14.04X
Environmental management. Life cycle assessment
20. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
METHODS/TOOLS
… since the end of the ‘90 methods and tools have been developed to
support product life cycle design
2002: ISO/TR 14062:2002 Environmental management -
Integrating environmental aspects into product design and
development
UNEP-TUD (PROMISE, 1997) POLIMI-DIS (MPDS, 2009)
…
21. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
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 owned by the customer) and
services shows to be capable of creating (new) value decoupling
it from the resources consumption has been studied
22. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
XEROX
photocopiers > COPIED PAPER
Xerox offers a package deal
and installs and maintain
photocopiers (not owned by
the customer) and may even
makes and delivers copies. The
customer pays for the
package.
the innovative interaction between the company
and the client, make the companies’ economic
interest to provide (and design) long lasting,
reusable and recyclable photocopiers.
… in the ‘90 one of the first cases started to be studied …
23. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
autors
(country)
year S.PSS definition
Goedkoop, van
Halen, te Riele,
Rommens (The
Netherland)
1999 a Product Service System (or combination of products and services) is a set of marketable products and
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
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,
Vezzoli (world-
wide)
2002 result of an innovative strategy that shifts the center of the business design and sale of products only
(physical) systems offer products and services that are jointly capable of satisfying a given application
Brandsotter
(Austria)
2003 PSS is a product of material and intangible services designed and combined so that both jointly are able
to satisfy a specific need of a user. In addition a PSS may reach sustainability targets
UE, MEPPS (AA.
VV.)
2005 result of an innovation strategy focused on the design and sale of a system of products and services
that are jointly capable of fulfilling a specific customer demand
(Cranfield) Evans
et al. (UK)
2007 PSS is an integrated offering of a product and a service that provides a value. When using a PSS offers
the opportunity to decouple economic success from material consumption and thus reduce the
environmental impact of economic activity
UNEP-Tischner,
Vezzoli (world-
wide)
2009 system of products and services (and infrastructure), jointly cope with the needs and demands of
customers in a more efficient and better value for both businesses and customers, compared to only
offer products [...].
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,
LeNS (AA. VV.)
2014 an offer model providing an integrated mix of products and services that are together able to fulfil a
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
… since the end of the ‘90 definition have been given …
24. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
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”
… since ~2005 a new design role has been defined to develop
eco-efficient PSS:
[Vezzoli, 2007]
25. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
NEW METHODS/TOOLS
SusProNet, Network
on sustainable PSS
development
[see Tukker
&Tischner, 2006]
Design4Sustainability
Step by step
approach
[see Tischner &
Vezzoli, 2009]
HiCS, Highly
Customerised
Solutions
[see Manzini et
al. 2004]
MEPSS, MEthodology
for Product Service
System development
[see van Halen et al.
2005]
Product-Service
System Design for
Sustainability
[see Vezzoli et al.,
2014]
METHODS
Story
board
Offering diagram
Interac
tion
table
SDO
toolkit
System
assessmen
t
Solution
elements
B
l
u
portfoli
o diagram
TOOLS
DESIGN
Offering diagram
SDO
toolkitStory
board
Interac
tion
table
… since ~2005 methods/tools have been developed (EU and UNEP
researches) to support the development of eco-efficient PSS
26. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
where various forms of social inequality are
directly addressed in the design process
4. DESIGN FOR SOCIAL EQUITY
27. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
… at the end of ‘60
Radical Design: Gaetano Pesce; Dalisi; 9999:
contestation/denouncements critics of consumer society
… at the beginning of the ’70
Maldonado: new “design hope” for a social responsibility
(1972)
Papanek: “design can and must become a means for
young people to take part in the transformation of
society” (design for a real world, 1973)
DESIGN, CONSUMPTION AND ETHIC: PAST TIMES
28. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
… todays’ main approaches to design for social equity and
cohesion
. product design for low-income contexts and basics
needs (i.e. design for the BOP)
. PSS (stakeholder interaction) design joining eco-
efficiency with social equity and cohesion
29. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
VIRTUAL STATION (OFFICES)
Fortaleza, Brasil
supply a full range of products, infrastructure (owned
by virtual station) and services for a
complete office. clients only pay for
the periods of use; spaces are
equipped with computers, printers,
scanners, access to internet, TV,
copiers etc; reception, personalised
phone answer, answering and
remittance of fax reception/transmiss.
it is environmentally sustainable
because infrastructure/equipment are shared (less
needed) and most efficient are used + it is socio-
economically sustainable because of no need for initial
investiment facilitate the set-up of small company.
