Successive IPCC reports consistently stress the devastating impact of human activity on the climate. An ecological transition seems essential to modify our economic and social system, while meeting the needs of current and future generations. As the main culprits of environmental destruction, companies must modify their production methods to reduce their negative impact on the environment. Eco Design and Ecological Transition presents an innovative approach to eco design, a method that aims to offer products or services with a reduced environmental impact compared to conventional production methods, from the extraction of resources to the end of the product’s life. The book also analyzes the potential of the circular economy and frugal innovation. It shows that innovation, to be sustainable, must be both environmentally and socially sustainable. From a systemic point of view, it examines the ability of players, particularly companies, to change their strategies in order to combine human well-being and respect for the environment in the context of ecological transition.

Sustainable Design for the Built Environment marks the transition of sustainable design from a specialty service to the mainstream approach for creating a healthy and resilient built environment. This groundbreaking and transformative approach introduces sustainable design in a clear, concise, easy-to-read format. This book takes the reader deep into the foundations of sustainable design, and creates a holistic and integrative approach addressing the social, cultural, ecological, and aesthetic aspects in addition to the typical performance-driven goals. The first section of the book is themed around the origins, principles, and frameworks of sustainable design aimed at inspiring a deeper, broader, and more inclusive view of sustainability. The second section examines strategies such as biophilia and biomimicry, adaptation and resilience, health and well-being. The third section examines the application of sustainability principles from the global, urban, district, building, and human scale, illustrating how a systems thinking approach allows sustainable design to span the context of time, space, and varied perspectives. This textbook is intended to inspire a new vision for the future that unites human activity with natural processes to form a regenerative, coevolutionary model for sustainable design. By allowing the reader an insightful look into the history, motivations, and values of sustainable design, they begin to see sustainable design, not only as a way to deliver green buildings, but as a comprehensive and transformative meta-framework that is so needed in every sector of society. Supported by extensive online resources including videos and PowerPoints for each chapter, this book will be essential reading for students of sustainability and sustainable design.

This edited volume presents the research results of the Collaborative Research Center 1026 “Sustainable manufacturing - shaping global value creation”. The book aims at providing a reference guide of sustainable manufacturing for researchers, describing methodologies for development of sustainable manufacturing solutions. The volume is structured in four chapters covering the following topics: sustainable manufacturing technology, sustainable product development, sustainable value creation networks and systematic change towards sustainable manufacturing. The target audience comprises both researchers and practitioners in the field of sustainable manufacturing, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

This volume presents 25 essays on the philosophy of design. With contributions originating from philosophy and design research, and from product design to architecture, it gives a rich spectrum of state of the art research and brings together studies on philosophical topics in which design plays a key role and design research to which philosophy contributes. Coverage zooms in on specific and more well-known design disciplines but also includes less-studied disciplines, such as graphic design, interior architecture and exhibition design. In addition, contributors take up traditional philosophical issues, such as epistemology, politics, phenomenology and philosophy of science. Some essays cover philosophical issues that emerge in design, for instance what design can do in addressing societal problems, while other essays analyze main-stream philosophical issues in which design is part of the argument, as for instance abduction and aesthetics. Readers will discover new research with insightful analyses of design research, design thinking and the specificity of design. Overall, this comprehensive overview of an emerging topic in philosophy will be of great interest to researchers and students.

The Chair on Ecodesign for buildings and infrastructures was created by ParisTech in partnership with VINCI with the aim of developing evaluation and simulation tools that integrate all ecodesign aspects (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, impact on biodiversity, depletion of resources, etc.) and provide genuine decision-aid instruments, based on a scientific approach, to all those involved in the urban environment (i.e. designers, builders and users). The present book takes stock of five years of research under the Chair. It starts by presenting some methodological bases of ecodesign, life cycle assessments, impact studies, and methods for planning and transport. Several specific subjects are then covered, i.e. public transport, parking, road traffic, the environmental profile of building materials, building retrofits, energy management, and biodiversity. The last part of the book sets out how the knowledge and tools developed under the Chair were applied to a case study: Cité Descartes in Marne la Vallée (Ile de France). This work is aimed at urban planners, local authorities, contracting clients, architects, engineering firms, contractors, building managers, research lecturers, and anyone interested in the environmental quality of the places we live in.

