Product sustainability corner

Challenging technology for better energy efficiency has been a critical focus area in product design. The national energy regulations are the steering wheel behind to limit idle power consumption to a certain low level and increase performance when the product is in use. For import, a product must meet the latest standard requirement in presenting a certificate, registration, marking or labelling.

Launch self-assessment

Europe pioneered the energy standards for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and cordless phones. Smartphones and tablets will soon display an energy label on the product itself. This will significantly impact the industry, affecting various aspects such as product design, supply chain and end-of-life considerations.
 
The assessment provides some key insights into the regulatory requirements.

Launch self-assessment

In the field of sustainability, green claims requirements are meant to counter "greenwashing". This involves companies exaggerating or misleading consumers about how environmentally friendly their products are. New requirements are introduced in many countries and set clear rules and standards for making claims about products' environmental benefits.

The assessment focuses on key considerations that businesses should address when making green claims, emphasizing transparency, accuracy and verifiability.

Launch self-assessment

Reparability is an essential component of sustainable product design. It refers to the ability of a product to be repaired, upgraded, or reused instead of being discarded. By designing products with reparability in mind, companies can significantly extend the product's lifespan and minimize waste generation, resulting in a significant reduction in carbon footprint.

The assessment focuses on key considerations that businesses should consider when designing the products.

Launch self-assessment

Available from January 2024

When designing a product with modularity in mind, there are several key considerations that designers should keep in mind. Modularity provides a framework that aligns with sustainable design principles and contributes to the development of more sustainable products.

The assessment focuses on key considerations that designers should consider when designing/re designing products.

Available from February 2024

Supply chains play a vital role in shaping the environmental and social impacts of businesses. As the awareness of sustainability grows, companies are increasingly recognizing the importance of managing sustainability issues within their supply chains.

Managing sustainability in the supply chain requires a holistic approach that includes developing a clear policy and strategy, assessing supplier performance, fostering collaboration, integrating sustainability in supplier evaluations, promoting transparency, and fostering continuous improvement.

Available from February 2024

Paper, cardboard, plastic and glass are the main materials of packaging waste. Despite the EU directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, the amount of packaging waste has risen over the years. The green deal aims to review and strengthen the packaging waste requirements, which will pose a new challenge for package design.

Available from March 2024

A sustainable product is designed, manufactured, and used in a way that minimizes its environmental impacts and preserves natural resources. It considers the entire life cycle of the product, from sourcing of raw materials to disposal or recycling. Sustainable products are designed to be resource-efficient, energy-efficient, considering factors such as materials used, manufacturing processes, packaging, transportation, use phase, and end-of-life management.

Available from April 2024

Sustainable approach of chemical used in product design aims to minimize the environmental and social impacts of chemical products throughout their life cycle. Some legislations, such as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), have created pressure for the industry to adopt more sustainable practices.

The RoHS directive from European Union (EU) aims to restrict the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, such as lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Other countries have adopted similar measures. The EU RoHS directive is currently being revised to improve its implementation among the member states, keep the consistency with other EU legislation and introducing new substances into the restriction.