Sustainable Product Design | Lessons from Nike!

Summary

This video highlights Nike's shift towards sustainable product design, emphasizing three key principles from their circular design guide: material choices, waste avoidance, and versatility. It explains how selecting fewer, eco-friendly materials, reducing waste through efficient prototyping, and designing versatile products that adapt to various needs can lead to more sustainable and high-performance goods. The video encourages considering environmental impact from the start, offering insights on how small design choices can make a big difference in sustainability, aligning with growing consumer demands for eco-conscious products.

Takeaways

• 🔄 Circular design considers the entire product lifecycle, from prototyping to end-of-life, focusing on environmental impact.
• 🌿 Material choices play a key role in sustainable design; reducing the number of components can lower shipping and environmental impact.
• 🎨 Reducing the color palette not only simplifies aesthetics but also reduces the environmental impact by minimizing dye usage.
• ♻️ Using recycled materials, such as recycled polyester or nylon, instead of virgin materials can reduce resource consumption.
• ✂️ Waste avoidance is a crucial design principle; using techniques like modifying existing prototypes and CAD-driven fabric cutting can help.
• 🖥️ Leveraging technology like automated fabric cutting machines and CAD reduces material waste and improves efficiency.
• 🛍️ Made-to-order production models can help minimize waste and are a good example of sustainable business practices.
• 👗 Versatility in product design allows for adaptability to trends, growth, and different users, which can reduce waste and extend product life.
• 👶 Children's clothing that grows with the child, such as designs using pleated fabrics, is an example of a versatile and sustainable product.
• 🌍 Circular design is increasingly driven by both the global fashion agenda and consumer demand for sustainable products.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of Nike's recent design process shift?

Nike's recent design process shift focuses on producing products with the highest performance impact while minimizing environmental impact.

What are the three circular design principles discussed in the video?

The three circular design principles discussed are material choices, waste avoidance, and versatility.

What does 'circular design' mean in the context of product development?

Circular design refers to considering the product and its environmental impact from the very start, including prototyping and its end of life.

Why is material choice important in sustainable design?

Material choice is crucial because each fabric, component, and trim has its own environmental impact. Reducing the number of materials used helps minimize the product's environmental footprint and streamline its production.

How can reducing the color palette help in sustainable design?

Reducing the color palette can decrease the environmental impact of dyes, which are a major contributor to pollution in the textile industry. It also helps create a more cohesive aesthetic and minimizes waste.

What is the significance of using recycled content in product design?

Using recycled materials such as recycled polyester or nylon reduces the need for virgin raw materials, helping to lower environmental impact and support more sustainable production practices.

How does waste avoidance contribute to sustainability during product development?

Waste avoidance helps by using alternative prototyping methods, such as modifying existing prototypes rather than creating new ones. This reduces material waste, saves time, and lowers costs.

What are some methods mentioned to reduce waste during the product development process?

Some methods include using CAD and automated fabric cutting machines to optimize fabric layout and considering made-to-order quantities to avoid overproduction.

How does versatility play a role in circular design?

Versatility ensures that a product can adapt to changes in trends, user needs, and purposes, which helps extend its lifecycle and appeal to a broader audience, making it more sustainable in the long run.

What is an example of a versatile design mentioned in the video?

An example is children's clothing that uses pleated fabric to expand as the child grows, reducing waste and offering a cost-effective solution for parents.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Nike's Design Process and Circular Principles

This video delves into Nike's design process, focusing on its shift towards creating high-performance products with minimal environmental impact. Nike has introduced a guide featuring 10 circular design principles, and this video highlights three key aspects: material choices, waste avoidance, and versatility. It emphasizes how designers can incorporate these principles to create more sustainable soft goods products.

🌱 The Importance of Material Choices

Material selection plays a crucial role in sustainable design. Every fabric, component, and trim has its own environmental impact, so reducing the number of materials used can significantly reduce a product's overall footprint. Additionally, consolidating materials and limiting the color palette can streamline the product and reduce the environmental impact caused by dyes. Nike encourages the use of recycled content, such as recycled polyester and nylon, to lessen the reliance on virgin raw materials.

♻️ Waste Avoidance in Prototyping and Production

Avoiding waste is another core principle in Nike's design philosophy. While it may seem easier for established businesses to implement, creators must consider their impact during the product development process. Alternative methods like modifying existing prototypes and using automated fabric-cutting machines can help reduce waste and cost. The concept of made-to-order quantities is also introduced as an effective way to minimize excess inventory, as demonstrated by companies like Everpress.

