Sustainable Product Innovation

There is undoubtedly a growing pressure on manufacturers to produce and consumers to purchase sustainable products. The benefits in sustaining resources, reducing energy consumption, minimising environmental damage and waste requirements are well established.

For further consideration of these and for your own notes you might take at look at:

S. Hinchcliffe, A. Blowers & J. Freeland (2003) Understanding Environmental Issues. Chicester, Wiley.

The aims of this unit are:

· To outline the concept of sustainable product innovation

· To explore the benefits of ‘green’ designs

· To examine the social-take up of such approaches

1. The Humble Milk Float

1.1. The Humble Milk Float

Description

A milkman next to a milk float.

End of description

Consequently, considerable effort is being put into developing innovative goods. Much of the thinking here builds on the early ideas of battery-operated transport and towards modern approaches in ‘cradle-to-grave’ approaches with regards the materials and resources required during a product’s lifecycle. The humble milkfloat should be regarded as one of the earliest forms of sustainable product innovation. Batteries charged during the daytime at the dairy enabled milk deliveries to be conducted during the night and with minimum noise impact.

CMP Batteries of Bolton has provided the battery for the Electric Mercury prototype Specialist Delivery Vehicle (SDV).

Orders for vehicles have already been placed by Arla Foods (Express Dairies) and Sheffield City Council and were delivered in 2006. The E-Mercury vehicle was to be available from the new trading company Modec - after its purchase from London Taxis International.

E-Mercury has been designed specifically for urban and inner city use and the maker believes E-Mercury will be the delivery vehicle of the future.

The SDV (commonly referred to as a "milk float") with the Chloride Motive Power battery option incorporated has a governed top speed of 80km/h and a potential range of over 100km.

The vehicle has a versatile 2t payload capacity and a gross vehicle weight, including battery of 5.5t.

Chloride Motive Power's advanced lead acid gel battery incorporates a thermal management system to keep the power pack at its optimum operating temperature.

In summer it keeps the battery cool and on cold winter mornings it will keep the battery warm to ensure maximum battery performance.

It achieves this by means of a sensor that monitors the ambient temperature and then either pumps air-cooled water round it or uses heat from the heat exchanger if it needs to be kept warm.

Today's electric delivery vehicles demand such performance because they now have to travel further and are often required to be working all day.

If required, batteries can be replaced using a fast battery exchange system that will be available at its depot or one of a number of special exchange points that will be developed as part of the operating infrastructure.

The battery powers a sophisticated AC drive system with permanent magnet motor from Azure Dynamics to produce 57kW, 207Nm at 6000rev/min.

Other power options will be available, including a diesel electric hybrid, but Modec believes that the battery version will be particularly popular due to its low running costs, cheap maintenance costs and zero road tax because it is environmentally friendly.

A sophisticated electronic system can set the vehicle's management system to a particular driver's profile.

If, for example, one duty cycle involves multiple stop-start deliveries over a limited area, then the maximum speed of the vehicle can be restricted to 50km/h, which ensures that the draw on the battery is minimised.

However, if just a small number of drops are required, but over a longer distance or larger area, the maximum of 80km/h can be made available, thus ensuring complete flexibility to the user.

Whilst battery weight has proven a problem, much development work is taking place on lightweight cells. For some interesting developments try:

kfloats.org.uk/otherflt.html

Sustainable product innovation has been taken aboard on global proportions and many countries internationally now endorse the need to embrace the philosophy and to provide guidance to business in response.

The Greengoods initiative of the NSW Government, Australia is an example of such.

Greengoods NSW Government Australia

Consumers entering the Greengoods website for product advice meet the opening command:

“STOP! Before you start searching for products consider: do you actually need to buy a new product in the first place?”

