John Thackara has written an excellent follow up of necessary design tasks required to support the concepts put forth in this Guardian article and encapsulates the situation succinctly,

If something must be done, rather than just talked about, then design moves centre stage.

From a statement [pdf] released by the Chartered Society of Designers, UK, here are the highlights:

...the review published on the 30th October by Sir Nicholas Stern has much more relevance to the design sector and although it provides gloomy reading it also offers the design profession challenges and opportunities that it should readily embrace.

Stern calculates the cost of taking action now against climate change at an average globally of 1% of GDP. He calculates the cost to GDP of not doing anything to be 5%, with opinions ranging to 20%. Even on Stern’s figures, an investment today will produce a 400% return by 2050. Even 1% is an ambitious amount but design can play a role in lowering the initial costs of our high carbon economic growth and so that a balance is achieved of levying taxes and lessening energy use.

As a profession we influence products of all sorts and buildings and the energy they use. In design development and service design we are also able to reduce the energy used in delivering them. But in order to do so the designer must posses the knowledge needed to deal with such matters. This will involve collaboration, new working methods, knowledge transfer and a new attitude to design research.

If Stern is taken seriously then designers will see new opportunities for their services, they will need to adopt a business language in order for design to become embedded in the range of businesses strategies and to take a seat in the boardroom, and they will enter new overseas markets which need to invest in products that allow them to trade in carbon emissions. For those economies that are loathe to invest the figure suggested by Stern for fear of inhibiting their rapid economic growth, design and innovation will be paramount in ensuring they are not disadvantaged.

And for those who argue that any action is irrelevant due to the behaviour of India and China, well consider the influence our profession could have on their designers of the future...

Andrew Zolli recently wrote in his piece in BusinessWeek,

And eventually, corporate managers will master these skills, at which point every consumer product will be permanently dipped in white acrylic, come with an ergonomic fly wheel, and embody a whimsical anthropomorphic cuteness.

Then what? To find the next deep wellsprings of innovation, you have to learn to listen to "weak signals"-fringe ideas today that will be common wisdom tomorrow.

He identifies three key areas as fringe ideas for innovation - 'ecology', 'gaming' and 'social networking'. One could also view these as emerging markets, that is, those that can be defined as emerging opportunity areas for innovation. Then, instead of the run of the mill understanding that emerging markets are countries or nations, lets look at them from the socioeconomic and geopolitical point of view. Now, we have 5 emerging markets:-

1. Geographic
Here is where BRIC, ASEAN, Mercosul et al get covered - the emerging markets of India, China, Brazil, Turkey, Egypt etc

2. Gaming and virtual worlds
This is an emerging market in its own right, witness only the amount of business being done on Second Life. Does it also include stuff like all the brand placement in "Talladega Nights" etc?

3. Social networking or "my life online"
This is the sweet spot where companies like Skype, Typepad and Google perceive as emerging markets, among others.

4. Sustainability
There is probably a better word for this emerging market, but ecology, the environment, global warming, climate change and resource contraints lead to the emergence of a market for 'green' products, services and messages.

5. Social development/ bottom of the pyramid
Dominic Basulto over at the BusinessInnovationInsider blog has an excellent summary of CK Prahalad's latest look at the opportunities in this space. Here is a snippet on innovating for this market,

Prahalad outlines the four conditions that must be present for similar types of breakthrough innovations to occur:

(1) The innovation must result in a product or service of world-class quality;

(2) The innovation must achieve a significant price reduction - at least 90% off the cost of a comparable product or service in the West;

(3) The innovation must be scalable: It must be able to be produced, marketed, and used in many locales and circumstances;

(4) The innovation must be affordable at the bottom of the economic pyramid, reaching people with the lowest levels of income in any given society.

And finally, while it may or may not be an emerging market in its own right, demographic changes in the western world point towards the 'greying' population, a segment that requires significant design and development insights in healthcare and lifestyle products.

Manufacturers and designers of products that contain electronic parts are aware of the new environmental directives being laid down in Europe referred to as WEEE and RoHS.

The RoHS legislation only covers countries in the European Union. So why should companies in the United States care? The fact is, the regulations only apply to Europe, but countries throughout the world that sell or distribute products in Europe, or even supply components to companies that sell or distribute products in Europe, need to be aware of and compliant with RoHS.

Here is a quick FAQ on what these regulations entail and what it means for global consumer durable products:

What is RoHS?

