Abstract
There has been continuous interest surrounding sustainable initiatives, and in recent years, the design process has been suggested to be impactful for successful sustainable development. This thesis investigates the approaches of practicing designers when implementing key factors of environmental sustainability into their design processes, described throughout this thesis as ‘Design for Environmental Sustainability’. Previous research has focused on Design for Environmental Sustainability, often exploring this theme through widely recognised terms such as eco-design, Design for Environment (DfE), and Environmentally Conscious Design (ECD) being adopted to explore similar themes. The primary objective of this study was to understand the current status of industry when aiming to facilitate environmental sustainability initiatives, determining current successes and struggles from the perspective of design professionals; therefore, the terminology of Design for Environmental Sustainability was adopted to facilitate descriptive and accessible language throughout all stages of this study. Industry partnerships have been a strength and priority throughout the entirety of this study and have enabled the development of the Design for Environmental Sustainability toolkit, featuring two components, a toolkit and a website. These components have been designed to communicate the key findings from this study, including the identification and definitions of key factors of environmental sustainability within the context of industry-defined design processes, stakeholders to support the implementation of these factors, and the toolkit to support design professionals in the progression towards more sustainable product development.The research project is divided into four main stages, following the research methodology adopted throughout this PhD. The first stage of this study investigates existing literature surrounding the central themes of this research, including factors of environmental sustainability, tools, technologies, principles, and people involved in the progression towards Design for Environmental Sustainability. The review was conducted systematically, reviewing academia from 1980 to present day, to develop a holistic view of the current perceptions of academia. It was through this investigation that it was apparent that there was limited insight into the current practices of the design industry when aiming to implement environmental sustainability into design processes. The insights found through the investigation into existing literature further aided the development of the research protocol and subsequent stages of the research methodology.
The second stage of this research project focuses on gathering insights from design industry professionals. Investigating their design processes, identifying key factors of environmental sustainability, understanding where environmental sustainability should be implemented within these processes, and what other tools, technologies, or people assist them in this task. This was completed through a series of interviews, a survey, and a collection of focus groups. Furthermore, these investigations also focused on how the current status of industry could improve, and how practicing designers would value this becoming a reality, whether though the development of a technology, tool, or database.
Following the data analysis of the key insights on industry, an initial toolkit was developed utilising these findings. Focusing on the lessons learnt throughout this research project and aiming to fulfil the gaps identified by industry participants. This stage focused on the development of a physical prototype of the toolkit so that real time experimentation could be facilitated.
The final stage of the research validates and improves the initial toolkit through an action research session with a practicing design team within industry. With the action research session validating the concept of the toolkit, key findings, and how the toolkit could positively impact Design for Environmental Sustainability. This resulted in the final development of the website and digital toolkit system which encompasses all findings from this study.
| Date of Award | 1 Dec 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Wei Liu (Supervisor) & Jian Dai (Supervisor) |