This document discusses sustainable graphic design. It defines sustainable design and explains how graphic designers can approach it. Some key points include: - Sustainable graphic design considers the full life cycle of products from design to disposal, including factors like material sourcing, production processes, distribution and recyclability. - Designers are encouraged to choose materials like paper, inks and packaging that have less environmental impact, for example using recycled content or materials that are less resource-intensive. - The document provides examples of sustainable practices from companies like IKEA and Lego that consider reducing waste and promoting recyclability throughout their design and production systems.

1. VDIS10030 DESIGN
AND THE
ENVIRONMENTSangeeta Jain

2. Green!

3. It’s not just a color.

4. It is Sustainable Graphic Design!
• Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built
environment, and services to comply with the principles of social, economic, and
ecological sustainability. Sustainable practices for graphic designers include a wide
range of issues. When creating traditional print materials the toxicity of ink and paper
and the sheer quantity of paper produced need to be considered. In addition to these
factors there are other phases of the life cycle of products that need to be examined.
Here is an example…

5. Eric Benson speaking at TEDx conference in 2010 and gives his perspective to sustainable
graphic design. As a graphic designer his awakening happened at seeing his own direct
mail designs dumped in his own rubbish bin (trash can).
Here's a simple graphic of the direct mail life-cycle.
http://sustainable-graphic-design.blogspot.in/2011/07/sustainability-graphic-designers.html

6. Eric raises some interesting questions and then points out the power we have as
graphic designers to change the way we work and to make better decisions.
Eric asks the following questions:
• What are the impacts of the objects that I create?
• Why is sustainability important to graphic designers?
He gives us the following sobering facts:
• Paper industry is the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
• 100 million trees are felled annually to produce junk mail.
and points out the power we have as graphic designers:
• Facilitate real change throughout the supply chain.
• Make sustainable design what design IS not merely what it could be.
• The more knowledge and tools, the easier it is to make better decisions that when added up
can change the world.

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh0vvPVGgU8

8. Sustainable Graphic Design
• Sustainable Graphic Design refers to design process that integrates in environmentally
friendly approach and considers natural resources as a part of the design. Graphic
designers must think of the process starting from the end rather than the beginning.
• The first step to creating sustainable graphic design starts with LCA (Life Cycle Analysis).
• Then comes the application of ‘cleaner’ design and technology throughout each of
the stages of a product’s life cycle such as:
1. DESIGN
• for reducing environmental impact
• for recycling

9. Sustainable Graphic Design
2. RAW MATERIALS
• reduction or recyclable
• reduce environmental impact
3. MANUFACTURE
• minimising waste and energy use
• simplifying processes
• efficient use of natural resources

10. Sustainable Graphic Design
4. DISTRIBUTION
• reduce or lighten packaging
• reduce mileage of transportation to the customer
• alternatives to fossil fuels
5. USE
• repair versus replacement.

11. Principles of Sustainable Design
In order for the designer to consider sustainable design throughout the process, the
question becomes what are the stages of the design process and design development
that you can consider changing in order to make a more sustainable product? Below
are some ideas on how to implement sustainability in design for each design area:
• Form
• The form represents the visual shape of the product and is usually perceived to be the
main element of the design. Before designing a product’s layout, however, the
designer should ask questions like how will the shape affect energy consumption; and
how will the size affect the packaging, transportation costs, and fuel emissions? IKEA’s
flat packing strategy, for example, helped it reduce transport costs, fuel usage, and
emissions.
http://www.designorate.com/principles-of-sustainable-design/

12. Principles of Sustainable Design
• Function and Usability
• The function and usability of the product contributes to its sustainability in an indirect
way, as it helps consumers use the product more easily in less time and with less energy
consumption. People do not want to keep hard-to-use products, so usable products
can ensure less waste and throwaways.
• Cost-Effective Solutions
• For many of today’s sustainable products, cost is one of the key barriers that prevents
many customers from making the switch from their dependence on non-sustainable
products. Therefore, the designer and decision-makers are responsible for reducing the
cost of current sustainable products.
http://www.designorate.com/principles-of-sustainable-design/

13. Principles of Sustainable Design
• Renewable Energy
• Designers should stop depending on carbon energy and think in terms of building
products that depend on renewable energy, such as solar panels and wind farms.
• Materials and Recycling
• Similar to energy, materials play an essential role in sustainable design, as every
designer should search for materials that can be easily recycled or for which the planet
can recreate in a short amount of time. For example, IKEA depends on mixed woods
and innovative materials to replace traditional varieties of wood that can take a long
time to grow in forests. The mixed and recycled materials can also help reduce
product cost.
http://www.designorate.com/principles-of-sustainable-design/

