Notes from lecture.Sustainability. Principles of Design

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The three pillars of sustainability are:
- Society- people
- Economy- profit
- Environment- planet

Sustainabiluty principles:
- Design to minimize waste.
- Design for recycling/upcycling.
- Design to reduce chemical impacts.
- Design to reduce energy and waste use.
- Design that explores clean/better technologies.
- Design for ethical production.
- Design to replace the need to consume.
- Design that looks at models from history and nature.
- Design to dematerialize and develop systems and services.
- Design activism.

 Ingeo fibers, the world's first commercially viable synthetic fiber derived entirely from renewable resources. Ingeo fibers combine the comfortable wear and feel of natural fibers such as cotton, wool and silk with the ease of care and specialty performance of synthetics. To make Ingeo, plant starches (such as corn) are broken down into natural plant sugars. The carbon and other elements in these natural sugars are then used to make a polymer,called NatureWorks(tm) PLA. The development and manufacturing of PLA polymer relies on basic fermentation and distillation as its core chemical process, followed by simple polymerization. Once the resin is converted into a fibre, it becomes Ingeo. 

 - Where sustainable environmental performance and corporate social responsibility are being added to the factors by which a company is judged.
- Where product styles are becoming increasingly out of date, in the disposable throw away society we all inhabit.
- Where manufacturing is moving away from EU and jobs are being lost.
- Where profit margins are being reduced.
Processing:
 - Industrial processes using fabric chemicals in fibre, fabric manufacturing and finishing which are harmful to operatives and the product users.
- EU legislation has improved the local situation but apply less strict rules in low cost manufacturing areas.
- The supply chain monitoring by brands is improving but transparency is difficult in countries where the outsourcing is widespread.

Energy and effluent:
- Energy and water are used largely in a textile product’s lifecycle.
- Untreated water drainage contaminates and releases toxic pollution. Strict legislation in EU areas has improved the situation.
- Minimizing water use and introducing water- less treatment is important.
- High energy use is expensive and polluting. Local waste and resources can be used.


Water pollution:
 - A report from ‘Dirty Laundry’ that outlines the problem of toxic water pollution as a result from the released chemicals by the textiles industry in China.

- It focuses on two facilities that were discharging a range of hazardous and persistent chemicals with hormone disrupting properties. The results show a wider problem that is causing serious and immediate threats to our ecosystems and human health.

Ethical production:
- What is good for the planet is also good for the people.
- It is benefiting both the textile production and social factors.
- It is more difficult to regulate issues supporting by the textile manufacturing in low production areas.
- Banning certain practice such as child labour is not a solution. Improvements must take account of local customs and traditions. 


Production:
- Innovative methods of fabric and product manufacturing can address sustainability issues by reducing the number of processes and localizing manufacture.