← Product Design and Technologies syllabus

EnglandProduct Design and Technologies

Sustainability and ethics

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How is a product designed so it can be maintained, repaired and taken apart at end of life?

Designing for maintenance, repair and disassembly, including planned and unplanned obsolescence, modular and repairable design, standardised parts and fastenings, design for disassembly to allow material separation and recycling, and the balance between durability, repairability and cost over a product's life.
A focused answer to the Edexcel 9DT0 content on designing for maintenance, repair and disassembly, covering planned obsolescence, modular and repairable design, standardised parts, design for disassembly for recycling, and the durability-versus-cost balance.
13 min answer →

How is a product's environmental impact measured across its whole life, and how is the carbon footprint reduced?

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) and the stages of a product's life (raw material extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and end of life), the concept of the carbon footprint and embodied energy, sustainable material selection and renewable energy, and how designers reduce environmental impact at each stage of the life cycle.
A focused answer to the Edexcel 9DT0 content on life-cycle assessment and the carbon footprint, covering the stages of a product's life, embodied energy, sustainable material selection and renewable energy, and how impact is cut at each stage.
13 min answer →

What social, moral and ethical issues surround the design, manufacture and consumption of products?

The social, moral and ethical issues affecting design and manufacture, including fair trade and ethical sourcing, working conditions and labour in global supply chains, the social and ethical responsibilities of designers and companies, inclusive design and consumer protection, and the moral questions raised by consumption, waste and the use of scarce resources.
A focused answer to the Edexcel 9DT0 content on social, moral and ethical issues in design and manufacture, covering fair trade and ethical sourcing, working conditions in global supply chains, designer and company responsibility, inclusive design, and the ethics of consumption and waste.
13 min answer →

What are the 6 Rs and the circular economy, and how do they guide more sustainable design?

The 6 Rs of sustainable design (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, and the related ideas of recover and rot) and how each is applied to reduce environmental impact, together with the principles of the circular economy and the contrast with the linear take-make-dispose model.
A focused answer to the Edexcel 9DT0 content on the 6 Rs of sustainable design (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle) and the circular economy, explaining how each is applied to cut environmental impact versus the linear take-make-dispose model.
13 min answer →