🔄 Designing for Versatility

Versatility in product design means creating products that can adapt to various uses, trends, and user needs. This is particularly evident in children's clothing, where fast growth leads to high waste. By designing with versatility in mind, such as using pleated fabrics that grow with the child, products can last longer and appeal to a wider audience. Incorporating versatility from the beginning can result in a more sustainable product in the long run.

🌍 The Growing Demand for Circular Design

Circular design is increasingly being driven by consumer demand and the fashion industry's global agenda. While considering sustainability in product development may seem overwhelming, especially at the start, Nike emphasizes that it's the collective impact of many small decisions that make a difference. Designers are encouraged to think about these principles early on to create more responsible products in response to changing consumer expectations.

Keywords

💡Circular Design

Circular design refers to creating products that consider their full lifecycle, from production to disposal, with a focus on minimizing environmental impact. In the video, this concept is central to Nike's new design approach, emphasizing sustainability and resource efficiency. The idea is to design products that can be reused, recycled, or repurposed, reducing waste and promoting environmental responsibility.

💡Material Choices

Material choices are the selection of fabrics and components used to create a product. In the video, the speaker highlights the importance of choosing sustainable materials to reduce environmental impact. The fewer materials sourced from different parts of the world, the lower the carbon footprint, which also contributes to a more streamlined and efficient design process.

💡Waste Avoidance

Waste avoidance involves minimizing the amount of waste generated during the production and design processes. The video discusses how companies like Nike and Everpress focus on reducing waste by implementing methods like modifying existing prototypes, using automated cutting machines, and employing made-to-order models. These practices help decrease excess materials and lower the environmental impact.

💡Versatility

Versatility in design refers to creating products that are adaptable to various purposes, users, or conditions. The video illustrates this with examples like children's clothing that can grow with the child, reducing waste and extending the product's lifespan. Designing for versatility allows products to be more sustainable and appealing to a broader audience.

💡Recycled Content

Recycled content involves using materials that have been reclaimed and repurposed rather than relying on virgin, raw materials. The video suggests considering recycled polyester or nylon to reduce environmental impact. This practice supports the circular design model by keeping materials in use for as long as possible and reducing the need for new resource extraction.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability is the broader goal of reducing the environmental impact of products and production methods. It is a recurring theme in the video, as Nike's design principles focus on sustainability through material choices, waste reduction, and versatility. The video stresses that sustainable design is increasingly demanded by consumers and is essential for long-term environmental health.

💡Color Palette Reduction

Reducing the color palette means limiting the number of colors used in a product to reduce the environmental impact of dyes. In the video, the speaker explains that simplifying the color scheme can reduce waste in dye production and usage, ultimately lowering the environmental footprint. A smaller color palette also helps create a more cohesive and high-quality product aesthetic.

💡Prototyping

Prototyping is the process of creating preliminary versions of a product to test and refine designs. The video discusses how Nike and other companies avoid waste by modifying existing prototypes based on feedback instead of creating entirely new ones. This approach saves resources and aligns with waste avoidance and sustainability principles.

💡Made to Order

Made to order is a production model where products are only created after an order is placed, reducing excess inventory and waste. The video references Everpress as a company that successfully uses this model to launch products sustainably. This method minimizes waste and ensures that resources are only used to meet actual demand.

💡Environmental Impact

Environmental impact refers to the effect that a product or process has on the environment, including factors like resource use, waste generation, and pollution. The video emphasizes the importance of considering environmental impact at every stage of the design process, from material selection to production methods. Reducing environmental impact is a key goal of Nike's circular design principles.

Highlights

Nike has shifted its design process towards producing products with the highest performance impact and the lowest environmental impact.

Circular design considers the product’s environmental impact from prototyping to its end of life.

Material choices play a key role in product functionality and environmental impact.

Reducing the number of components, fabrics, and trims can streamline production and reduce environmental impact.

A simplified color palette reduces the need for dyes, which have a significant environmental impact.

Producers are continually looking for ways to make dyes more sustainable with less environmental impact.

Using recycled materials like recycled polyester or nylon can reduce the environmental footprint compared to virgin materials.

Waste avoidance can be achieved by modifying prototypes rather than creating entirely new ones.