The end of the post-war economic boom was marked by the recognition of the environmental problem with the oil crises of the 1970s and, in 1972, the first major UN conference devoted to the human environment. Successive international meetings have resulted in a context where technical change, innovation and industry have assumed a central place in the creation of a new model of society. Against this consensus, the author demonstrates from economic analysis and wide-ranging examples that the environmental innovation doctrine and ecodesign methods remain fragile and can lead to paradoxical results.

Successive IPCC reports consistently stress the devastating impact of human activity on the climate. An ecological transition seems essential to modify our economic and social system, while meeting the needs of current and future generations. As the main culprits of environmental destruction, companies must modify their production methods to reduce their negative impact on the environment. Eco Design and Ecological Transition presents an innovative approach to eco design, a method that aims to offer products or services with a reduced environmental impact compared to conventional production methods, from the extraction of resources to the end of the product’s life. The book also analyzes the potential of the circular economy and frugal innovation. It shows that innovation, to be sustainable, must be both environmentally and socially sustainable. From a systemic point of view, it examines the ability of players, particularly companies, to change their strategies in order to combine human well-being and respect for the environment in the context of ecological transition.

This book highlights one of the most important water pollutants known as Microplastics. It has been reported that humans and the environment are dealing with microplastics particles in water and aquatic media. Despite the fact that such pollution might have mainly started out from the sea, it is now in lakes, rivers, ponds and even drinking water. This book presents as overview of microplastics in freshwater environments in different regions around the world. It discusses the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics, the removal/remediation techniques of microplastics and the role of water/wastewater treatment plants in spreading microplastics. This book is a valuable resource, covering wide aspects of microplastics from sources, detection and characterization to removal and their fate in treatment plants.

This book offers an insight into how to create aesthetically pleasing, environmentally integrated, multi-functional developments in the ocean or on the coastline. Eco-design of Marine Infrastructures provides practical and realistic solutions for delivering projects that strive to minimize negative environmental impacts. Using case studies and examples, this book presents a toolkit of options, allowing decision makers and planners to see what is possible and to make informed choices about the risks and benefits of eco-design. It is intended for researchers, engineers, students and decision makers, or anyone who is curious to see how nature can be integrated into development.

Ecodesign means integrating environmental factors into the design process of all types of products, from toys, packaging, household appliances to industrial products like compressors. It requires life cycle thinking, with the environmental impact minimized at all stages of the product cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to end of use. Ecodesign is also a key to success in the transition to a circular economy model. The ecodesign rules of thumb are a guide to develop products that fit in the circular economy. This unique book serves as a key guide for designers, organizations, governments, companies, or anybody else with an interest in a sustainable future, by addressing three main topics: First, ecodesign is explained for what it is and how it fits with the necessity for a sustainable planet. Second, ecodesign is shown to be a coherent and practical process with a plan and tools that can be used to provide solutions for the environmental challenges the world faces. Third, the impact of the ecodesign approach is elaborated for enterprises, governments, and consumers. Both legislation and consumer pressure for more sustainable goods and services require industry and academia to come up with meaningful solutions that consider economic, societal, and environmental aspects alike. This book provides the necessary clarity and tools to assess current products and support and inspire design of new ones to minimize the environmental impact and improve the circularity. Contents: * Necessity of Ecodesign * Emergence of Ecodesign and the Circular Economy Model * Design for X * Ecodesign Tools * Ecodesign in the Product Development Process * Stimulating Ecodesign * Ecodesign and Entrepreneurship * Ecodesign and Governance * Ecodesign and Consumers