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

Supply chain

I understand that a Sustainable Minds LCA is intended to help designers make decisions, not make environmental claims. How do I clarify that point for clients and managers?

By Louise St. Pierre on October 31, 2009

With any developing science, it is extremely important to take care during the early years to build a foundation of credibility. A single-score LCA is just like any other tool in that it can be used well or poorly. Here are a few best-practice suggestions for how to use, discuss and present a single-figure (or scoping) LCA.

  1. In presentations, discussions, and slides, always emphasize terminology that clarifies that this is a single figure LCA, not a multi-score LCA. For instance, the term “scoping LCA,” accurately describes what this LCA is intended to do, and implies some limitations.

  2. You can use graphs judiciously. While bar graphs and charts are the best possible way to make an impact with your information, you should try to avoid any potential exaggeration. If your design only improves the environmental bottom line by a small amount, so be it. You can resist the temptation to use your presentation skills to make it look more dramatic.

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Certifications & labeling, Designers , Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing , Marketing, Materials & processes, Packaging, Products, Standards & regulations , Strategies, Supply chain, Sustainable Europe , Teamwork

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

PVC is a plastic everyone is trying to replace now due to toxicity of chlorine in the product. We were surprised to see the Okala mPts values were so low. Just wondering if you have any feedback on this?

By Philip White on May 31, 2009

First, let’s take a look at the values that Okala assigns to Polyvinyl chloride polymer (PVC), then I’ll comment on those results.

Material Unit Okala mPts. CO2 eq. lbs.
Polyvinl chloride (PVC) lb 50.402 1.962
Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) lb 31.297 2.128
Polycarbonate (PC) lb 106.55 7.617

PVC is potentially problematic on a number of levels, as is discussed in the Okala design guide.

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Designers , Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing , Materials & processes, Packaging, Products, Software & systems , Standards & regulations , Strategies, Supply chain

I am trying to do a life cycle assessment (using Okala) of a thermoformed product. Since thermoformed parts are extruded into sheet before they are thermoformed, should I include Extrusion in my analysis, or is that factored in to the Thermoforming score? Similar questions arise with the injection-molded parison used in blow-molding, etc.

By Philip White on May 31, 2009

The Okala impact factor for thermoformed plastics includes the extrusion of the polymers into rigid (or semi-rigid) sheets and the subsequent thermoforming of the polymer sheet into the finished plastic part. Likewise, the Okala impact factor for blow molding of plastics includes the creation of the parision (usually through injection molding) and the subsequent blow molding of the parison into the finished plastic part. The preliminary steps required in these polymer forming processes is included in the overall Okala impact factor.

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Designers , Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing , Materials & processes, Packaging, Products, Software & systems , Standards & regulations , Strategies, Supply chain

Are biologically-derived materials always best? i.e., are materials derived from plant sources more environmentally friendly than materials derived from (fossil fuel) petroleum?

By Philip White on February 28, 2009

Designers (in the various design professions) should not assume this generalization about biomaterials to be true. In many cases, plant-derived materials are more renewable and can be more ecologically responsible than petroleum-derived materials. In many other cases, however, plant-derived materials can be more resource intensive and/or more ecologically damaging than their petroleum-derived counterparts.

Let’s look at grocery bags as an example. We’ve compared six grocery bag alternatives, listed below. The bag materials are listed with a manufacturing method, the number of time it's used, the approximate weight of bags needed to carry 20 lbs of groceries, and the assumed waste distribution at the end of the life of the bag. The functional unit is Okala impacts (in millipoints) per delivery of one cycle of 20 lbs of groceries.

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Certifications & labeling, Designers , Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing , Marketing, Materials & processes, Packaging, Products, Strategies, Supply chain, Sustainability paradox, Teamwork

I am an industrial design student and I am learning about the problems with consumerism and the environment. It makes me wonder if I am in the wrong profession. Can you give me some advice?

By Louise St. Pierre on January 31, 2009

Thank you for that timely and important question. Assuming that you are studying industrial design because it is your passion, I can offer: Fourteen reasons why, in a time of ecological crisis, we need industrial designers more than ever.

1. A maturing profession
The industrial design profession has redefined itself numerous times over the past half-decade in response to cultural shifts, and is now integrating sustainable design thinking and methodologies. This growth is evident in recent conferences, journals and pledges such as The Designer’s Accord. As designers, we are doing important work, and you can help.

2. Good design is an imperative
Poor design results in waste that we cannot afford. Every poorly designed object will be underutilized, broken or discarded sooner than a well-designed object. Bring on the good industrial designers!

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Designers , Packaging, Products, Strategies, Supply chain, Teamwork

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

I’m responsible for new product development in a small company in the housewares product industry. We design our products, but all are manufactured in Asia. We’re getting pressure from retailer partners to reduce packaging content and all potentially hazardous substances. We’re also considering developing new products that we can position as having environmental benefits. Can the Okala methodology help us integrate these various issues?

By Steve Belletire on September 30, 2008

The short answer is, “yes.” Here’s the longer version:

This question addresses supply chain and distribution issues impacting most companies in the US and around the world. As the Pacific Rim and China have come to dominate many sectors for manufactured goods, these countries have struggled to keep up with external and internal agency and material safety standards.

Recent headlines about pet food and toothpaste reveal only the tip of this iceberg. And we only need to look to Wal-Mart to understand the pressure their suppliers are under to comply with their packaging scorecard program, and now their electronic scorecard initiative.

Wal-Mart Packaging Scorecard Metrics
GHG/CO2 per ton of production 15%
Material value 15%
Product/package ratio 15%
Cube utilization 15%
Transportation 10%
Recycled content 10%
Recovery value 10%
Renewable energy 5%
Innovation 5%

Wal-mart and other major retailers are attempting to polish their ‘green credentials’ in an effort to offer their customers more environmentally responsible choices. So we’ll look at how Okala can help your company connect these 21st century business dots.

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Designers , Life cycle assessment, Manufacturing , Materials & processes, Packaging, Products, Strategies, Supply chain, Teamwork

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