We live in a fascinating world, the organization of human activities within a capitalist system has allowed individuals to have the possibility of acquiring goods and services that would be impossible to design and produce within another kind of economic system.
Within the ruling economic system, each individual specializes in a range of activities and thereby has the right to be paid with fiat money. The backing of this money is found in the trust that individuals place in it. That is, a monetary unit has no value for its own existence, it requires an economic system to support it.
Previously, money had to have a real value that was equivalent to the value with which the required products and services can be purchased. An example of this is gold. Being a rare commodity with multiple properties, the currency made with this material retained its value despite not having any government or association to endorse it.
Thanks to the existence of money, the human being can create systems in which he can divide the work instead of each individual dedicating himself to providing only his needs. We currently live in a production system with 7349 million 472 thousand participants 1 who exchange their work daily to obtain different products and services.
Products are designed according to technological development and market demand. There are products whose development costs are so great that they would be impossible to create and mass-produce without a market that would demand them.
An example of this case is the production of smartphones, if not because there is a large market that demands them, indeed, we have a new
1 7349 million 472 thousand people was the global population in 2015, Source: (Population pyramid, 2015)
Cellular model annually, because the public is willing to adapt to this cycle of consumption. In the United States, 97% of the population has a cell phone. It is clear that this trend is on the rise.
On the other hand, cancer patients of any kind have a population index of 455 people per 100,000. (National Cancer Institute, 2010) That is, 0.45% of the population of the United States annually finds that they have some type of cancer.
Why make this comparison? Although scientific discoveries do not have a direct correlation with the money that is invested in dedicated research, it is clear that, if direct resources are not invested in an investigation, it will not yield results. Our current economic system works with the logic of a democracy where you vote with money. If a society wants a product to exist, this society acquires that product over the others.
Therefore, annually 97% of the population of the United States demands the development of technology related to communication while only 0.45% of the population demands new cancer treatments. Investment in technology is defined by the market. That is why every year we have a new cell phone, but not a new cancer cure.
Under this same logic, the design of all existing products on the market works. Humanity does not need most of the products that exist in the market, however, each of these products enriches and complements the lives of human beings. Today the main concern of product designers is creating needs, not satisfying them.
The impact of the production process on the natural environment
In a world where resources were infinite, the only factor that would have value would be the work of individuals. However, we coexist in a world where all materials tend not to be reused in the long term. Therefore, in a world of finite resources, the value of each of the materials used within the production process tends to infinity.
Within the manufacturing process of the millions of products demanded by modern society, an equally vast amount of natural resources and industrial processes is used in order to meet the needs of the growing number of consumers.
Within the manufacturing problem, it is that within every production process there are negative by-products that can be defined as pollutants. These contaminants are created when elements are used that are necessary for manufacturing, but cannot be integrated into the product. An example of this is when water is used to cool hot metal parts. Hot water that is discharged into the environment causes undesirable effects to it.
Another class of pollutants are also the cases where energy is used for transformation. This is visible in the process of starting and using industrial machines. For these machines to work they require electricity which is achieved through the burning of fuels, the use of hydroelectric plants or nuclear energy.
Normally a product also has a packaging or container that protects the good until it is consumed by the user. This packaging is discarded and generates environmental pollution. This packaging may or may not be reused, depending on the design of the packaging itself.
Finally, the product itself tends to be a waste when its useful life cycle ends. This life cycle can be as long as a painting that tends to last generations, or as short as a straw. Subsequently, the product tends to be discarded and be considered as contamination.
These products have a life cycle that does not begin at the factory and end with the end consumer. The life cycle of a product begins from when the primary resources are obtained, they are transported to the place where the transformation of the resources into products will take place and later it is taken to the final consumer who, after having used the product, will discard it.
The life cycle of a product is a delicate matter that not only affects the environment and the way in which producers and consumers operate within the market. It also has an important influence on production levels and the economic level of the world. In a world where it is sought to increase the life cycle and usefulness of products, it is also a world where consumption, employment and spending are reduced.
These indicators are clear signs of a healthy or declining economy. Is there a contradiction between a growing economy and a sustainable world? It all depends on the way the products are created, designed and consumer behavior.
From Cradle to Grave: The Life Cycle of a Product
The LCA (life-cycle assessment) or by its acronym LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is according to Draft (1993) a design tool that seeks to assess the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its existence. The existence of a product can be defined in the following stages:
- Extraction: Refers to obtaining the raw material. Production: It deals with the production process and the generation of by-products and pollutants. Distribution: Refers to the marketing and transportation chains of the product. Use: It refers to the objective that the final consumer gives it. End of life: Refers to the disposal of the unit and how it is disposed of into the environment.
If the product is recycled or reused, its life cycle continues in the following stages:
- Reuse: If the product can be reused, it is reintegrated into the use process by another user. Recycling: If the product can be recycled, it is disassembled and the appropriate materials are reused. Recovery: The materials are evaluated, if it is not possible to recover the materials. They are discarded. Waste disposal: Parts that cannot be recovered,
The purpose of LCA is to compare the wide range of environmental effects that are caused by the manufacture of products. This information can be used to modify processes and for decision making. According to Draft (1993) the term "Life Cycle" refers to the steps required to create a product.
LCA procedures are defined in ISO 14000, which deals with the standard treatment of the environment. The LCA has 4 main phases that define the process. These phases are performed independently, but all are related to interpretation. These steps are: The definition of the goal, the inventory analysis, the impact of the evaluation and the interpretation of the results. (UNEP, 2009)
The goal and objectives
The goal of every LCA must be defined by a specific statement that establishes the objective of the study and that explains the results in which it will be concluded. This step is key to defining the objectives of the LCA. The goal is defined by the following steps:
- The product or service examined is defined and a possible comparison is established with other similar products The qualities of the system The limitations and assumptions The methods used during the process The impact of the selected categories on the study.