… since 2002 some S.PSS cases were studied coupling environmental
and socio-ethical sustainability
30. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
A PSS may act as a business opportunity to
facilitate the process of social-economic
development in an low and middle-income
contexts – 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 small scale enterprises and
initiatives, for a sustainable re-globalization
process aiming to democratize access to
resources, goods and services.
… in 2002 a research hypothesis has been proposed promoting PSS as
capable of joining eco-efficiency with social equity and cohesion
[UNEP, 2002]
free pdf at: http://www.unep.fr/scp/publications/details.asp?id=WEB/0081/PA
31. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
NEW METHODS/TOOLS
SusProNet, Network
on sustainable PSS
development
[see Tukker
&Tischner, 2006]
Design4Sustainability
Step by step
approach
[see Tischner &
Vezzoli, 2009]
MEPSS, MEthodology
for Product Service
System development
[see van Halen et al.
2005]
Product-Service
System Design for
Sustainability
[see Vezzoli et al.,
2014]
METHODS
Story
board
Offering diagram
Interac
tion
table
SDO
toolkit
B
l
u
portfoli
o diagram
TOOLS
DESIGN
Offering diagram
SDO
toolkitStory
board
Interac
tion
table
… since ~2005 methods/tools have been developed (EU and UNEP
researches) to support the development of (even socio-ethically) sustainable
PSS
32. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
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”
… since 2005 a new design role has been defined to develop eco-
efficient and socio-ethically sustainable PSS:
[Vezzoli, 2007]
33. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
100%
100%
0
new
research
frontier …
low impact
mat./energies
design for social
equity and
cohesion
system design for
eco-efficiency
Product
Life Cycle Design
ecodesign
widening the “object” to be designed
… aim at
SUSTAINABILITY IN DESIGN ROLE: STATE OF THE
ART (in industrially mature contexts)
CONSOLIDATION
(research achievements on knowledge-base and know-how)
(educationandpractice)
DISSEMINATION
34. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
SUSTAINABILITY REQUIRE RADICAL CHANGE,
I.E. SYSTEM INNOVATION TO BE DIFFUSED
PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE (SYSTEM) INNOVATION
NOT ONLY FEASABLE AND “ATTRACTIVE”
35. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
A NEW AESTHETICS FOR SUSTAINABILITY?.
36. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
A “PLURALISM OF AESTHETICS FOR
SUSTAINABILITY”
arise from the sustainability’s (new) values that take
the expressions in a multiplicity of forms
AN AESTHETIC FOR SUSTAINABILITY?
A “ICONIC-ENVIRONMENTALIST AESTHETIC”?
a mass of “green-recycled-panda” products?
the aesthetic has a fundamental role!
37. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
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
38. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
A NEW AESTHETIC OF S.PSS
TO OVERCOME USER’S LEVEL BARRIERS:
sustainable PSS offers have to be perceived as
better than traditional “product-based” ones
an aesthetic for sustainable PSS may play a key role
in enhancing user attraction, acceptance and
satisfaction!
39. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS: PROMOTING A NEW
AESTHETIC OF S.PSS:
. as the integrated aestethics of the different
elements of the PSS: products, services and
interactions
> not only an aestethic of products, but even
an aestethic of services, more in general an
aestethic of stakaholders interactions
. valorising sustainable PSS inner qualities
40. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS: PROMOTING A NEW
AESTHETIC OF S.PSS
PRLEIMINARY INSIGHTS
given that: distinctive traits of sustainable PSS
are non-ownership of products and related new
services/stakeholder interactions
the aesthetic could valorise the relational qualities
between the users of a PSS, and between the users
and the producers/providers + the qualities of the
“freedom” from product’s ownership
41. Carlo Vezzoli
Politecnico di Milano / DESIGN dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy
SYSTEM DESIGN FOR SUST.: FINAL REMARKS
WE DON’T HAVE TO HAVE CONCERN ANYMORE ON
PRODUCT DESIGN FOR SUSTAINABILITY?