CAD and automated fabric cutting machines help to optimize fabric use and minimize waste.

Considering made-to-order production can further reduce waste by tailoring quantities to demand.

Versatility in product design allows products to adapt to changes in style, trends, and user needs.

Designing for versatility can make products appeal to a broader market and last longer.

Children’s products, such as clothing that grows with the child, provide a strong example of versatile design.

The demand for sustainable products is driven by both the fashion global agenda and consumer expectations.

Nike emphasizes that sustainability is achieved by the combination of all design choices, not a single perfect product.

Transcripts

this video is all about nike's design

process and what you can learn from it

when developing your own soft goods

product

nike recently shifted their design

process towards focusing on producing

products with the highest performance

impact and the lowest environmental

impact they've produced a guide with 10

circular design principles and in this

video i'm going to focus on three of

them material choices waste avoidance

and versatility to start with though

what is circular design so circular

design is considering the product and

its environmental impact as a whole this

is right from the start when you're

prototyping through to its end of life

now a great place to start is to look at

your material choices this is a really

important part because the fabrics that

you choose can do a lot of functionality

for you however each fabric component

and trim has its own environmental

impact and you need to consider these if

you're going to design sustainably

a great way to do this is to look at

your materials list and try and reduce

it if you're sourcing less components

fabrics and trims from different parts

of the world you're not only reducing

shipping but also the environmental

impact that your product is going to

have it also helps you streamline the

product and in the end can produce a far

more considered aesthetic with a more

streamlined selection of materials this

also feeds into my next tip which is to

consider your color palette and try and

reduce it

with a product with a million different

shades on of different colors can look

really confused and in the end not look

at high quality

by reducing your color palette you

require less dyes to be made and you can

also use them more efficiently for

example you don't want to produce a

massive batter dye and only use it for

one particular trim or a small amount of

the product now dyes have a really big

environmental impact in the textile

industry and it's something which

producers are constantly trying to look

at to produce more sustainably with less

environmental impact so if you can

reduce the number of guys that can have

a really positive impact on the

environment lastly consider whether you

could use recycled content such as

recycled polyester or nylon instead of

raw virgin materials

this way you can do more with less now

that moves me on nicely to our second

principle that we're going to focus on

today which is waste avoidance a lot of

the night initiatives seem like it'd be

easier to implement once your business

is established however at d2m we

recognize the responsibility we have as

creators to consider the impact we have

during the product creation process

therefore we often use alternative

prototyping methods that avoid waste

such as modifying your previous

prototype based on your feedback rather

than making a whole new one

this can often save time as well as cost

and therefore it's really a win-win we

also have the capability of using cad

and automated fabric cutting machines to

determine the most cost-effective layout

and reduce waste when cutting out large

quantities of fabric as you progress

through the development process you can

start to consider how you could adapt

your business model to reduce waste a

really good example of this is made to

order quantities now that may seem a

little strange at the start but a really

good example of this is a company called

everpress they are a really good example

of how you can use made to order

quantities when launching a product and

i recommend you go check them out the

final principle that i'd like to focus

on today is versatility

now versatility is when a product can

adapt to growth style trends gender

activity and purpose we often have

clients returned to us after a really

successful product launch

because they've realized that their

product could be used for a different

use or by a different user however a

product can be designed for versatility

in mind in order to create one that

appeals to a wider market or last longer

a really good example of this is

children's products especially their

clothes now we all know children can

grow insanely fast and this often means

they grow out their clothes very quickly

this is really wasteful and also can be

very expensive for parents therefore

check out petty please use of pleated

fabric in order to make clothing that

would expand and grow with the child it

can seem like something you should

consider at the end or once you're

re-evaluating your product after a

successful launch to improve it but

actually it's something you can consider

right at the start and if you do you're

much more likely to produce a

sustainable product further down the

line the need and want circular design

is being driven by the fashion global

agenda but also by consumers who are now

demanding that we as designers design

more sustainably and consider what we

are producing now it may seem like a lot

to consider at the start especially when

you're developing a new product and

you've got all these other things that

you need to take into consideration but

as nike summed up really well it's not

one single product that has the perfect

impact it's the combination of all the

choices we make

if you'd like help in developing your

new software's product with this in mind

then do get in touch by clicking the

links below equally if you'd like some

more information about the soft good

design process then check out this video

that gives you a brief overview