14. Principles of Sustainable Design
• Durable Design Solutions
• In order to reach zero waste, products have to either be durable enough to last for a long time or be fully
recycled and transformed completely into new products. Depending on both methods can help recycle
products more than one time and decrease the dependence on Earth’s resources.
• Constant Improvement and Sharing of Knowledge Evaluation and improvement are important parts of
any design process, but they take on even more importance in order to evaluate sustainable initiatives
and improve them enough that they attain the same or better quality than existing products.
• The principles above are general considerations that designers can depend on in order to build a
sustainable design or service. Overall, the above design principles take into consideration the
environment, people, economy, and culture. Every product or service design should consider these four
factors. For example, the materials embedded in products should reflect concern for consumer safety
and fit the cultural context in which they will be used.
• Some obstacles that face some sustainable products are the result of a lack of consideration for these
four values. In order to attract consumers to use a sustainable product, it should also address customer
needs and compete in cost with other products on the market.
http://www.designorate.com/principles-of-sustainable-design/

15. The graphic design
industry draws on energy,
water, paper, inks, solvents
and packaging.

17. Sustainable Graphic Design - Paper
• Although the move to digital media such as emails, e-books, and digital advertisement,
printed materials are still a part of the graphic design process. The use of paper has a
negative environmental impact on trees as they are considered a source for paper to
be used in printing. Additionally, the paper industry requires consumption of fuel,
electricity, and steel used by the different machines. Recycled paper or chlorine free
paper can be used to reduce the consumption of forest resources. Another option is to
use a thinner paper.
• Quick guide to Paper: http://sustainable-graphic-design.blogspot.in/2011/07/paper-
sustainable-designers-quick-guide.html
• Quick guide to Recycled Paper: http://sustainable-graphic-
design.blogspot.in/2011/07/recycled-paper-sustainable-designers.html

19. Sustainable Graphic Design - Inks
• Designers can request VOC-free inks: reducing the demand and choosing VOC-free
alternatives can really make a difference to the amount of VOCs emitted. Or don't print at
all: go digital and use an alternative to printing where possible as this will drastically reduce
the environmental impacts of your product.
• Quick guide to Ink: http://sustainable-graphic-design.blogspot.in/2011/08/inks-sustainable-
designers-quick-guide.html
• Quick guide to Adhesives: http://sustainable-graphic-design.blogspot.in/2011/08/glue-
sustainable-designers-quick-guide.html
• Quick guide to Plastics: http://sustainable-graphic-design.blogspot.in/2011/08/plastic-
sustainable-designers-quick.html

20. Green Your Workspace
Start greening up your own workspace…
• Use energy-efficient lightbulbs.
• Turn off your electronic devices when you’re not using them.
• Unplug them when you don’t need to charge.
• Use heating and cooling appliances as little as possible. Open a window or put on a
sweater!
• Workspaces of the 99designs community from which we can draw inspiration:
https://blog.99cluster.com/blog/inside-99designs/workspaces-of-the-99designs-
community/

21. Green Your Design Practice
give your clients
the eco-option

22. IKEA and Sustainable Design
• IKEA has established a sustainability strategy called “People and Planet Positive”. This
strategy aims to help make people’s homes more sustainable and provide a better life
for people and their community. This IKEA sustainability strategy includes resources and
energy independence plans, which limit the consumption of the planet’s resources,
replace them with recycled and renewable materials, and reduce waste.
• Read more: http://www.designorate.com/ikea-sustainable-design-strategy/

23. LEGO Bricks: The Long Road to
Sustainable Design
• As a company that understands the holistic role of design inside its organization, design
is involved in every process and department within the company. Subsequently, any
changes should be taken with care and understand the costs that can affect the
whole production cycle.
• Read more: http://www.designorate.com/lego-bricks-the-long-road-to-sustainable-
design/

24. 20 Creative Sustainable Packaging
Design Examples
• Mixing together sustainable use principles with a big dose of creativity and innovation,
we’ve found packages that hold everything from food to light bulbs that not only look
great, but are also friendly to the environment. Not all of them are actual, existing
packages; some of them stayed in the concept stage – though we think that there
should be a company out there that brings to life one of these designs.
• Must see and read more: https://blog.printsome.com/sustainable-packaging-design/

25. Go Green!

26. Resources:
• http://sustainable-graphic-design.blogspot.in/2011/07/materials-life-cycle-assessment-
in.html
• http://www.designorate.com/sustainable-graphic-design/
• http://sustainabilityskills.net.au/category/carbon-measurement-management/
• https://99designs.com/blog/tips/a-beginners-guide-to-sustainable-graphic-design/
• http://www.designcanchange.org/#/resources/downloads