Initial Thoughts
I am thankful I gave myself some time to read and process this chapter because it was not the easiest for me to understand. This was my first time being introduced to sustainability frameworks and it gave me a new perspective on understanding sustainability and its impact on the design and development of products. The key takeaway point for me was the impact businesses and producers have on making materials and the energy associated with the disposal of their products/services. I got the impression that the most significant thing producers can do is decrease their waste and energy used in their product. Less is more.
Yet, even if companies do this will consumers still buy the product? I cannot say with 100% certainty, but data shows that sustainable products are more expensive. In today’s society we are working to try to effectively market sustainable products to consumers. I feel consumer buying behavior and society should be taken into more consideration in these sustainability frameworks. Doing the LOOP project truly brought this to light for me. Taking price out of the equation, even when you have a good product and platform, trying to change consumer behavior is difficult. Many of these frameworks advocated for no waste. Even though it was at a producer level, there would need to be change on the consumer scale as well in order for the zero waste frameworks, such as Cradle to Cradle, to actually work.
Prius vs Hummer: The Example That Got Me Thinking
Prius gets better gas mileage, but when we look at the entire lifecycle we see that the Hummer could possibly better for the environment. The Prius’s battery has a higher environmental and financial cost. The Prius has to be replaced at a 3:1 ratio vs the Hummer. That is much more waste emitted into the environment. There is not enough data to prove this, but I thought the concept was interesting and supported the common theme of the sustainability frameworks. It proves that waste has a huge impact on the environment and implementing different frameworks, such as Biomimicry, would greatly help the environment.
Narrowing it Down
Each framework has components that contribute to a larger understanding of the issues, measures and approaches to sustainability. It was difficult for me to narrow my down to one framework I thought was “best” because they all contribute to one another. Natural Capitalism is a fantastic baseline framework because in not only shows, but aims to convince, that efficiency is priority. The framework advocates that with efficient practices, we can lower waste. Waste does not appear in nature. Natural Capitalism is a great framework for society today.
Cradle to Cradle wants to take this a step further and eliminate waste completely. This would take a huge amount of commitment from organizations, commitment from consumers and a large amount of capital. I don’t see society having a waste free culture in the future. The Ford Car example showed me that it is possible to have a completely waste free car. But again, How long will the canvas roof made from PLA last in the elements?, Would a consumer pay a premium price for a untested product? I just don’t see that being obtainable, I hope I am proved wrong!
“The Best”
I think the “best” framework is the Sustainability Helix because it is the most applicable for businesses. Giving businesses as easy platform will increase sustainability practices. For us to improve sustainability we need to have a clear path from wherever an organization might score initially toward greater sustainable development, processes, and strategy. I also like that it highlights the power of restoration. I like that is has an easy to understand framework for businesses to use when it comes to understanding and improving sustainable performance. There are strategies and tactics for them to utilize. I am the type of person who does well with deadlines and a rigid structure, so I believe that is why I am drawn to this specific framework. I also appreciated the Natural Capitalism framework and Biomimicry. These two are not necessarily frameworks, but inspiring look at design and developmental practices by learning how nature works. I believe combining attributes of all three of these frameworks would be beneficial.