Jargon Buster

An A to Z of commonly used terms

This basic glossary will help you to communicate more accurately and effectively with clients, suppliers and others who need to know about product and design related environmental issues. The potential list for such a glossary is extremely long, however we’ve aimed to keep it concise and relevant.

Bioplastic

Plastics manufactured from renewable resources such as natural sugars or starch extracted from potato, wheat, corn or tapioca. An additional environmental benefit is the fact that they are biodegradable under certain conditions. Mechanical properties vary depending on the specific polymer, however bioplastics are already in use in the packaging, automotive and consumer electronic sectors.

Cradle to Cradle Design

William McDonough and Michael Braungarts’ (MBDC) design paradigm, based on principles and an understanding of the pursuit of value, as well as MBDC's processes for product and material research and development, and for educating and training. At a fundamental level, the new paradigm proposes that human design can learn from nature to be effective, safe, enriching, and delightful. Cradle to Cradle Design models human industry on nature's processes, in which materials are viewed as nutrients circulating in healthy, safe metabolisms.
MBDC, www.mbdc.com

Design for Disassembly (DfD)

Designed to be easy to take apart (with minimal or basic tools) at end of life for repair, remanufacture or recycling.

Design for Durability (DfD)

Designed to last longer thus avoiding multiple products being used for a particular task or need over time, resulting in less overall environmental impact.

Design for Environment (DfE) or EcoDesign

A way of designing products with a view to eliminating or minimising environmental, social and human health impacts across the entire product life cycle from materials extraction and processing through to production, distribution, operation and end-of-life. Underpinned by a life cycle approach to impact identification and reduction. Focus on ‘locking-in’ positive environmental features (e.g. renewable and post-consumer recycled materials), and ‘locking-out’ negative environmental features (e.g. hazardous and toxic substances, premature obsolescence). See also, Sustainable Product Design.

Design for Recycling (DfR)

Designed to maximise recycling; easy to disassemble, materials are easily separated, labelled and commonly recycled.

Dematerialisation

This is very much about ‘doing much more with much less’. It can refer to production-side initiatives such as light-weighting or use of recovered materials, or more radically, products designed for closed-loop take-back and components or materials reuse.

Ecolabelling

A voluntary method of environmental performance certification and labelling that is practised around the world. An ecolabel is a label which identifies overall environmental preference of a product or service within a specific product/service category based on life cycle considerations. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has identified three broad types of voluntary labels, with ecolabelling fitting under the Type I designation.
Global Ecolabelling Network, www.gen.gr.jp

Embodied Energy

An indication of the amount of energy used in production and distribution of a material or product; the cost in energy to produce. The total energy stored in a product or material and includes the energy in the raw materials, transport and that consumed in manufacture.
Eco-Design Handbook by Alastair Faud-Luke, Thames & Hudson 2002

Environmental Management System (EMS)

An environmental management system (EMS) is a systematic approach to dealing with the environmental aspects of an organization. It is a 'tool' that enables an organization of any size or type to control the impact of its activities, products or services on the natural environment. The ISO 14001 standard "Environmental management systems--Specification with guidance for use" is the standard within the ISO 14000 series that specifies the requirements of an environmental management system.
ISO, www.tc207.org

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Designed to reduce the amount of waste from consumer goods and its impact on the environment. It involves producers taking more responsibility for managing the environmental impact of their products throughout their life. Producers can play a role beyond the point of sale or warranty by, for example, designing products that produce less waste, use fewer resources, and contain more recycled and less toxic components.
NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, www.epa.nsw.gov.au

Greenwash

A term used to describe exaggerated or misleading marketing, advertising and product labelling claims associated with the environmental performance of a product or service.

Hazardous Substance

A substance which has the potential to harm the health or safety of humans. Types of substances which may be hazardous include solvents, pesticides, paints, adhesives, petroleum products, heavy metals and other industrial chemicals.
Comcare, www.comcare.gov.au

Heavy Metals

Metallic elements mainly of high atomic weight, generally toxic to plant and animal life in low concentrations. These elements are often present in the environment in trace concentrations and exhibit biological accumulation. Examples include mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead, which are toxic to humans in any form or quantity.
Department of the Environment, Water Resources and Heritage, www.npi.gov.au

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

A process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process, or activity by identifying energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment, and to evaluate and implement opportunities to affect environmental improvements.
EcoRecycle Victoria, www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au

Life Cycle Thinking

Requires you to think about a product or service from cradle to grave, and helps to identify environmental issues and impacts in a qualitative way from materials selection and manufacturing, through to distribution, operation and disposal (including remanufacturing, reuse or recycling).

Light weighting

Reducing the environmental impact of a product through attention to materials efficiency and identifying opportunities to use less material while still maintaining functional requirements. Light-weighting can directly contribute to improved transport efficiencies and cost reductions.

Materials Labelling and Identification

The labelling of materials in product so as to assist in sorting for recycling. Words, letters, numbers, symbols or a combination can be used to designate composition of components of a product or packaging. Note: a material identification symbol does not indicate whether an item can be recycled.
EcoRecycle Victoria, www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au

Post Consumer Waste

Goods or materials discarded after use by consumers. When collected for recycling it needs to be identified and separated to avoid contamination.

Post Industrial Waste

Waste from industrial processes, usually a known material low in contamination and in the case of plastics reground and reused on site. Also referred to as pre consumer waste.

Product Service System (PSS)

A Product Service System (PSS) can be defined as: 'a marketable set of products and services capable of jointly fulfilling a user's need'. PSSs will offer powerful concepts towards the marketplace and can contribute to sustainable growth. The basic idea is that a company's commercial value creation goes beyond the spreading of material goods. PSSs are about function fulfilment of the needs of clients.
PSSI Network, www.pss-info.com

Product Stewardship

Producers and brand owners proactively managing the environmental impacts throughout the life-cycle of their products in partnership with other stakeholders e.g. suppliers, consumers, government. See also, Extended Product Responsibility.

Recycled Content

Proportion of recycled material in a blend, component or product; typically sourced from materials recovered from end-of-life products and components as opposed to the use of 100 per cent virgin materials. See also, Post Consumer and Post Industrial Waste.

Sustainability

A dynamic process which enables all people to realize their potential and to improve their quality of life in ways that simultaneously protect and enhance the Earth’s life support systems.
Forum for Future, www.forumforthefuture.org.uk

Sustainable Consumption

Sustainable resource use. A change to society’s historical patterns of consumption and behaviour that enables consumers to satisfy their needs with better performing products or services that use fewer resources, cause less pollution and contribute to social progress worldwide.

Sustainable Product Design (SPD)

A design philosophy and practice in which products contribute to social and economic well being, have negligible impacts on the environment and can be produced from a sustainable resource base.
Eco-Design Handbook by Alastair Faud-Luke, Thames & Hudson 2002.

Toxicity

A toxic substance can be defined as one with an inherent ability to cause systemic damage to living organisms. Toxic substances occur in the air, the soil, the water and in other living things, and they can enter the body in various ways.
Australia Academy of Science, www.science.org.au

Waste Management Hierarchy

An environment protection principle which states that wastes should be managed in accordance with the following order of preference:

Avoidance - most preferable (can include the concept of Dematerialisation)
Reuse (can include product and component reuse, remanufacturing and refurbishment)
Recycling (focussed on materials recovery and reprocessing)
Recovery of energy
Treatment
Containment
Disposal - least preferable

Also referred to as the Waste Minimisation Hierarchy or Waste Hierarchy