Industrial and Product Design Industrial and Product Design Sustainability & Environmental Design 2

Question 1

What does 'cradle to cradle' (C2C) design mean?

Accepted Answer

All materials in a product are designed to cycle safely back into biological or technical systems

Answer

C2C design ensures all materials are nutrients for either biological cycles (composting) or technical cycles (industrial reuse), eliminating the concept of waste.

Question 2

Which factor is most important when selecting a material for a sustainable product design?

Accepted Answer

Full lifecycle impact including extraction, processing, use, and end-of-life

Answer

Sustainable material selection requires evaluating environmental impacts across the full lifecycle, not just upfront cost or mechanical properties.

Question 3

What is 'embodied energy' in the context of sustainable product design?

Accepted Answer

The total energy consumed to extract, process, manufacture, and deliver a product

Answer

Embodied energy accounts for all energy inputs required to bring a product into existence, from raw material extraction through manufacturing and delivery.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes 'upcycling' in product design?

Accepted Answer

Transforming waste or discarded materials into products of higher value or quality

Answer

Upcycling creatively repurposes waste materials into products of greater value, unlike downcycling which produces lower-quality materials.

Question 5

What is a 'product stewardship' program in the US?

Accepted Answer

A system where manufacturers take responsibility for end-of-life management of their products

Answer

Product stewardship programs hold manufacturers responsible for collecting and properly recycling or disposing of their products at end of life, such as electronics take-back programs.

Industrial and Product Design Practice Test

Industrial and Product Design Practice Test

Industrial and Product Design Industrial and Product Design Sustainability & Environmental Design 2