Advice is then provide on such subjects as:

· Energy use

· Water consumption

· Disposal options

· Toxic chemicals

· Atmospheric pollutants (eg greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting compounds)

Importantly, in one dimension it provides advice on:

How to buy sustainable products, and at another on, Developing a sustainable procurement policy

1.2 Thinking Question

Consider comments abstracted from Roberts and Roberts (1997) here, relating to industrialised-country policy-makers taking action in six main areas with impacts for developing country producers such as: product regulation, waste legislation, economic instruments, product information, public procurement and trade policy.

POLICY INNOVATION FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION

1. Product regulation 'Limiting and ohasing out the use of toxic chemicals..............A prominent example has been Germany's ban on the import of textiles and other products treated with potentially damaging azo dyes.........Uncertainty about the requirements............coupled with lack of approved testing..........caused real difficulties for many developing-country textile producers'.

2. Waste legislation 'Governments are now placing greater emphasis on the duties of corporations to reduce consuler wastes..........Germany's Closed Substance Cycle and Waste Management Act....1996...will mena that whoever produces......is now responsible for the avoidance, recycling, reuse and environmentally sound dispodal of waste..........These take-back requirements can have significant implications for the packing used by producers in the South. favouring materials easy to collect and recycle...............rather than traitional materials'.

3. Economic instruments 'Between 1989 and 1994 the number of economic instruments used for environmental policy purposes.......increased by 50% in the OECD....These include a new landfill charge on waste in the UK'.

4. Product information 'Considerable heat has been generated by the growth in environmental labelling................notably the European Union's eco-label scheme.......criteria for paper have been attacked by developing-country exportrs for placing too high a premium on recycled content...............Elsewhere, positive steps are being taken to improve the access of developing-country products to eco-labels...........Germany's Federal Environmental Agency is now developing a new initiative to improve communication and cooperation with developing countries to produce goods with high environmental and social standards'.

5. Public precurements. 'Governments in North America, Europe and Japan are moving to integrate environmental provisions into their purchasing programmes.........In October 1993, President Clinton issued an Executive Order on Federal Acquisition, Recycling and Waste Prevemtion......... In Japan, a 'Green purchase Network' was established in 1996, comprising 400 companies.....As public procurement becomes more liberated.............. government efforts to raise the environmental performance..... could become a major bone of contention in international trade.'

6. Trade policy. Trade policies are also being changed in the industrialised world..........when the European Union updated its Generalised System of Preferences agreement with Asian and Latin American countries in 1994. it included.....international agreements on sustainable forestry management. Some governments..............are supplementing.....with additional efforts to transfer information both on new environmental regulations and on clean technology...........GREENBUS database launched by the Dutch centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI).....is accessible on-line via the internet.....and is used by trade associations.... in developing countries to find the latest information on regulatory requirements throughout the European Union'.

TRADE, SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND THE ENVIRONMENT

'The creation of a global economy is taking place at a time when the ecological impacts of production and consumption are increasingly spilling over national frontiers'. 'Developing countries have strongly opposed efforts by develped countries to introduce new environmental regulations that seek to alter ways in which exports are produced'. 'in 1991 the US banned imports of tuna and tuna products from mexico on the grounds... of dolphins killed...a GATT dispute panel ruled against the US'. 'Developing countries also argue that trade measures are inherently unfair.....only used by the economically powerful against the economically weak.............what trade instrument can be used by Bangladesh or the Maldives to ensure the US does not export products......produced with very high carbon emissions?'

2. Kathalys Delft Netherlands

Kathalys is the Centre for Sustainable Product Innovation run by TNO and Delft University Technology. For more than 10 years, they have been leaders in initiating and realising sustainable product innovations. The research products developed and completed by the centre in collaboration with international companies. The complimentary strengths of University knowledge development and fundamental research experience is combined with TNO’s know-how in developing innovative products and in managing creative projects, at Kathalys.

