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Design for the future
This report examines the impact of domestic products on the environment in terms of energy use, carbon emissions and the use of non-renewable or pressurised resources. It looks at how we can change the way that domestic products and designed, made, bought used and disposed of, and how through these changes engineers can help ordinary people reduce the environmental impact they have.
One role identified for engineers is to help consumers to make informed decisions about how they buy and use things, through providing robust information about the resources and energy embedded in the products we use in our daily lives, be they mobile phones, washing machines or cars. Such information will allow consumers to decide what to buy, and indeed when it is advisable to buy replacements for the devices in their homes.
Engineers also have a role in mitigating our environmental impact through the use of technology. Technologies that support better ways of designing and making things will be highly valuable, from 3d printing to methods of recycling that are less destructive, allowing more direct re-use of parts. Also important are technologies used in the home itself, from smart metering and smart appliances that can manage the demands they make on the electricity grid, to devices that simply use less material in their manufacture.
The report covers all of the main stages in the life of domestic products: design, manufacture, retail, use, disposal and recycling. A report will be published in spring 2013, based on roundtable meetings covering four major sectors.
Project Chair: Professor Nigel Gilbert FREng
Workshop Chairs:
Devices and Communications: Professor Will Stewart FREng
Metals, plastics and white goods: Dan Cooper, University of Cambridge
Fabrics and clothing: Professor Raymond Oliver FREng
Construction, the home and smart buildings: Jane Wernick FREng
Any inquiries about the study
should be addressed to Natasha McCarthy, Head of Policy
Email: Natasha McCarthy
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