The life cycle inventory
The second step in LCA is the inventory analysis. This creates an inventory that goes from obtaining the energy required to produce each part of the product, through the production process and the end of use. These inventories can contain hundreds or thousands of steps depending on how complex the product development is. (UNEP, 2009)
The objective of this information is to find faults in the system, as well as to compare different inventories in order to locate when a higher level of energy is used. This method can serve to reduce energy expenditure, as well as the environmental impact of production.
Assessing the impact of the product life cycle
This part of the analysis is designed to assess the significance of potential environmental impacts based on the results of the life cycle inventory analysis. To carry out the life cycle impact assessment it is necessary to take into account the following elements (UNEP, 2009):
- The selection of the impact of the categories and the indicators The status of the classification and the parameters to be measured The measurement of the impact of each of the categories.
Interpretation
The interpretation is carried out with the provisions of ISO 14000, this interpretation of the indicators has in mind the following factors (UNEP, 2009):
- a identification of the problems based on the results of the previous stages. The evaluation of the study considering the sensitivity and consistency of the elements. The conclusions and environmental limitations.
Therefore, LCA is a tool that allows producers to establish the environmental impact of products and how to minimize them. It is vital that environmental damage is minimized in order to have a greater social benefit.
However, the current problem is not limited to the production process. Most pollutants are generated when the final product is disposed of and released to the environment. A viable solution would be to reduce the production of goods by designing them in a way that prolongs their useful life.
However, the problem of creating products with a longer useful life limits production times and generates economic problems in the variables of production and employment. Product design is currently designed to have a relatively short, established life cycle. The consumer must make repetitive purchases throughout their existence in order to keep the economic cycle stable.
Produce to discard: the problem of the consumer society
Within the globalized world, the number of individuals employed depends on the level of demand, available technology, and the ability of companies to employ individuals. When consumption increases, companies have the option of investing in technology to increase productivity or increase the use of labor.
On the other hand, if the variables remain constant, it can be defined that the higher the production, the higher the level of contamination. Therefore, in a world where the population remains growing, the demand for the products will increase, but so will the work.
Humanity must make a choice between a constantly growing economy or an economy with an environmental conscience. If you seek to reduce the amount of products that are distributed within an economy, in theory the available jobs are also reduced.
However, the answer to this problem is not a binary answer solution. It is possible to increase the life cycle of the product without reducing the existing economic activity through the development of technologies that seek to improve production conditions.
To understand this phenomenon, it is important to define the concept of planned obsolescence. Dannoritzer (2010) defines it as “the programming of the end of useful life of a product, so that, after a period of time calculated in advance by the manufacturer or by the company during the design phase of the product, it becomes obsolete, not functional, useless or useless ”.
In 2010, the documentary Buy, throw, buy - the secret history of programmed obsolescence is published for Spanish television , in which the history of this practice, which is one of the main inventions that sustains the modern production rhythm, is exposed.
Dannoritzer's documentary (2010) establishes the guidelines that modern industry arbitrarily selects for product design. Obsolescence can be accomplished by designing a product that breaks down at the end of its warranty period or by establishing a marketing strategy that makes the consumer think that your product is no longer relevant.
According to the documentary, the tendency of industrial design schools is to show their students the way in which a product can be designed that meets a specific time of durability and then becomes virtually irreparable. (Dannoritzer, 2010)
In LCA, there was a special emphasis on reducing energy and life process contaminants for all products, however. What happens when the life of a product is designed to be as short as possible? If product prices are low enough, the consumer will tend to return to the product a cyclical purchase.
Household appliances are the clearest example of this situation. When an appliance breaks down, its repair tends to equal the cost of purchasing a new appliance. The consumer is encouraged to purchase a new product rather than repair it.
This situation might seem ideal in a world where there is no limitation in pollution problems. If all the elements of the product were fully recyclable and all the energy used came from infinite renewable sources, it could be established that economic and environmental stability is being generated.
However, all industrial processes generate waste and pollutants. Each time the production process of any good is repeated, energy is being used and pollutants are released into the environment, which generate negative externalities.
An example mentioned in the documentary is the hypothetical example of a fabric that never wears out. In the first instance, consumers would only have to purchase the product once in their entire life, because this fabric would last forever. However, the workers in the fabric factory are not happy with the product as this would mean that consumers would not require a constant flow of product. (Dannoritzer, 2010)
This example shows that in a world where durable goods can be produced, economic production tends to slow down. This not only affects the company, but also affects the workers who are also consumers.
Society is at a breaking point between continuing its production process as it is currently maintained or changing its practices and modifying the way in which the production of goods and services is carried out. Today trash and pollutants can be valuable by-products for businesses.
As designers use product designs that are 100% recyclable, costs and environmental impact can be reduced, benefiting not only consumers, but also producers and future generations. Pollution is a problem that can be solved from an economic and technological point of view.
Bibliography
- CTIA - Everything wireless. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.ctia.org/your-wirelesslife/how-wireless-works/wireless-quick-factsDannoritzer, C. (Address). (2010). Buy, Throw, Buy - The Secret History of Planned Obsolescence.Draft, Jones. (1993). Denying Life Cycle Assessment. Retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/uem/lca/lca-define.html National Cancer Institute. (2010). What is cancer? Obtained from http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/cancer/que-es/estadisticasPopulation pyramid. (2015). Population pyramid. Obtained from https://populationpyramid.net/es/mundo/2015/UNEP. (2009). Guidelines for social life cycle assessment of products. Retrieved from
In 2010, the United States had a population of 310 million 866 thousand inhabitants and 302 million 947 thousand 98 cell phones. Source: (CTIA - Everything wireless, 2010)
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