Products, Design & NPD
The environmental and social implications of marketing mostly focus around the product of the business and issues relating to :
- How it is produced : in terms of the materials, energy and labour used throughout the supply chain that supports it and the social and environmental impacts of the production process;
- How it is used : including the purpose to which a product is put, its safety in use, and the other resources that it consumes during its lifetime (particularly energy for many consumer durables);
- How long it lasts, and how it is disposed of post-use;
Concern about the sustainability in many markets is leading to an emphasis on designing new products and ways to meet customer needs in more sustainable ways. This has led to a number of different approaches including “Design for Environment” which seeks to reduce the materials and energy used in products and to reduce their environmental burden through waste reduction; and the emergence of “Product Service Systems” which focus on the total marketing systems that deliver benefits to customers and seek to find ways to reconfigure them in more sustainable ways (for example by substituting the purchase of products with access to them via services).
http://cleantech.jrc.es/docs/EIPRO_Total_20050429_final.pdf
The most definitive academic study concerning the environmental impacts of household
products comes from the EIPRO project, an Institue for Prospective Technologies
Study/European Science and Techonology Observatory project led by Arnold Tukker.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/consumerprod/accpe/pdf/0509recommend.pdf
Report of UK Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment
http://www.mtprog.com/Index.aspx
Market Transformation Programme supporting UK government policy on sustainable
products
http://www.suspronet.org
Thematic Network on Sustainable Product-Services
http://www.egeneration.co.uk/centre/modules/sustainable_productdesign/
Sustainable product design e-learning page including video presentation by
Professor Martin Charter
http://www.cfsd.org.uk/journal/index.html
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design (online journal)
Sustainable Innovation Report, 18th July 2002, The Surrey Institute, Farnham,
UK
Download report - Sustainable
Innovation 1
Sustainable Innovation Report, 19th November 2002, The Surrey Institute, Farnham,
UK
Download report - Sustainable
Innovation 2
Sustainable Innovation Report, 6th December 2002, The Surrey Institute, Farnham,
UK
Download report - Sustainable
Innovation 3
http://www.cfsd.org.uk/events/marketing_wrkshp1_summary.html
A workshop summary on Marketing, Design and Environment including information
on; eco-efficiency, and new product development.
http://www.cfsd.org.uk/events/marketing_wrkshp2_summary.html
A workshop summary on Marketing, Design and Environment including information
on; societal pressures, buyer behaviour, organisational dynamics and managing
eco-design.
http://www.co-design.co.uk/hoover.htm
Article covering the design of a greener product: the Hoover "New Wave" washing
machine range.
http://www.greenmarketplace.com
Provides details of products that meet the highest environmental, social and
animal-friendly standards.
http://ecomail.com/greenshopping/ate.htm
Provides a range of information on green products.
http://greenmfg.me.berkeley.edu/green/Home/Index.html
Multi-disciplinary research and education on environmental management and 'design
for environment'.
http://www.greenshop.co.uk
Highlights environmentally friendly products.
http://www.ecosustainable.com.au/exchange.htm
The Ecosustainable hub provides a range of links to green sites - of particular
interest is likely to be the 'product, services and technologies' section.
http://www.cfsd.org.uk/seeba
A range of information on 'producer responsibility' issues.
http://www.greenmarketing.com
This sample chapter decribes a number of green product initiatives that illustrate
the power of "green" to bring innovation to businesses.
http://www.pnl.gov:2080/DFE/home.html
The U.S. Department of Energy - Design for Environment (DfE) project.
http://www.cfd.rmit.edu.au/
Centre for Design, RMIT Australia
http://www.ce.cmu.edu/GreenDesign/
Carnegie Mellon Green Design Institute
http://www.gednet.org/
GED Net, Global Type III Environmental Products Declarations Network
http://www.greenbuildingstore.co.uk
Provides information on products and information which promote healthier and
more environment-friendly buildings.
http://www.choice.com.au/articles/a102060p1.htm
Australian Consumer Association. Disposal of computers
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/waste/pvc/
Environmental issues of PVC
http://www.greenmarketing.com
This article highlights specific strategies for designers to use green innovations
in a provocative and profitable way.
http://www.greenmarketing.com
This speech transcript describes nature as a powerful source of creative inspiration
for eco-innovation.
http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/energuide/
A program run by Natural Resources Canada that provides energy ratings for
appliances and energy efficiency information.
http://www.energystar.gov
A program sponsored by the U.S. EPA that sets energy-efficiency standards for
computers, monitors, printers, and other appliances and certifies green buildings.