A recent study by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency found that around 90% of product waste is created before it reaches the consumer. Which means to grow as a company, factoring sustainability into the early stages of product development with your manufacturers must be at the core of every modern business relationship.
With that in mind, what can you do to make sure your products are hitting sustainability targets?
From its initial design to its life-cycle impact, creating a product with sustainability is a significant undertaking. So, to give you a kickstart, here are five examples of how to implement sustainability into your product development:
Using recyclable materials in your product is crucial to sustainability. For example, if you design electronic devices, like:
These products now have a very short user life, with upgraded models on the market every 18-months. Using recyclable materials in your products and improving the energy efficiency of chargers (like implementing fast-charge) reduces waste and lowers energy consumption.
The key is to work with your product designers to see where you can use recycled and recyclable materials to create your product. The British Plastics Federation produced an interesting statistic in a recent article, stating:
“If you use Aluminum made from 60% recycled content, it can reduce the product’s carbon by up to 90%.”
And furthermore, The Design Council recently announced:
“An estimated 80% of the cost of a product is set at the design stage. Therefore, reducing the environmental impact during concept design is the most beneficial way to reduce costs.”
By using recycled, recyclable and compostable materials, your products will not only lower your carbon footprint, but they’ll reduce your outgoings too.
Do you really need to package and ship your product in acres of plastic? Instead, consider using materials, like:
By sourcing your materials from local suppliers, you’ll not only reduce transportation emissions, but you’ll save on shipping costs too.
There are a couple of things to consider which can help your transportation and product stocking be as eco-friendly as possible:
It’s not just the responsibility of your manufacturer to make sure sustainable practices are in place, it’s yours too.
Poor waste management in your supply chain counts towards your own carbon footprint, so you need to have a plan in place with your manufacturer. One way to do that is by employing a waste management company who can provide you with reports and statistics of what happens to the waste once it leaves the site.
Factoring in sustainability at the early stages of product development will save you from a nasty surprise down the line. And one way to keep your supply chain green is with a Certified Sustainable accreditation.
Certified Sustainable gives you absolute clarity over, and therefore the ability to control, the fate of your waste both up and down the supply chain… giving you peace of mind it is disposed of ethically.
