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Five insights from SolidWorks Sustainability expert, Asheen Phansey

Asheen Phansey, an expert on biomimicry (nature-inspired design) and green marketing, shares his insights on sustainability in an interview in The Atlantic today. Here are five of his insightful views on the state of sustainable design today...

1. A revolution is coming in sustainable design, brought on by a democratisation of life cycle assessments (LCAs). Tools are being created for designers that empower them to embrace systems thinking and consider the life cycle impacts of product designs.
2. There is no silver bullet when it comes to sustainability. It all depends on comparison methods and the metrics that are used. Which product stages are included, which environmental impacts are relevant, and which are most important all impact on the appropriate green strategy.
3. An emerging trend that will shake up the sustainability world is measuring the toxicity of materials used in designs. Designers are starting to take a proactive approach to material evaluation rather than simply avoiding those that are already known to be human- or eco-toxic.
4. There is an increasing over-emphasis on cutting costs and a lack of interest in those methods that don not have a measurable benefit in the short term. Investment in a cleaner future should not focus on short-term benefits.
5. Material blacklists, despite having their place, should be used carefully. A material like PVC might be deemed unsustainable for disposable products but is likely to be a cleaner plastic to use in a long-term application. By all means use material blacklists and whitelists, but steer clear of applying them absolutely.

Read the full interview, "A Conversation With Asheen Phansey, Sustainability Evangelist", in The Atlantic.