3. Leica

Companies are catching on to value of the opportunities offered by innovative product design. Leica, for example, now address the issue of sustainability at the first steps of each product that they design. At each stage of their innovation process, they test such new ideas and if they prove economically feasible they are implemented. Examples of this philosophy may be summarised thus:

· controlling and reducing the size and weight of instruments, which reduces the use of materials such as metals and plastics

· where possible, use recyclable material (eg aluminium and brass)

· use screw or lock mechanisms instead of glue to allow easy dismantling of parts

· products are easily upgraded with additional parts, devices & software

· ergonomic products that are easier to use

New directives such as the EC Directive 2002/95/EG, which confines the use of hazardous materials, has been complied with by the company before it is actually necessary. For example, no lead (Pb) will be used for the next generation DISTO products. So, the company has, in a proactive way, embraced sustainable product design by recognising both cost and regulatory benefits.

4. Everyday Essentials USA

In some cases and increasingly, the innovative design philosophy extends to the planning and construction of the organisations’ accommodation itself. Everyday Essentials, a company in the USA that sells cleaning products has built its factory from recyclable materials. It is designed to run energy efficiently, for example, which is helped by its grass-covered roof. In selling its eco-friendly products from such a base, it can, therefore, claim that it has covered every aspect as an ecological factory.

Sustainable Building Design is regularly awarded accolades/prizes by the industry.

Description

Illustration of Heathrow Terminal 5.

End of description

British Airways Terminal 5 at Heathrow

5. Concluding Remarks

5.1. Concluding Remarks

We might conclude this Unit, by underscoring the point that the larger organisations have begun to grasp the nettle to gain product advantage. They are beginning to see the advantages, savings and marketing offered by sustainable product innovation. After all, the public are sensitised in this regard and are ready, out there, and waiting to purchase!

Exercise

Exercise for your Personal Notes

Explore the websites and marketing information emanating from organisations known to you. What key aspects of sustainable product innovation apply?

5.2. Useful websites

You should check up on the way that the organisations market themselves in the area of Sustainable Product Innovation and add your own favourites. Start with the following:

Greengoods: engoods.nsw.gov.au/products/howtoidentity.htm Kathalys: halys.com Leica: ca-geosystems.com/corporate/en/lgs_405.htm Reusable bags: sablebags.com

You might want to follow up this unit by looking in more detail on the theme of innovation in sustainable design and eco-efficiency.

Do this

Now you have completed this unit, you might like to:

· Post a message to the unit forum.

· Review or add to your Learning Journal.

· Rate this unit.

Try this

References

Starkey, R. & Welford, R. 2005. The Earthscan Reader in Business and Sustainable Development. London, Earthscan Publications Ltd, 364pp.

United Nations Council for Sustainable Development. 1997. Overall Progress Achieved since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development: Report of the Secretary General. Addendum: Changing Consumption and Production Patterns, Chapter 4, Agenda 21, UNCSD, New York.

Acknowledgements

Authors

John Merefield

John is an Environmental, European and Chartered Geologist with research interests in atmospheric particles and science education. John is a long standing member of the Institute of Science Technology, the Geological Society of London, the Association of Geoscientists for International Development and the National Society for Clean Air.

Formerly Director of the Earth Resources Centre, he is currently programme leader in Environmental Studies for the School of Education and Lifelong Learning and tutor in Business and Sustainability for the School of Geography, Archaeology and Earth Resources. His research, training and consultancy assignments have led to work in 20 countries and 70 publications.

John Blewitt

John has extensive experience in adult, further and higher education. He was formerly Course Leader for the BA Community Regeneration and Development and Undergraduate Course Chair in the School of Lifelong education and Development at the University of Bradford and a founder member of the Yorkshire and Humber Education for Sustainability Forum.

John joined the Exeter University in 2003 and is currently co-Director of the MSc Sustainable Development where he leads the Distance Learning, OPLeaders and Sustainable Communities pathways. John is also Director of the MA Archaeology and Heritage Management.

Recent external activities include work with the United Nations Advisory Panel on Sustainability Communications, WWF International on One Planet Leaders John is currently a member of Sustainability SouthWest, the UK Sustainable Development Panel and the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication.

John's research interests are in the areas of developing Sustainable Communities and New Media and Sustainability.

Images

All other photos contained within this unit originated at the University of Exeter.