NO!
> even designing on a system level, sustainable products
need to be designed afterwards
DESIGNING ON A SYSTEM LEVEL TAKE US FAR FROM THE
CORE OF DESIGN?
NO!
> designing for the (unit of) “satisfaction” it is to go at the
deeper rooth of the design, settling the innovation at the
level of the behavioral patterns (more sustainable and
satisfactory)
Editor's Notes
Finally let me talk about the evolution of ...
So not only about SDS, but what else is there and how we reach it
We will see in this part
The fact that the role of design has increased in the last years
Then we will give a definition of ...
Finally in relation to the dimension and quality of change for sustainability we will introduce both
the new approach SDS
and the need for an aesthiìetic for sustainability, that I am calling a pluralism of ...
let us look at how the human approach to sustainability has changed in time
Historically, since the environment question was raised during the second half of the last century, the approach of mankind has moved from end-of-pipe approach to actions increasingly aimed at prevention.
action and research focused exclusively on de-pollution systems, to research and innovation efforts that aim to reduce the cause of pollution at source
In other words, we have moved from
intervention after processes’ damages, clean up a polluted lake
intervention on processes, use clean technologies to avoid polluting the lake
intervention on products and services, design product and services that do not need the use of polluting processes
intervention on consumption patterns, even more up-stream to understand which consumption patterns do not require products with polluting processes
Therefore, in reason of this to progress, the role of the design has increased in time, better still has potentially .
This increasing (potential) role in fact is dued to the fact that:
the emphasis shifts from the end-of-pipe controls and remedial actions to prevention,
the emphasis move even to the socio-cultural dimension, which is a ground for the designer, being a sort of a creative hinge between the world of production and that of the user
So this is translated into a responsability over the
the “technical” definition of the solutions
But even over the “attractiveness” of solutions
Well if we look at the reality today
...
but what do we know and ...
But let us start by looking at this is a cardbord seat
Do you think it is a low environmental impact product? And how many designer think the same ? And make ecodesign making cardboard seat?
And what do you think about this walnut-wood savonarola seat of the SIXTHINTH CENT., with so far a life span of 500 years
It has been made without any concern on the enviornment, but …
If we look as we should at the use of this object in the time, a carboard seat, if used will very fast become ruined and unusabe
So in terms of the impact on the environment we should compare one savonarola with many and many and many cardbord seat
That means a cardboard seat is one of the worst example of low environmental impact product
This doesn’t mean we have to go back in time and to buy all savonarola seat, no definitely, could be even to expensive
We could look at herman miller that produces seats that have a 12 years warranty
So designed to last as long as possible
In fact, you can also have the seat in commodatum of use, it is not really your own propriety
And this push the company to make long lasting and easy to recycle chairs
And what about this pen made with a corn strach, wich is a biodegradable materials
Again, including the designer that designed it, how many designers, design researchers and design educators would think …
To understand how it is, let us look at this other pen, it is a montblanc which has not being designed with any …
But again …
If we look, as we should, at the use of this object in the time, a biodegdable pen, will become ruined and unusable much before the mont blanc pen
Furthermore the life of the mont blanc is much longer even because the ink has a rechargeable cartridge that the biodegradable pen doesn’t have
So in terms of the impact on the environment we should compare one mont blanc with many and many and many biodegradable pen
That means a biodegradable pen is whatever but not a product designed with a low environmental impact
I am sure you didn’t thought it was with a low environmental impact, nevertheless how many in the design community would think so?
And what about so called “natural” materials, how many in the design community would think they are always with a low env. impact?
