OCR A-Level Product Design sustainability and the environment overview quiz quiz

Recycle, because it recovers and reprocesses materials at the end of life

Repair, because it is the cheapest option and extends product lifespan

Rethink and reduce, because they avoid impact before any material is used

Reuse, because it needs no extra energy and keeps products in service

Gluing all of the parts together permanently with strong adhesives

Using as many different materials and surface finishes as possible throughout

Welding all of the joints together so the structure is permanent

Using snap-fits and standard screws, fewer materials and clear labelling

Keeps materials in use through reuse, repair, remanufacture and recycling

Simply takes raw materials, makes products and then disposes of the waste

Relies entirely on using only finite, non-renewable raw resources

Avoids all manufacturing of new products and components completely

Only the manufacture and final disposal stages of the product

Extraction, processing, manufacture, transport, use and end of life

Only the in-service use phase of the product over its whole lifetime

Only the packaging and the transport of the finished product

Raw material extraction and refining

Manufacture and assembly of the parts

The use phase (boiling water uses electricity)

Packaging and distribution onwards to the retailers

The total embodied energy used to manufacture and to assemble a product from scratch

The overall mass of the finished product when fully assembled and packaged

The total number of separate parts and components used within a product

The total greenhouse-gas emissions caused by a product, as carbon dioxide equivalent

Crude oil

FSC-certified timber

Cotton

Wool

Metals cannot be recycled once they have been extracted and refined

The ore is finite; recycling extends the resource but does not replace it

Metals grow back naturally over a relatively short human timescale

Metals are always imported from overseas rather than ever being mined at home

Thermoplastics, because they soften and melt when reheated for moulding

All polymers recycle equally well regardless of their internal structure

Thermosetting polymers, because their cross-links cannot be remelted

Polymers that have already been recycled at least once before

The timber is the cheapest available on the open market

The timber is a strictly finite, non-renewable resource

The timber cannot be recycled or reused at end of life

The timber came from a responsibly managed forest

Electrical and electronic waste is collected, treated and recycled

All manufactured products must be made using recycled metal only

All timber used in products must be FSC-certified at point of sale

All consumer products must clearly carry a recognised Fairtrade mark

Designing products to last as long as possible and to be easy to repair and upgrade

Designing a product to wear out, date or be hard to repair so it is replaced sooner

Recycling every product fully at the end of its working life

Making products only from renewable and sustainable materials

The product is fully recyclable and can be recovered at end of life

The product is the cheapest option available anywhere on the market

Producers were paid a fair, stable price and met social and environmental standards

The product is made entirely locally within the consumer's own home country and region

Ignore the cost tension entirely and focus only on ethics and welfare

Only describe worker conditions without weighing any other relevant factors

Avoid mentioning the environmental impact of the designer's decisions

Weigh welfare, fairness and inclusivity against cost and reach a judgement