S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y Designing for our future Great design


is sustainable design


‘ As todAy’s d&t


students are the designers and creators


of tomorrow, they should be encouraged to employ a robust design ethic from the initial, conceptual stages of their new products, which is integrated throughout the products’ lifecycle. Dr Gwyneth Owen-Jackson,


PGCE subject leader for D&T at the Open University comments: “Sustainability is a massive topic which should not only cover the design issues – it must also consider the use of materials, types of working practices and consumer issues.


‘Sustainability is an important topic to cover in design and technology teaching’


“Many schools incorporate sustainability issues into their teaching, for example they may teach about food miles, designing using recycled materials or about the product life-cycle. However, not all schools have a consistent approach to sustainability and there is more that could be done, for example, all design work could consider product life cycles or the cradle-to-cradle approach; all materials could be used more carefully and recycled (include food waste for composting) and pupils could be taught to consider these issues more from the consumer perspective. “So, there is lots being done to


teach sustainability in design and technology, but there is still the potential for more,” Dr Gwyneth Owen-Jackson continues.


Gordon Campbell,


managing director of Technology Supplies Ltd, highlights the importance of


sustainability in D&T The Design &Technology


Association (D&TA) strongly believes that sustainability should be included in today’s D&T teaching and learning. Current teaching focuses around designing products which are both functional and aesthetically pleasing.


‘D&TA states that a third principle


should be added – sustainability’


Students should not design a


product for its own sake. They must question whether the product should be created at all. Can their design follow a sustainable ethos throughout its entire product lifecycle? AndyMitchell, assistant chief


executive at the Design & TechnologyAssociation, comments: “You can learn about sustainability issues in other subjects. However, students go much further in D&T. It becomes much more tangible and meaningful when you have to physically engage with the issue in real, not hypothetical, ways.” Material innovations and a


drive to find better raw materials for products means that everyone involved with designing any type of product will need to be keenly aware of the sustainability and recycling issues surrounding the materials they use for their products. The costs of creating a product, both financial and environmental, must be taken into consideration. Designing products that use sustainable raw materials and which can be recycled and reused will become


Technology in Education No.185 September 2011 34


increasingly important as the issues become more widely recognised.


‘Design and


technology is about designing products and systems that make the world a better place’


AndyMitchell continues:


“When you design and make something, both the designer and the consumer have to live with the legacy those actions leave. When you make something, you change a part of the world. So the notions of responsibility for the environment, social responsibility, use of materials and energy takes on real meaning.”


How can you integrate a sustainable ethos into a D&T lesson? Gwyn Jones, associate director


of theAssociation of Sustainability Practitioners,


suggests four challenging and fundamental considerations for students and future designers. Students should be encouraged


to: 1 Think long and hard about whether a ‘product’ is actually needed or whether it’s just a fad, a luxury that serves no real purpose. Eliminating products at this stage will reduce our impact on scarce resources.


2 Design products that will reduce the need for maintaining or replacing – that will cut down the impact on resources. “Students should design


products that use raw materials from industries which are committed to achieving sustainability objectives,” comments Philip Law, public and industrial affairs director at the British Plastics Federation.


3Adopt a ‘no waste’ approach. Products ideally would never be thrown away or end up as waste. Recycling is only part of the answer – re-use is much more important. Encourage students to design


products that are part of complete closed cycles. That means designed


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