Well for example Asbestos or amainto, you should call it in portugese in the same way, is a natural material, but we find out that is one of the most cancerogenic
I could go on with other examples, but my point I believe is already clear to you
How many persons …
And how many …
And could correctly thach about it in the world school of design
Well I made this examples to say there is among designers a persistent misunderstanding of what is an environmentally sustainable design and what is not
The truth is
Today …
Hence today …
SADLY THIS IS THE TRUTH
let me tell you how sustainability entered within the design practice, research and education
I will do this highlighthing some main moments of this evolution
A first level on which numerous theorists and academics have been working, is the selection of resources with low environmental impact: materials in one direction and energy sources in the other
Since the nineties, attention has partially moved to the product level, to the design of products with low environmental impact, usually referred as product Life Cycle Design or Ecodesign
At the end of the ‘90, starting with a more stringent interpretation of sustainability, attention has partially moved to design for eco-efficient system innovation, therefore to a wider dimension than that of the single product
Still more recently, design research has opened discussion on a possible role for design in social equity and cohesion.
In the following I will highlight the main concepts related to this evolution
As I said a first level on which design researcher worked on and still are working, is that of the ….
Main topics has been and are
The NON-TOXICity of materials and processes
Linked to the non-toxicity there is the so called naturality, that in fact has been and is still ambigous (what is a natural material and is always with a low environmental impact? asbestos … cotton fiber versus polyester fibres …
An other issue has been and is the RECYCLABiLity
even recyclability as a concept is still quite confused among designer. There is no sense to say that a material is recyclable per se. In fact this is linked to the product architecture and to the overall system for recyling starting for the dismissed product collection
Then RENEWABLility for both energies and materials
Even here some clarification are needed since a same wood coming from two different location could have a different degree of renewability. Do you know what could be a renewable material? And a non renewable one? At the end it is renewable if the speed of collection is slowler than the growing speed.
Finally, bio-degradability (and usaually renewable material are even biodegradable such the polimers coming from the amid of mais).
Unfortunately even here it has to be made clear that a biodegradable material is not the panachea for every product.
On the contrary bio-degradability is shortening the life span of the products, which may cause serious envronmental problems.
So it is valid just for some type of product.
In te second half of 90’ a part of the attention moved towards a product level, to ….
Two are the key concepts introduced at that time
First is to move from product design to the design of the product life cycle stages
Secondly the design “reference” has moved from product design to product’s “function” design.
Let me show you briefly this two concepts
Since the beginning of the ‘90ties we have e mathodology the LCA which is …
It is …
During the last decades several methods and tools have been, here I report to one developed under the umbrella of the UNEP, so the most internatioanl and institutional one
The second
so in the last ten years in fact the business model of PSS was studied and introduced
One of the first business case that has been studied is XEROX
Xerox offers a package deal and installs and maintain photocopiers (not owned by the customer) and may even makes and delivers copies. The customer pays for the package.
the innovative interaction between the company and the client, make the companies’ interest to provide (and design) long lasting, reusable and recyclable photocopiers
photocopiers > COPIED PAPER
From the end of the ‘90 several definition has been given
Even the design started to move on thos field and here I report the definition we are adopting within the LeNS project which is
Qual’è la definizione di design …
Non vi chiedo di capaire tutto adesso, ne voglio spiagarvi tutto adesso, ci sarà un intero corso per farlo,
ma da qui già intuite che ci occuperemo di sostenibilità ambientale, ma anche socioetica
e che si tratta di un ruolo progettuale che va al di là della progettazione di prodotto estendendosi alla progettazione di servizio o più in generale alla progettazione delle interazioni degli attori legati ad un determinato sitstema di produzione del valore per dirla alla porter o a un sistema di soddisfazione come piace dire a me
But not only this tool have been developed
Infatc since 2004 a set of method and tools have been developed especially as a result of EU funded research
As anticipated, more recently few design researchers have moved the interest even to the socio-ethical dimesnsion of sustainability
A design action to directly addressed the reduction of various form of social inequity
And to define the potential role of the designer in this
I told you before that the design debate on a potential role of the design for … has only recently moved the first steps,
to be honest it has to be remembered that the theoretical contributions on sustainable consumption, are not all necessarily recent
Already at the end of the sixties, beginning of the ’70 some figures in the culture of design brought up the discussion on the responsibility of designers for consumption patterns, anticipated a critique of consumption patterns
We can recall the criticism and contestatioon of consumer society made by some exponents of the so called Radical Design, like gaetano pesce, dalisi or the very young 9999
For example dalisi co-designing with kids in the marginalized area of napole city
And at the on the at the beginning of the seventies we can remember with a more proactive approach, Tomas Maldonado talking about a new “design hope”, envisioning a the issue of designer (social) responsibility
And we must remember as well Victor Papanek expressing similar positions, as far as regards the role of consumption.
