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EnglandDesign and Technology

Sustainability and the environment (Components 01 and 02)

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

What is a life cycle assessment, and how does it reveal where a product's environmental impact comes from?

Life cycle assessment (LCA): the stages of a product's life (raw material extraction, processing, manufacture, packaging and transport, use, end of life), carbon footprint, embodied energy, and how an LCA guides design decisions to cut impact.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Product Design on life cycle assessment: the stages from raw material extraction through processing, manufacture, transport, use and end of life, carbon footprint and embodied energy, and how an LCA guides design decisions to reduce environmental impact.
11 min answer →

What makes a material or resource sustainable, and how do finite resources, renewable resources and recycling differ?

The sustainability of materials and resources: finite versus renewable resources, sustainable timber (FSC), recycling of polymers and metals, the WEEE directive, and how material choice affects a product's environmental impact.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Product Design on the sustainability of materials and resources: finite versus renewable resources, sustainable timber and the FSC, the recycling of polymers and metals, the WEEE directive, and how material choice affects environmental impact.
11 min answer →

What social, moral and ethical issues surround product design, and how should designers respond to them?

Social, moral and ethical issues in product design: planned and built-in obsolescence, fair and ethical trade (Fairtrade), worker conditions and globalisation, inclusive design, consumer culture, and the designer's social responsibility.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Product Design on the social, moral and ethical issues in design: planned and built-in obsolescence, Fairtrade and ethical trade, worker conditions and globalisation, inclusive design, consumer culture, and the designer's social responsibility.
11 min answer →

What are the 6 Rs of sustainable design, and how do designers reduce the environmental impact of products?

The 6 Rs of sustainable design (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle), design for disassembly, the circular economy and cradle to cradle, and how designers apply them to reduce a product's environmental impact.
A focused answer to OCR A-Level Product Design on the 6 Rs of sustainable design (rethink, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, recycle), design for disassembly, the circular economy and cradle to cradle, and how designers apply them to cut a product's environmental impact.
11 min answer →