The objective is to measure the ecological qualities and faults of chosen products by demonstrating a critical point of view and a simple analysis of these products.
Brief: choose 2 products, a “green” one that has some true eco-design properties, and another that is far from being sustainable. (under 50$)
You can choose objects from your home, a store, pharmacy, … but bring them physically in class for your presentation. You should also prepare some images, videos, or anything that can help you present your analysis.
(short oral presentation of 5-10 minutes)
Your analysis should include information on the impact that this product has, environmental and socially.
Some topics that should be addressed:
- Is there too much material VS is the material used in a clever way?
- Easy to recyclable? DFD ? Re-usable ? Repairable ? etc …
- Too many different parts/moulds? Lightweight? ( transport )
- Is it really useful? How long will it live? ( longevity and durability )
- Is the packaging “overkill”? ( over-packaged )
- etc …
Green object: thai peanuts tin
A metal container with a plastic top caught my eye around eight years ago when I went to a dollar store after school. It was a product from Thailand and the only one of its kind I’ve ever seen in any dollar store since then. It contained peanuts that were cocnut cream flavored, coated in a crispy layer; it looked good, but there was no cream coconut flavour so I never hoped to buy more. However I loved the container the peanuts were in and wouldn't have minded buying more to have more of them, I’ve since kept it and don’t plan on ever throwing it away. The only thing I did throw away was the paper cover under the plastic lid. -Out of the ordinary, this made me want to keep it.
-The combination of metal and plastic makes it ideal for storage as the contents can be seen.
-Materials can be disassembled which makes them easier to recycle as opposed to something that has different types of materials stuck together.
-The size isn’t too small or too big so it doesn’t get in the way of things I already have.
-Simple packaging = product.
-No recycling symbols on the materials, types of plastic and metal are unkown.
-Product was recalled in the US in 2000 for having Higher Than Acceptable Levels Of Aflatoxin source. Which is thought to have negative effects on humans and animals source.
~~~
Non green object: Earphones
I’ve gone through so many earphones and I don’t what to do with them when they either don’t work anymore or fall apart, the only choices I have seem to be the garbage or the storage box. It’s difficult throwing them away knowing they can’t be recycled (I think).
-Can be bought very cheaply or can be very expensive. Brake easily.
-Can only be thrown away, cannot be reused a different way.
-Cannot be disassembled or recycled.
-The materials used are also not recyclable
-Serves only one purpose, and its lifecycle ends once it fulfills that purpose.
-Good ones are more expensive but there is still that lingering fear that they can brake just as easily. Like the jack for instance.
Some companies are making their earphone packaging more eco friendly by using corrugated coardboard that is recycled.
Or even some products exist using wood instead of plastic for the ear piece as well as other materials that are more recyclable, for the chord.
What is recyclable and what is not? source.
Materials that are used to make earphones:
Plastic
Hard plastic is used for the outer shell of the earphone and serves to protect the sensitive inner workings of the device.
Aluminum
Inside each earphone bud is a small aluminum coil that acts as a type of transducer, turning the raw data into audible sound.
Rubber
Newer earphones use rubber around the earphone speaker. This is used to add extra comfort for the user.
Electrical Wiring
Earphones use wire to connect not just the earphone speakers to small chips inside the earphone bud, but also to connect the earphones to the TRS connector.
Copper
Many TRS connectors, or "audio jacks," are made of copper. Copper is an excellent conductor for electricity.
from source.
Addicted to Plastic, a documentary by Ian Connacher
trailer:
clip 1:
Clip 2:
No comments:
Post a Comment