The European Union (EU) Directive on the Restriction of certain Hazardous Substances. This bans the use of certain substances in electrical and electronic equipment products placed on the European market after July 2006.

Download RoHS PDF.

The following product categories are impacted under the RoHS Directive:

1. Large household appliances: refrigerators, washers, stoves, air conditioners
2. Small household appliances: vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, coffee makers, irons
3. Computing & communications equipment: computers, printers, copiers, phones
4. Consumer electronics: TVs, DVD players, stereos, video cameras
5. Lighting: lamps, lighting fixtures, light bulbs
6. Power tools: drills, saws, nail guns, sprayers, lathes, trimmers, blowers
7. Toys and sports equipment: videogames, electric trains, treadmills
8. Automatic dispensers: vending machines, ATM machines

The following products are currently exempted from RoHS compliance:

1. Large stationary industrial tools
2. Control and monitoring equipment
3. National security use and military equipment
4. Medical devices
5. Some light bulbs and some batteries
6. Spare parts for electronic equipment in the market before July 1, 2006.

What is WEEE?

Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment. Deals with the best available treatment, recovery & recycling of electrical and electronic equipment. Legislation becomes effective Aug 13, 2005. All EEE put on the market as from that date have to be WEEE marked (EN50419) and have to be collected after the products end of life.

Download WEEE Directive PDF here.

Which products are affected under the WEEE directive?

Large domestic devices (refrigerator, washing machine, microwave,...)
Small domestic devices (vacuum cleaner, iron, hair dryer,...)
IT & remote communication device (mainfraime, PC,... )
Consumer devices (radio, TV, video, audio, ...)
Illumination (fluorescent, discharge lamp,...)
Power Tool (drill, lathe, polishing tool, lawnmower, ...)
Toys (train/car racing set, game devices,...)
Medical devices (radiation therapy device, electrocardiogram,...)
Measure & controller (scale, measuring machine,...)
Vending machines (various)

A detailed FAQ with the list of banned materials and the products covered by these directives is available here. [courtesy Brady Europe]

Which other countries are applying the EU's directives?

The RoHS laws affect only the EU. But a number of non-EU countries have adopted the idea and put in place similar laws or voluntary regulations to the same effect. Following is an overview of the expected consequences.

China
China has recently published a "China RoHS". An official translation is still pending.

Japan
There are no RoHS equivalent laws in Japan, however the industry is following a voluntary program that aims to remove lead from the production process by the end of 2005.

USA
The USA has no federal laws to reduce the use of lead. Though California has issued the "California RoHS" law that prohibits selling electronic products containing lead in California after January 1st 2007.

Korea
South Korea has recently announced a similar law which is commonly refered to as KoreaRoHS.

Taiwan
Expected to create a similar regulation by 2008.

Australia
Regulation in place or pending.

Other countries
As of now no other countries have similar laws. Though it is to be expected that more countries will follow the RoHS initiative either by issuing laws or by the industry voluntarily following the RoHS.

If you are involved in product design, you need to understand how a product impacts on the environment. To develop truly sustainable products, you must be able to assess which design solution is environmentally preferable. [Courtesy Pre Consultants]

10 Golden Guidelines for Ecodesign

1. Do not design products, but life cycles
2. Natural materials are not always better
3. Energy consumption: often underestimated
4. Increase product life time
5. Do not design products, but services
6. Use a minimum of material
7. Use recycled materials
8. Make your product recyclable
9. Ask stupid questions
10. Become an O2 member!

Here are links to some information rich websites on new product strategy and development:

The New Product Development Body of Knowledge

An extensive collection of the A to Z of corporate strategy and new product development, covering basics such as Porter's Five Forces to the fuzzy front end and ideation techniques.

The Tabor Report on Product Strategy

Do you have a problem here? It is very rare that you'll perceive product strategy as the critical issue from within your company. The symptoms you'll notice are unfocused value propositions, poor press and analyst reviews, difficulty getting leads, no repeatability in sales cycles, endless pricing debates, poor sales volume, and a high degree of shelfware. You are likely to believe you have a "target market problem" or a need to "rework the go to market plan," when the problem is the product itself. For lots of psychological reasons, people outside your company will see a product issue much more clearly than you.

Product Design: One strategy for the Environment and Business

On waste from the Texas Government.

Guidelines for designers working on designs for the elderly

What is such a market looking for? In a recent study my organisation undertook with an American research corporation, the fundamental requirement of elderly people that emerged was that the product should enhance and not degrade their health. This conclusion, however does not have as easy application as might at first be thought.

