Sustainable design is an evolution of industrial design
How we design products has changed drastically over our existence, from the simple tools of our ancestors to modern electronics. Within that arc is a particularly important transition – industrialisation.
www.newelectronics.co.uk, Feb. 27, 2025 –
Rather than designing a product with an idea of the craftsmanship and tools it will require, industrialisation required a more rigid understanding of how the product would come to be in the physical world. These additional design considerations led to much higher production volumes because the product was designed with the manufacturing process in mind. Products could be made faster and at a lower cost through industrial design.
Over time, costs were minimised, and creative designs were eked out of the rigid requirements of industrial processes – hence the name industrial design. Unfortunately, one of the variables was missing from the formula for long-term success.
Sustainability is the next major inflection point for design, taking many cues from its predecessor while expanding the focus of a successful product design. The reasons for companies to adopt sustainable design practices as they have industrial design are just as diverse as the methods they will take - they range from achieving net-zero emissions commitments, meeting customer expectations on environmental impact, capturing ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investments, and overcoming resource scarcity.
What a sustainability transition means for design
Much like industrial design, sustainable design functions on the complex relationships between the goals of a product, its manufacturability, and its performance in the field. Decisions need to carefully consider various requirements because even seemingly uncomplicated design decisions can have wide-reaching impacts on the overall sustainability of a product. The material choice can add CO2 emissions from how it is processed into a usable feedstock. Selecting certain suppliers can add additional transportation emissions. Certain manufacturing processes can make a product more difficult to repair. The complexity added from understanding the full sustainability impact of these design choices necessitates a more comprehensive solution, a digital solution.
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