The authors of Okala provide you with insights and practical solutions to the latest sustainability issues facing product development organizations and individuals today.

Electronics

As an independent product design consultant I've been getting more requests from clients for sustainable design solutions. I can see how Okala and SM can help me navigate these waters, but how do I integrate this approach into my business practice?

By Steve Belletire on July 31, 2009

I’m glad to hear you’re getting such requests. More companies are now seeing the value of ecodesign strategies. Regarding your question being engaged with this site is a good indication you are serious about providing ecodesign options to your clients. And the Okala methodology and other resources available via Sustainable Minds can provide a solid foundation for delivering quality services.

However, what isn’t included is the practical knowledge to transfer this information into part of a consulting service mix. This response offers you and other consultants a simple framework for how to best integrate ecodesign services.

This information is available in detailed form in a new Greenleaf publication, Consulting for Business Sustainability. Chapter 12, A Guide to Sustainable Design Consulting, directly addresses your question and it is my contribution to the book. I’ll provide an outline of the key practice points within the chapter, but I recommend you obtain the publication. http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/consult

1: Do your homework First, a company must have a genuine appetite for developing more environmentally responsible products and/or processes. Be certain your client views this approach as strategic to their business future and not just a short-term marketing detail. Start by acquiring information regarding corporate mission statements on the environment, current supply chain practices, any ‘low hanging fruit’ processes underway – anything that helps you get a fix on how the company perceives and communicates its environmental role.

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Certifications & labeling, Designers , Electronics, Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing , Marketing, Materials & processes, Packaging, Product service systems, Products, Software & systems , Standards & regulations , Strategies, Supply chain, Sustainability paradox, Sustainable Europe , Teamwork

The current fiscal crisis has spawned recent articles about the de-globalization of the world economy and the need to create new mass consumption business models. How might this affect sustainable design?

By Steve Belletire on April 30, 2009

I thank you for asking an important, albeit complex question, so I’ll try to provide some context for my response. The financial crisis has triggered a global recession resulting in the contraction of large consumer economies like that of the US, as growing numbers of people experience job loss along with decreased asset values. These factors have combined to send consumer spending into a downward spiral in many parts of the world, derailing global economic growth plans.

Events are causing some economists to speculate on what a global economy will be like in a ‘post financial crisis’ world. The baseline question is this: will consumers change their spending, savings, and lifestyle habits in fundamental ways over the long term? During the 1930’s, consumption contracted, savings soared, and businesses tried to adjust to fewer discretionary dollars. Today, this model has significant implications for the design profession and for businesses pursuing sustainable design strategies as they try to ponder the future.

In the near-term we are seeing many consumers focusing on value. They are buying fewer ‘things’ beyond essentials, and non-essential purchases are meeting a more stringent evaluation of the value proposition. That’s good news for stores like Wal-Mart. This consumption model impacts medium- to higher-end goods most, resulting in fewer discretionary purchases. Many consumers are saying one of three things: “What I have is good enough; I can live without that; or, I really don’t need so much.”

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Certifications & labeling, Designers , Electronics, Marketing, Packaging, Products, Standards & regulations , Strategies, Sustainable Europe

As our business contracts, it is now harder to find a receptive ear for our yet-to-be- implemented green product development initiatives. Can you offer some suggestions for how I should engage my management team during these tough times so we can still keep our sustainable product development plans on track?

By Steve Belletire on January 31, 2009

I understand your concern and I’ll add that your question is similar to many others I’ve addressed in recent weeks. There is no doubt that the current economic climate has forced many companies to rethink their new product development plans for 2009. And for those who began sustainable design initiatives recently and have yet to implement plans or realize results, it’s expedient to make this a lower priority.

One way to help you frame the larger design issues your question implies is through a brief review of some innovation history. The Sony Walkman® (shown above), Black & Decker’s Dustbuster®, and Motorola’s first Flip-phone® were all product innovations that at first were met with skepticism or ridicule. These now-notable designs were criticized for being unnecessary, over-priced, and appealing only to niche market segments. Of course, the market response proved the critics wrong. Why? Because these products represent strategic planning that anticipated imminent shifts in consumer lifestyles and attitudes.