It is famous his book “design for …” of the 1973
Were he wrote: “design can and must become a means for young people to take part in the transformation of society”
Nevertheless, this happened EVEN BEFORE THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WAS INTRODUCED AT THE END OF THE ‘80
We may observe some different approach to design for social equity and cohesion
Since several years some products has been designed for low-income contexts and basics needs, sometimes calling this the BOP approach
Some others have been approaching design for social innovation, as way for facilitating promising bottom-up initiatives
Some others finally, setting the design rle on the level of stakeholder interaction design aiming at social equity and cohesion
Fortaleza, Brasil
supply a full range of products, infrastructure (owned by virtual station) and services for a complete office.
clients only pay for the periods of use
spaces are equipped with computers, printers, scanners, access to internet, TV, copiers etc;
are offered service for reception, personalised phone answer, answering and remittance of fax reception/transmiss.
environmentally sustainable: because infrastructure/equipment are shared (less needed) and most efficient are used
it is socio-economically sustainable: because of no need for initial investiment facilitate the set-up of small company
Other examples could be made but let us see what was the working hypothesis said about it in a UNEP publication of 2009
and reinfroced in the lens project as it will be described in a next coming book to be published this year by greenleaf
a product-service system innovation (approach) may act as a business opportunity to facilitate the process of a social-economical development in an emerging and low-income context - by jumping over the stage characterised by individual consumption/ownership of mass produced goods - towards a “satisfaction-based”, “low resource-intensity” and distributed service-economy.”
I can’t discuss this working hypothesis now, nevertheless let me recall the main charactheristic of such a system approach
So far only only few mwthods and tools have been developed t design for system eco-efficiency here are the acronimum of theree european researches that has worked on system innovation development methods
Even the design started to move on thos field and here I report the definition we are adopting within the LeNS project which is
Qual’è la definizione di design …
Non vi chiedo di capaire tutto adesso, ne voglio spiagarvi tutto adesso, ci sarà un intero corso per farlo,
ma da qui già intuite che ci occuperemo di sostenibilità ambientale, ma anche socioetica
e che si tratta di un ruolo progettuale che va al di là della progettazione di prodotto estendendosi alla progettazione di servizio o più in generale alla progettazione delle interazioni degli attori legati ad un determinato sitstema di produzione del valore per dirla alla porter o a un sistema di soddisfazione come piace dire a me
For a succinct understanding of the state of the art in design for sustainability related to the 4 dimension we have seen
we can chart a diagram that highlights
on one hand, the level of disciplinary consolidation (derived from the design research achievements) and,
on the other, their level of dissemination (in design practice and education).
we find the new research frontiers in the bottom left hand corner (0% consolidation and dissemination);
and in the top right hand corner (100% consolidation and dissemination) the point towards which we should steer the various dimensions of the discipline; i.e. towards a high degree of consolidation and widespread dissemination in (education and) practice.
In this chart, we can position the selection of low impact material/energy and the LCD/eco-design of the product at a good level of consolidation, a discreet level of penetration in education and low in practice (especially when considering LCD/eco-design of the product.
In fact, nowadays, as far as concerns the Life Cycle Design of product there is a clear theoretic framework, and clear (environmental) requirements, as well as available criteria, methods and tools
As far as concerns eco-efficient system design the level of consolidation is inferior and the design practice is, logically, far more sporadic
On the design for socio-ethical sustainability front, little has been elaborated, not only at an operative level, but even in terms of defining the real design potentialities/boundaries of action
it is in fact a new design research frontier
very few are the tools and methods developed to orientate the system design process towards socio-ethically sustainable solutions
the second point at the beginning of this presentation was that toghther with a system innovation we need as well to …
This lead us to discuss about an aesthetic for sustainability
Even though the issue is very complex, I want to tell you briefly my opinion
the first question is if we have need of one aesthetic for sustainability
Well my opinion is that the aesthetic has a fundamental role!
