This mini-lesson covers responsible design — the 6 Rs, life-cycle assessment, carbon footprint, Design for Disassembly, the circular economy, obsolescence and ethical & social responsibility.
Work through each screen, answer the questions as you go and collect ⭐ stars. Press Start when you’re ready.
Overview
Designing responsibly
Responsible design considers people and the planet across a product’s whole life. It balances three pillars of sustainability — environmental, social and economic — so that meeting today’s needs does not harm future generations.
6Rs
The 6 Rs of sustainability
The 6 Rs are a priority list — try the earlier ones first, because recycling still uses energy:
Rethink — design smarter to cut impact from the start.
Refuse — avoid unnecessary materials or products.
Reduce — use fewer resources and less energy.
Reuse — use again for the same or a new purpose.
Repair — fix rather than replace.
Recycle — reprocess materials into new products.
Match it
Match each R
Tap one of the 6 Rs, then tap what it means.
Term
Match
Quick check
Which comes first?
?Why do the 6 Rs place "Rethink" and "Reduce" above "Recycle"?
Resources
Finite vs renewable resources
Renewable / sustainable resources replenish within a human timescale — e.g. timber from managed forests, wool, cotton, bioplastics.
Finite (non-renewable) resources run out — e.g. crude oil (the basis of most polymers), metal ores, coal and gas.
Sort it
Renewable or finite?
Tap a resource, then tap whether it is renewable or finite.
🌱 Renewable
⛏️ Finite
LCA
Life-cycle assessment
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) analyses a product’s environmental impact cradle-to-grave — across raw-material extraction, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal. The ISO 14040 framework has four phases: goal & scope, inventory analysis, impact assessment and interpretation.
Quick check
What is an LCA?
?What does a life-cycle assessment measure?
Carbon
Carbon footprint & product miles
A carbon footprint is the greenhouse gas released by a product, measured in kg CO₂e. It is cut by using less energy in manufacture, choosing lower-impact materials, and reducing product/transport miles through local sourcing.
Calculate
Your turn — recycled content
∑A product uses 2 kg of material in total, of which 1.5 kg is recycled. What is its recycled content as a percentage?
%
Hint: (1.5 ÷ 2) × 100.
Circular
Design for disassembly & the circular economy
Design for Disassembly (DfD) — design products so parts separate easily for repair, upgrade, reuse or recycling (clips instead of glue, labelled polymers).
Circular economy — keeps materials in use in loops of reuse/repair/recycle, replacing the linear take–make–dispose model.
Quick check
Circular thinking
?A phone is designed so the battery and screen unclip for replacement, and every polymer part is labelled for recycling. Which principles are shown?
Obsolescence
Obsolescence
Planned / built-in obsolescence — designing a product to wear out or become outdated quickly, so people buy replacements. It drives sales but harms the environment.
Responsible design does the opposite — durability, repairability and timeless styling extend useful life.
Quick check
Planned obsolescence
?A gadget is deliberately built so it cannot be repaired and becomes unfashionable within a year. What is this called?
Ethics
Ethical & social responsibility
Beyond the environment, responsible design considers people: fair pay and safe conditions in the supply chain (Fairtrade, ethical sourcing), honest marketing, and creating genuine social value. This is the social pillar of sustainability, alongside the environmental and economic pillars.