What social, moral and ethical issues surround product design and manufacture?
The social, moral and ethical issues in design and manufacture: fair trade and ethical sourcing, labour and working conditions, planned obsolescence and consumerism, the impact of technology on society and employment, and the designer's wider responsibility.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on the social, moral and ethical issues in design and manufacture: fair trade and ethical sourcing, labour and working conditions, planned obsolescence and consumerism, the impact of technology on employment and society, and the designer's wider responsibility.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
Have a quick question? Jump to the Q&A page
Jump to a section
What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to discuss the social, moral and ethical issues in design and manufacture: fair trade and ethical sourcing, labour and working conditions, planned obsolescence and consumerism, the impact of technology on society and employment, and the designer's wider responsibility. This is the values dimension of the subject, examined as definitions (planned obsolescence, fair trade) and as balanced extended discussion of a designer's responsibilities.
Ethical sourcing and fair trade
Working conditions and consumerism
Technology, society and employment
The designer's wider responsibility
A central idea is that the designer's responsibility extends beyond function, cost and profit to the people and planet affected across the product's whole life. This includes designing for safety and inclusion, sourcing ethically and ensuring fair labour, being honest to consumers (truthful marketing, no misleading or greenwashing sustainability claims), and minimising environmental harm (applying the 6 Rs, avoiding planned obsolescence, designing durable, repairable, recyclable products). These responsibilities sometimes conflict with commercial pressure (the cheapest supplier may be the least ethical; a longer-lasting product may sell fewer units), and the strongest answers weigh that tension and reach a reasoned judgement that a responsible designer balances commercial success with duty to society and the environment. This is the kind of balanced, justified argument the high-tariff Eduqas extended questions reward.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20194 marksExplain what is meant by planned obsolescence, and explain one social or environmental problem it causes.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 short-answer question. Marks for the definition and a justified problem.
Planned obsolescence is designing a product to have a deliberately limited useful life, so it wears out, breaks, becomes unfashionable or cannot be repaired or upgraded, encouraging the consumer to replace it sooner. This can be physical (parts that fail or cannot be replaced) or psychological (frequent style changes that make a working product seem outdated).
One problem: it increases waste and resource use, because products are discarded and replaced more often than necessary, raising environmental impact and depleting finite resources (and costing consumers more). Award marks for the definition and a genuine problem (waste, resource depletion, cost to consumers). A common dropped mark is describing obsolescence without saying why it is harmful.
Eduqas 20216 marksDiscuss the social, moral and ethical responsibilities a designer and manufacturer have when sourcing materials and producing a product. Use examples to support your answer.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 extended question marked by levels of response. Reward a range of responsibilities with examples.
Responsibilities include: ethical sourcing and fair trade (paying fair prices, avoiding exploited or child labour, sustainable raw materials); safe and fair working conditions in the supply chain (not just the home factory but overseas suppliers); honesty to the consumer (not misleading marketing or false sustainability claims, "greenwashing"); designing for safety and inclusion; and minimising environmental harm (the 6 Rs, avoiding planned obsolescence). Examples: fair-trade cotton or timber from certified sources, audited factories, repairable and recyclable design.
A top answer covers several responsibilities (people, honesty, environment), gives examples, and reaches a judgement that the designer's responsibility extends beyond profit and function to the people and planet affected across the product's life.
Related dot points
- The 6 Rs of sustainability (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle), design for disassembly, the sustainability of materials and resources, renewable and finite resources, and how sustainable design choices reduce environmental impact across a product's life.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on the 6 Rs of sustainability and sustainable design: rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair and recycle, design for disassembly, renewable and finite resources, and how design choices reduce a product's environmental impact.
- Life cycle assessment (LCA): the stages of raw material extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal, the inputs and outputs at each stage, carbon footprint and embodied energy, and how an LCA informs more sustainable design decisions.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on life cycle assessment: the cradle-to-grave stages of extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal, the environmental inputs and outputs at each, carbon footprint and embodied energy, and how an LCA guides more sustainable design.
- Inclusive design and design for all, user-centred design, designing for diverse users including disabled and older people, the principles of inclusive design, and how empathy, user involvement and avoiding exclusion shape a product.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on inclusive and user-centred design: design for all, designing for diverse users including disabled and older people, the principles of inclusive design, and how empathy and user involvement reduce exclusion and widen who a product serves.
- Influential designers and design companies, the major design movements (Bauhaus, Art Deco, Modernism, Memphis), the work of named designers and brands, design's relationship with society and technology, and intellectual property (patents, registered designs, trademarks and copyright).
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on influential designers, design companies and design movements: the Bauhaus, Modernism, Art Deco and Memphis, named designers and brands, design's link to society and technology, and intellectual property (patents, registered designs, trademarks and copyright).
- The scales of production (one-off or bespoke, batch, mass and continuous), just-in-time and lean manufacturing, the relationship between volume, tooling cost and unit cost, and how the chosen scale shapes the manufacturing method.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level Product Design on the scales of production: one-off or bespoke, batch, mass and continuous production, just-in-time and lean manufacturing, and how production volume sets the relationship between tooling cost, unit cost and the manufacturing method.
Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas A Level Design and Technology specification (Product Design) — Eduqas (2017)