Technological trends, product design and the environment

✍ Scribed by Stephen Poole; Matthew Simon

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 659 KB
• Volume: 18
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0142-694X
• DOI: 10.1016/s0142-694x(97)00003-3

✦ Synopsis

The paper begins with an overview of electronics and the environment. It then describes three current trends in information technology and telecommunications: convergence of products, miniaturisation and the use of networks. The potential impacts that these trends will have on the environment are discussed and summarised in an Abridged Life Cycle Assessment matrix. It is argued that all three trends may act to reduce the environmental impact of future products. However, this will require crucial changes to the design principles of electronic products and we should also change the philosophy of their use.