The Impact of Design on Environmental Justice

🌱 What is the impact of design on environmental justice?

Designing for usability, energy efficiency, reparably, and longevity all have the potential to play a key role in environmental justice. Notably, according to the Ellen McArthur Foundation[i] and Dr. Natacha Tréhan, an expert in procurement and the circular economy at the University of Grenoble Alpes,[ii] “80% of environmental impact is determined at the design stage”.

🌱 How does design determine resource use?

The use of resources in products is a design question. The production, packaging, and shipping of goods all create carbon emissions, as does the marketing and obsolescence of products. When it comes to protecting ecosystems, groundwater, and human health, the use of chemicals and water in the production of goods are also particularly relevant questions. Notably, the production of a cotton T-shirt or a pair of cotton jeans requires 2700 and 10850 liters of water respectively.[iii] The production of most clothing also uses commercial bleaches and dyes, which can have a negative impact on both the environment and human health.[iv] Water and chemical use are, however, still frequently overlooked when designing goods or services.

🌱 How does design define energy use?

When it comes to design features, improving the energy efficiency of products has the potential to play a significant role in the just transition.[v] For the environment, less is often more. In line with this, products can be designed to use less energy or use energy more efficiently. The reuse of otherwise “lost” or wasted energy, for example by capturing and using heat that is produced as a byproduct, is a good example of this. Notably, less energy consumption can mean less energy needs to be produced, there are lower costs for consumers, and it is better for the planet too.

🌱 How does design shape waste production?

Key environmental justice questions also arise in the context of waste production. Designing products to break through so-called “planned obsolescence” and destroying new goods that have been designed for only a season creates large quantities of waste.[vi] The waste shipments resulting from fast fashion and masses of textile waste, as well as from our consumption of ever-new electronics and the e-waste this produces, take a toll on the planet and on people.

This post has been adapted from a newsletter written by Saskia Tykkyläinen and Christine Nikander for a collaboration between Palsa & Pulk and The E-Waste Column. The newsletter titled “What is the role of design in a just transition?” was originally published in both “The Just Transition Newsletter” and “The E-Waste Newsletter”.

[i] https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/news/an-introduction-to-circular-design

[ii] https://www.bbc.com/news/business-68283317

[iii] https://www.watercalculator.org/footprint/the-hidden-water-in-everyday-products/; https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2013/it-takes-2700-liters-water-make-t-shirt/54321

[iv] https://www.earthday.org/toxic-textiles-the-chemicals-in-our-clothing/; https://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/09/old-clothes-fashion-waste-crisis-494824.html; https://ensia.com/features/chemicals-clothes/

[v] https://www.iea.org/reports/multiple-benefits-of-energy-efficiency/emissions-savings; https://www.iwu.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/iwu/en/documents/EffPro_en.pdf

[vi] https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2021-4-fall/material-world/planned-obsolescence-what-it-and-how-overcome-it; https://www.eesc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/resources/docs/factsheet-en.pdf