UNEP research and network programmes Yorick Benjamin Dr. Yorick Benjamin M.Des RCA studied Industrial Design at Ravensbourne and the Royal College. He recently completed a Doctorate specialising in the 'Development of Eco Design Methodology' and his company EDEN is developing interactive ecodesign software. He has been a member of the European Union EUREKA-PREPARE Eco Design group and conducted research for the European Commission. In 1994 he joined the United Nations Environment Programme Working Group on Sustainable Product Development (UNEP-WG-SPD) as Senior Researcher, University of Amsterdam. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Working Group on Sustainable Product Development (UNEP-WG-SPD) was established at the beginning of 1994. The UNEP-WG-SPD has the mission to explore radical new ways of balancing people's need for products, services and systems with the needs of the environment. The ingenuity and invention of mankind that realised the industrial revolution has led to more products being produced of high and uniformed quality. These relatively recent and powerful forms of mass production supported new market growth, exploited resources and caused waste and emission problems. The sharing of manufacturing knowledge has become wide spread. Supportive transportation means and advertising media are cheaper than ever before - spreading and promoting products into new markets. Economic growth based upon product consumption has become the norm. A norm that does nothing to redeem a fundamental problem; 20 per cent of the worlds population is estimated to consume 80 per cent of global resources. To meet the needs of a growing population the current approach to improving the environmental impact of manufactured goods through 'Cleaner Production' and 'Eco Design' will not be enough. New visions and approaches are required if equity of resource use is to be realised - so that the needs of the worlds poor and that of future generations can be met. The Working Group has established dialogue and research on 'Sustainable Product Development', which considers amongst other topics: renewable resources, the design of systems and services and the influence of culture, society and economics on meeting human need. The main activities of the UNEP-WG-SPD involve the 'Research Programme', and the 'Network Programme', which has developed an International Network of experts consisting of some 600 organisations in 46 countries, of which 22 are low and middle income countries. Research programme The working group's 'Research Programme' is grouped into three areas: research Area 1 (RA1) SPD 'State of the Art' Monitors the 'State of the Art of SPD' in a general way and focuses on activities and making an inventory of them. Many environmental subjects that are familiar and helping to make incremental improvements towards the goal of sustainability fit into RA1. e.g. eco labelling, LCA, standards, design for disassembly, Eco Design, etc. research Area 2 (RA2). SPD Exemplars A graphic orientated database is being developed to include SPD concepts as well as existing products. RA2 is intended to become accessible on the UNEP-WG-SPD World Wide Web server - an ideas centre for designers around the world. Designers and product developers are invited to contribute designs to it which meet the UNEP-WG-SPD criteria of 'Need' + one or more of the seven design approaches to SPD. Case study reports also fall into RA2. research Area 3 (RA3) A Future Vision - Sustainable Product Development Towards 2050 The main theoretical research for the Working Group is the future potential and development of SPD. RA3 will raise 'what if' questions and encourage scenarios to be explored. It will pioneer new concepts related to products, services and systems that meet human 'needs' in a sustainable way. If you are interested in developing the content of the 'Research Programme' and contributing to our work - the key research topics for the UNEP-WG-SPD are: Areas of human need to develop towards sustainability:
Essential inputs to sustainable products:
And 7 sustainable design approaches and characteristics:
And influences on products, services and systems that meet human need:
All these areas are in development and anyone who has expertise in these subject areas and who would like to contribute please contact the UNEP-WG-SPD. Workshop activities The UNEP-WG-SPD recently held a workshop on the subject of 'Cooling' - the workshop design typifies the approach that the group is taking. Recognised experts from Australia, India, Benin, The Netherlands, USA and Germany attended. Discussion was stimulated by the first days presentations on 'Cooling' systems and alternatives. Hydro Carbon technology and Stirling Motor technology (as well as others) from the developed countries were shown and demonstrated. A workshop on 'Telecommunications Towards Sustainability in Developing Countries' is programmed to cover new technologies and more importantly the appropriateness and possibilities for telecommunication to contribute to a more sustainable future and meet human needs in developing countries. Social and cultural differences will also be a part of the discussion. As in the case of the 'Cooling' workshop the participants from developing countries are encouraged to set the detailed agenda. Anyone who would like to submit an 'abstract' for a 'short research paper' contribution contact 'Yorick Benjamin' by fax or e-mail. Other workshops that involve the areas of 'need' identified in the 'Research Programme' will follow. Educational activities Education is an important part of the UNEP-WG-SPD work. As a small working group we have had to look for efficient ways to communicate the concepts of SPD and encourage its development and understanding. To that end we are building a cross platform relational database which uses a comprehensive classification set to archive SPD examples, relevant organisations and active research projects and proposals. The RA2 'SPD Exemplars' database will in time be distributed to educational Institutes world-wide (resources permitting). It is basically a 'tool' for designers to record SPD designs and existing examples they source. This year the database will be used and tested in; a design course involving 30 students; the 'Young Industrial Designers' project and by some external industrial design students working on projects with UNEP-WG-SPD. Information gained will be edited by UNEP-WG-SPD and eventually the database made available on the UNEP-WG-SPD World Wide Web Home Page. If the database proves successful it is the intention of the UNEP-WG-SPD to develop the database as an 'SPD Educational Module'. If any educators would like to assist in this development please contact Yorick Benjamin. To support interested researchers and students the UNEP-WG-SPD has established its own WWW Home Page (http://unep.frw.uva.nl/). We intend this facility to become an important gateway to the areas of research that apply to the UNEP-WG-SPD Research Programme. The Home Page is still under development - but already you will find information on the Working Group and around 90 URL's listed (other INTERNET sites accessible through the UNEP-WG-SPD Home Page) related to product, environment and sustainability issues. The Home Page will assist students who are working with the RA2 database and who are generally interested in the concept of SPD. Post-graduate project 1500 brochures have been sent to 'Young Industrial Designers' in Europe (graduates at M.A. level) to work with 10 European based organisations including UNEP-WG-SPD. The WG project involves 2-4 designers working on renewable resource fibre based products for archiving in the RA2 database. The project will commence in February 1996 and it hoped that good examples from developing countries will be identified and innovative new designs emerge. New research reports Two new UNEP-WG-SPD reports have just been published: 'Renewable Resources for Material Purposes - An Overview of Options' and '- A Conceptual Approach'. Summaries are available by fax, e-mail, post and on our WWW site (please use the Web site if you have access). Reports cost: 15 Dutch guilders for those in developed countries. However, we are committed to providing relevant SPD information to those who otherwise could not afford it - recognised organisations and individuals in developing countries receive the reports free of charge. Becoming a UNEP-WG-SPD network member If you have access and an interest in joining the UNEP-WG-SPD please visit our Home Page where you will find a form filling facility to submit your details to the Network Co-ordinator. Alternatively, we can e-mail or fax you the form. We use quite a comprehensive system and if you become a network member your record which includes details of your SPD activities will be published in the UNEP-WG-SPD International Directory which is currently distributed to 600+ organisations world-wide active in the area of SPD. For more information United Nations Environment
Programme Working Group On Sustainable Product
Development (UNEP-WG-SPD) 3rd Floor Yorick Benjamin's e-mail: ybenjamin@unep.frw.uva.nl World Wide Web Home Page:
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