New Product Introduction.

An outline of the NPI process along with a comprehensive list of tools and techniques used during the product design process.

Guide to effective product design.

Answering questions from "what is good design?" to "How do we reduce risks by prototyping?" Recommended - Briefing an Industrial Designer

The essential concept for this terracotta home composting unit called The Daily Dump is that is has been concieved as an open source design project. One where you can choose to download the design drawings and arrange to have the product made by your local potter (at least in India). Thus, believes the designer, Poonam Bir Kasturi, the IP is available for all to use, benefiting the individual potters, the environment and the households who begin to hygenically process their compostable waste. The Daily Dump offers a regular maintenance service for a small fee in Bangalore.

A detailed case study of the local, social and larger environmental impact will be available soon.

Hewlett-Packard is making a name for itself as a leader in green design. From their website,

Design-for-Environment (DfE) is an engineering perspective in which the environmentally related characteristics of a product, process or facility are optimized. Together, HP's product stewards and product designers identify, prioritize and recommend environmental improvements through a company-wide DfE program. HP's DfE guidelines derive from evolving customer expectations and regulatory requirements, but they are also influenced by the personal commitment of its employees.

The Design for Environment program has three priorities:

* Energy efficiency - reduce the energy needed to manufacture and use our products
* Materials innovation - reduce the amount of materials used in our products and develop materials that have less environmental impact and more value at end-of-life
* Design for recyclability - design equipment that is easier to upgrade and/or recycle

HP's DfE guidelines recommend that its product designers consider the following:

* Place environmental stewards on every design team to identify design changes that may reduce environmental impact throughout the product's life cycle.
* Eliminate the use of polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame-retardants where applicable.
* Reduce the number and types of materials used, and standardize on the types of plastic resins used.
* Use molded-in colors and finishes instead of paint, coatings or plating whenever possible.
* Help customers use resources responsibly by minimizing the energy consumption of HP's printing, imaging and computing products.
* Increase the use of pre-and post-consumer recycled materials in product packaging.
* Minimize customer waste burdens by using fewer product or packaging materials overall.
* Design for disassembly and recyclability by implementing solutions such as the ISO 11469 plastics labeling standard, minimizing the number of fasteners and the number of tools necessary for disassembly.

Via the BBC comes news of this house coming up in Southern California built out of scrapped Boeing 747.

"The recycling of the 4.5 million parts of this 'big aluminium can' is seen as an extreme example of sustainable reuse and appropriation. American consumers and industry throw away enough aluminium in a year to rebuild our entire aeroplane commercial fleet every three months."

The Rochester Institute of Technology has been awarded a $465,000 grant by the Henry Luce Foundation for the creation of an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Sustainability.

"We fully expect this program to advance the development of environmentally and socially sound industrial system design while also educating engineers and policy makers around the world on the importance of sustainable principles," adds Nabil Nasr, director of the Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies and leader of RIT's Interdisciplinary Design Team for the Ph.D. "The ultimate goal is to produce graduates, at the highest educational level, that are equipped to become leaders in creating a more sustainable society both in their own communities and around the world."

HP wins the first Design for Recycling Award. From the announcement made by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries,

This year ISRI chose to honor a company or individual whose product design has incorporated one or more of the following:

* Reduction in the number of different recyclable materials
* Reduction or elimination of hazardous constituents
* Increased yield of the product's recyclables
* Improvement in the safety of recycling
* Design that allows for easy disassembly for recycling

Here's more information on Green Product Design and how to implement it.

Green product design requires a team approach to product development to ensure that each phase of the process - needs analysis, conceptual design, physical and functional attribute trade-offs, materials selection, process planning, production, use and service, marketing, distribution, and final disposition - is considered concurrently. The following steps address both corporate-level and product-level issues:

Develop Business Strategies to Capture Value from Lifecycle Thinking:
Cross-functional teams (including designers, purchasing, EHS, and operations) can explore opportunities to create business value while reducing environmental impacts across the product lifecycle.

Practice Full-Cost Accounting:
Full-cost or total cost accounting aims to improve financial analysis by incorporating the costs of product disposal and environmental impact - data that is often neglected by traditional accounting systems. Thus it helps identify opportunities to reduce waste and develop innovative business models.

