The Four Facets of Next-Gen Environmental Design

28 September 2009:

But we have not fully acknowledged the magnitude of the environmental challenges that we face. The throughput of materials in developed economies generates a hidden mountain of waste, depleting natural resources and threatening ecosystem integrity.

Even as we debate the merits of carbon regulations, leading scientists believe that we have already exceeded the "safe operating space" for humanity in three critical indicators-greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen flows, and biodiversity loss. These pressures, resulting from population and economic growth, threaten the resilience of vital natural resources as fresh water, soil, forests, and wetlands. And the rate of change is accelerating-new products and materials (think bio and nano) are emerging faster than scientists can study their impacts.

Finding a path to sustainable growth will require global collaboration and eco-innovation on an unprecedented scale. To accomplish this, we need to take a fresh look at a business practice called Design for Environment (DFE), which assures that new products are developed with a full understanding of lifecycle environmental considerations.