Sustainable Design Implementation – Measuring Environmental Impact and User Responsibility

Abstract

Sustainable design in product development has multiple roles in addressing an increased level of sustainability. This includes reducing resource consumption and modifying user behaviors to become more eco-friendly. However, these functions are typically assessed separately, despite a proposed mutual correlation. This paper proposes a framework for defining this correlation. By using the correlated functions in parallel, one can enhance the product development process, and this will strengthen the use of sustainable design as a powerful design tool for future products. A practical approach for implementation is needed, which should show the benefit of the design both from the environmental aspect and a change in the responsibility of users. The primary goal of this manuscript is to propose an approach to fill this gap, using experiments to explore the effect of a washing machine modification project in Indonesia. Resource consumption while doing the laundry is measured as a representation of the environmental impact, while the users’ predisposition for environmental responsibility inclination is analyzed by scaling the responsibility. The results show that the sustainable design strategy is effective in reducing the environmental impact, while simultaneously increasing the environmental responsibility of users. Further study is required to define the correlation between the measured factors to formulate a well-developed theory related to this correlation.