Explore Reuse Options for Materials and Products:
"Closed-loop" production allows manufacturers to reuse materials and components in the creation of new original products. "Down-cycling" is possible when materials cannot be reused in the original product but can be reused in other, less refined products. For example, some fabric is reused as sound-deadening material in cars. Closed-loop manufacturing is preferable to down-cycling; its processes eliminate waste and resource use because waste serves as the resource. Companies can reuse materials internally or sell their "waste" to other companies that use it as raw material. Some companies specialize in using reusable materials and can be good partners in extended product responsibility efforts.

Perform Required Analyses During Product Design and Development:
Consider the environmental impacts of the project at every phase. Look at the effects of the manufacturing processes, the product distribution system, the product's intended use and operation, and eventual disposition. For each phase, specifically identify and evaluate the use of resources including energy and water, the creation of waste, effluents and other emissions, and potential effects on the health and safety of workers and users.

Ground rules for Green Product Design:

o Don't simply design products. Design product systems and life cycles and, when practical, design services. Customers want a solution for a certain problem, which may call for a service instead of a product.

o Don't assume that natural materials are always better. Some synthetics may have less impact on the environment than the extraction of a natural resource.

o Don't forget energy consumption. Many design teams focus their attention on material selection without considering the amount of energy needed to produce or process the material.

o Attempt to increase or extend product lifetime. Products that cannot be reused are often not economically or ecologically efficient or effective.

o Use less materials. This may seem obvious, but it is more complex than it appears. Take a critical look at product dimensions, materials strength, and production techniques to ensure that materials are used efficiently.

o Use recycled materials or recovered components. It is not enough to design products that are recyclable; incorporate already recycled material into the design.

Develop Markets for Green-Designed Products:
To attract consumers that support sustainability, many companies advertise their design for environment initiatives. Companies with reuse initiatives may find value in developing incentives and marketing these programs so that consumers will know how to return the products and will be motivated to do so.

Publicize and Celebrate Success:
Get the word out to employees, customers, suppliers and the community and reap the benefits of good public relations and responsible corporate citizenship.

Content summarized from BSR.

In the news today,

Venture capitalist John Doerr made his name and fortune with early investments in Netscape Communications, Amazon.com , Google and other pioneering tech firms that went from scrappy start-ups to household names.

Now, he and his firm, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, are placing big bets on an emerging sector he calls "green technology," one he believes could become as lucrative as information technology and biotechnology.

Menlo Park-based Kleiner Perkins plans to set aside $100 million of its latest $600 million fund for technologies that help provide cleaner energy, transportation, air and water.

"This field of greentech could be the largest economic opportunity of the 21st century," Doerr said. "There's never been a better time than now to start or accelerate a greentech venture."

As one of Silicon Valley's most respected investors, Doerr's decision to champion green technology as the next big thing is generating buzz in the venture capital community.
[...]
VCs point to the global forces driving greentech investment: the rising cost of fuel, the economic expansion of China, India and other Asian nations; and growing worries over global warming.

"In my opinion, it's one of the most pressing global challenges we face," Doerr said. "It's causing the nations of the world to put an even higher priority than we have now on innovation."

How can you begin to incorporate 'green' principles in your product development process? Start with an introduction to Green Product Design and it's benefits to your entire firm then steps to implement it.

'Green technologies' are creating a buzz as the next big thing for the investment community, and 'green products' will soon be in the market. Here's an introduction to Green Product Design:

Green product design, also known as design for environment (DfE), design for eco-efficiency or sustainable product design, involves proactively addressing environmental considerations in the earliest stages of the product development process in order to minimize negative environmental impacts throughout the product's life cycle.

Green product design can encompass material selection, resource use, production requirements and planning for the final disposition (recycling, reuse, or disposal) of a product. It is not a stand-alone methodology but one that must be integrated with a company's existing product design so that environmental parameters can be balanced with traditional product attributes such as quality, cost, and functionality.

Green products can be made with fewer materials and can be designed to be more easily upgraded, disassembled, recycled, and reused than their conventional counterparts.

Implementing green product design can provide numerous benefits to a company. Focusing on resource efficiencies can reduce costs and often shorten production time. Because designing green products sometimes requires bringing diverse functional groups to the design table, green product design efforts can also drive product and process innovation.

Companies are increasingly regarding green product design as a comprehensive way to address pollution laws, resource use concerns, and restrictions on hazardous or toxic materials. Green product design can also provide an important tool in helping companies meet Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) mandates, such as requirements by the European Union that electronics manufacturers take back and recycle end-of-life products.

Next: A summary of how to implement a green product design and development process at your company.

Courtesy BSR.