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Designers , Electronics, Life cycle assessment, Marketing, Products, Strategies

My company designs and offers a range of products and services. How can we decide which products to redesign next year to make them greener?

By Philip White on December 31, 2008

Despite the extreme turbulence in the economy and the resulting insecurity felt by product development groups in nearly all market sectors, many companies still have budgets to develop new products starting at the beginning of the new year. Counter-intuitively, economic shockwaves reverberating through the markets can liberate product managers to find new market strategies.

Managers are increasingly under pressure to adopt novel ways to intelligently address the needs of users in their respective markets. Offering greener products are one of the primary ways that companies can substantively differentiate themselves from their competitors. The question on the minds of product managers is “Which products have the most potential to improve their value by improving environmental performance?” Product managers, marketing directors and the entire product development team should carefully ponder this question.

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Designers , Electronics, Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing , Marketing, Products, Strategies, Supply chain, Teamwork

Question: With so many companies jumping on the ‘green bandwagon,’ what governmental agencies or industry groups are working to keep them honest?

By Steve Belletire on November 30, 2008

It should come as no surprise that surveys of consumers indicate a strong desire for verifiable green marketing claims. For the past two years claims of ‘green marketing’ have expanded to a point where consumers have become overloaded regarding such marketing claims. Recent consumer marketing data confirms the skepticism related to this overload.

In July of 2008 the Gandalf Group spoke with 1500 adult Canadians about their views and attitudes regarding the impact of environmental issues. The responses indicate that design teams and marketers need to pay greater attention to consumer attitudes if they hope to connect with consumers concerning ecodesign strategies.

The results:

  • Most Canadians say there are so many conflicting claims about the environment that they’re not sure what to believe.
  • Canadians overwhelmingly want regulation and labeling to clear up the confusion. They want to know:
    • What is just a marketing ploy?
    • What is legitimately environmentally friendly?
  • Eighty-five percent of Canadians want standards enforced on producers and labeling that certifies and explains terms such as organic, low emissions, and green.
  • Two-thirds of Canadians say the term “green” has been used so much that it doesn’t have much meaning for them anymore when a company claims it.1

Confirming these attitudes in the U.S., an Ipsos Reid study conducted in the spring of 2008 indicated that at the time, seven in ten Americans either strongly or somewhat agreed that when companies call a product ’green‘ it is usually just a ‘marketing tactic.’ U.S. consumers, the study reports, seem to be wary of firms who label products as ‘green’ or ‘environmentally friendly.’2

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Certifications & labeling, Designers , Electronics, Marketing, Packaging, Products, Standards & regulations , Strategies, Sustainable Europe

Some companies use carbon footprinting while others use life cycle assessment (LCA). What are the differences between the two approaches and what situations are best suited for each impact estimation method?

By Philip White on August 31, 2008

LCA and carbon footprinting both model the entire lifecycle of a product or system. The only difference is that LCA models eight to twelve impact categories, while carbon footprinting only models one: global warming.

Global warming potential is measured in equivalent pounds of carbon dioxide. For example, if a product emitted one pound of a greenhouse gas that had twice the global warming potential value of carbon dioxide, its carbon footprint would be two pounds of CO2 equivalents.

The Okala LCA method models ten impact categories, including global warming, and combines them into a single impact factor value that models the product’s overall environmental performance. The carbon footprint is thus embedded in the Okala impact factor for each product’s material and process. With Sustainable Minds‘ software suite (coming Q1 '09), users can model either the product’s overall environmental performance (in Okala impact millipoints) or can select to model only the carbon footprint (in CO2 equivalents).

The Okala LCA method models ten impact categories and combines them into a single impact value.

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Electronics, Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing , Materials & processes, Products, Standards & regulations , Supply chain, Sustainability paradox