1. Sustainability and Materials
PGCE d&t
September 2015
Richard Brett 2015

2. What is ‘Sustainability’?
“development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs”
World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)
Brundtland Report for United Nations, March

3. What is ‘Material’?
The substance or substances of which a thing is made or composed:
Stone is a durable material.
Anything that serves as crude or raw matter to be used or developed:
Wood pulp is the raw material from which paper is made.
Any constituent element.
(dictionary.com)

4. What is ‘Material’?

5. What is ‘Material’?

6. Materials search sites
Sustainable Materials search sites
html_and_flash/searchwelcome.htm
Endless Choice…

7. Material life cycle Acquiring raw material Processing & manufacture
Packaging & distribution
Consumer usage
End of life disposal

8. Material life cycle Processing & manufacture Acquiring raw material
Packaging & distribution
Consumer usage
End of life disposal

9. Material life cycle Packaging & distribution Acquiring raw material
Processing & manufacture
Packaging & distribution
Consumer usage
End of life disposal

10. Material life cycle Consumer usage Acquiring raw material
Processing & manufacture
Packaging & distribution
Consumer usage
End of life disposal

11. Material life cycle End of life disposal Acquiring raw material
Processing & manufacture
Packaging & distribution
Consumer usage
End of life disposal

12. What are the issues?

13. What are the issues? Adaptable Affordable Air freighted
Animal by-product
Biodegradable
Biodiversity
By product
Carbon neutral
Cash crop
Certification
Cheap
Chemicals
Child labour
Co-operative
Composite material
Compostable
Convenient
Degradable
Disposable
Distance
Durable
Edible
Efficient
Embodied travel
Energy intensive
Ethical
Fad
Fair trade
Fast growing
Finite resource
Fossil fuels
From waste
Fun
Ground pollution
Grow your own
Hand me down
Harvested
Highly processed
Home assembly
Home made
Human rights
Illegal
Incineration
Immoral
Imported
Landfill
Light weight
Local
Locally made
Long lasting
Low embodied energy
Luxury
Made in the UK
Marine litter
Mass production
Mined
Monoculture
Natural
Non toxic
Organic
Over packaged
Provenance
Pesticides
Petro-chemicals
Planned obsolescence
Political instability
Precious
Raw
Recycled
Remanufactured
Renewable
Repairable
Re used
Second use
Single use
Slaughtered
Solvent based
Throw away
Unethical
Unpackaged
Vegan
Water based
Water intensive
Water pollution
Working conditions
Richard Brett 2015

15. Acquiring raw material
Recycled
Fast growing
Cash crop
Monoculture
Fossil fuels
Fair trade
Organic
Biodiversity
Provenance
Petrochemicals
Ethical
From waste
Low embodied energy
Unethical
Water intensive
Vegan
Finite resource
Slaughtered
Mined
Natural
Animal by-product
Pesticides
Political instability
Harvested
Renewable
Processing & manufacture
End of life disposal
Co-operative
Water intensive
Energy intensive
Child labour
Human rights
Working conditions
Certification
Immoral
Illegal
Imported
Water based
Solvent based
Composite material
By product
Non toxic
Chemicals
Mass production
Light weight
Highly processed
Rawness
Throw away
Incineration
Landfill
Second use
Marine litter
Carbon neutral
Re used
Adaptable
Hand me down
Remanufactured
Disposable
Degradable
Repairable
Compostable
Recycled
Water pollution
Ground pollution
Biodegradable
Consumer usage
Convenient
Luxury
Affordable
Long lasting
Cheap
Precious
Fad
Single use
Planned obsolescence
Fun
Efficient
Durable
Edible
Packaging & distribution
Embodied travel
Home assembly
Over packaged
Air freighted
Locally made
Made in the UK
Imported
Unpackaged
Distance
Local
Richard Brett 2015

16. What are the issues here?
Plastic - Non renewable
Jute & Cotton - Renewable
Cotton - water intensive
Plastic - Energy intensive
Composite material
Made in India
Durable
Actual lifespan vs potential
Mis-information
Non recyclable
Non Biodegradable

17. What are the issues here?

18. What are the issues here?
Plastic - non renewable
Plastic - high embodied energy
Made in China - low wage, minimal worker rights
Inefficient - Battery operated
Cheaply made
Air freighted to meet seasonal demand
Fun, seasonal, fad, ‘unnecessary’
Impulse purchase
Disposal while functional likely
Non repairable
WEEE - controlled disposal necessary

19. What are the issues here?

20. What are the issues here?

21. What are the issues here?

22. What are the issues here?

23. What are the issues here?

24. What are the issues here?

25. What are the issues here?

26. What are the issues here?