In fact, as we said before it is not enough that an innovation is environmentally sustainable, it is as well necessary that this is perceived like an improvement
In other words, it must be more attractive than existing unsustainable ones, in other terms aesthetically winning
Where by aesthetic I mean not only the colours and the shape of a product, but the whole of the characteristics that make a solution to be perceived as attractive
At this stage it is better to make a clarification
We should mistrust from some emerging ICONINIC-ENVIRONMENTAL AESTHETIC
I mean those AESTHETIC trends, that transfer on products and services some icons of the environmental movements
Once I have seen a telephone whose case was made with recycled materials and with a shape of a whale
Frankly speaking an ugly object
So I don’t trust and I think is really misleading to think to design a mass …
Then if we want to think to AN AESTHETIC FOR SUSTAINABILITY the best way I can find to describe it
That of A “PLURALISM OF AESTHETICS FOR SUSTAINABILITY”
An aesthetic that grows from the sustainability values
and that takes a multiplicity of forms depending on the context and on the designer
Even though the issue is very complex, I want to tell you briefly my opinion
the first question is if we have need of one aesthetic for sustainability
Well my opinion is that the aesthetic has a fundamental role!
In fact, as we said before it is not enough that an innovation is environmentally sustainable, it is as well necessary that this is perceived like an improvement
In other words, it must be more attractive than existing unsustainable ones, in other terms aesthetically winning
Where by aesthetic I mean not only the colours and the shape of a product, but the whole of the characteristics that make a solution to be perceived as attractive
At this stage it is better to make a clarification
We should mistrust from some emerging ICONINIC-ENVIRONMENTAL AESTHETIC
I mean those AESTHETIC trends, that transfer on products and services some icons of the environmental movements
Once I have seen a telephone whose case was made with recycled materials and with a shape of a whale
Frankly speaking an ugly object
So I don’t trust and I think is really misleading to think to design a mass …
Then if we want to think to AN AESTHETIC FOR SUSTAINABILITY the best way I can find to describe it
That of A “PLURALISM OF AESTHETICS FOR SUSTAINABILITY”
An aesthetic that grows from the sustainability values
and that takes a multiplicity of forms depending on the context and on the designerthat means that everyone of you may …
Finally few words to clarify the role of designer as a socio-cultural innovator
We cannot say that a designer can directly change to the tastes and behaviours of people in a society
it would be a too much egocentric
But if a designer is aware of the challenges and the opportunity for a sustainable development
and notice emerging/new types of demands that are coherent with sustainability
and transform those into products, services and systems which are more attractive
can indirectly contribute to induce some social changes
We can start form the trival observation that
TO OVERCOME USER’S LEVEL BARRIERS sustainable PSS offers have to be perceived as better than traditional “product-based” ones
In this sense we can state that an aesthetic for sustainable PSS may play a key role in enhancing user attraction, acceptance and satisfaction
So forth the research working hypothesis would be understanding and promoting a new aesthetic
The new aesthetics is about product but not only
Should be addressed as well services and more in general the interactions among the stakeholders
Even here it is critical to go deeper into the discussion, what I can tell you as an example is that if I am calling the service support of my computer for a maintenance service and I end up in talking with an answering machine telling me to digit this and that number and at the end I don’t have anything in hand, I can tell you that this service ha an ugly aesthetic
An prleiminary insight is that
given that: distinctive traits of sustainable PSS are non-ownership of products and related new services/stakeholder interactions
the aesthetic could valorise qualities of products non-ownership and relational qualities between the users of a PSS, and between the users and the producers/providers
But before that let me tell you some final remarks
to design on a system level it means that WE DON’T HAVE ANYMORE TO CARE ABOUT
DEFINITELY NO, even designing on a system level, sustainable products need to be designed afterwards
ON THE OTHER SIDE DESIGNING ON A SYSTEM LEVEL TAKE US FAR FROM THE CORE OF DESIGN?
AGAIN i THINK NO
designing for the (unit of) “satisfaction” it is to go at the deeper rooth of the design, settling it to the level of the life style (more sustainable and satisfactory)
