School of Industrial and Manufacturing Sciences (SIMS)

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Browsing School of Industrial and Manufacturing Sciences (SIMS) by Supervisor "Dewberry, Emma"

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    The development of a sustainability tool
    (2005-09) Sasaki, S; Dewberry, Emma
    This study examines the potential for ICI Paints, a paint and coating manufacturer, to move their products towards greater sustainability. A brief review of the tools and techniques currently in use to encourage sustainable outputs is given. A new tool is proposed and developed that combines the principles from The Natural Step (TNS) and the streamlined life-cycle analysis concept. Using a matrix to contain TNS’s four system conditions, which measure sustainability in four scientific principles, against five lifecycle stages, a ‘snapshot’ of the sustainability profile of paint can be efficiently determined. Study methods included semi-structured interviews with ICI Paints employees representing different stages of the paint life-cycle. Significantly, despite being a leader in paint innovation and a Dow Jones Sustainability member, ICI Paints had performed very little life-cycle work in the past few decades. The development ofthe snapshot tool was made up ofthree areas: setting the context by understanding ICI Paints sustainability needs; meeting the sustainability needs through the development ofthe snapshot tool; finding where and how the snapshot tool could be useful to ICI Paints. By extracting common themes from interviews and secondary data, the main finding which over-arched all three objectives was the tool’s potential in communicating sustainable messages to generalist and specialist audiences. Other themes included the usefulness of the tool in sustainability focused risk management strategies. Future work includes reviewing and testing the snapshot tool in workshops.
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    Interface and pathways: exploring perceptions of sustainability to inform communication strategies
    (2003-09) Lilley, Debra; Dewberry, Emma
    The initial aim of this project was to investigate architects and designers perceptions of biopolymers and renewable materials in order to inform and develop Interface’s marketing strategy for Pathways, a PLA based product. The initial research was carried out to investigate the factors involved within the development of renewable materials, how the drive towards renewable materials has been addressed internally (Interface) and externally (wider industry) and how renewable materials are communicated within the design community. The issues, drivers and benefits associated with PLA were also investigated. The background research identified several perceived issues regarding PLA, biopolymers and renewable materials. These assumptions were guiding Interface in how they communicated Pathways to their customers. Testing these assumptions and perceptions with Interface customers, therefore, was an essential step in identifying where the perceived issues were justified and where potential gaps between perceived issues and actual perceptions existed. In addition it was important to gain an understanding of how Interface could bridge these gaps and use customer’s perceptions to develop a marketing strategy for Pathways. An investigative style of research was undertaken to capture qualitative ‘perceptions’ of the target group. Face to face interviews were carried out with five respondents from four architecture and design practices based in London, with three distinct aims in mind. To gain an understanding of the decision making process, the drivers to consider biopolymers and the benefits offered to the client. The product level information gathered related to Pathways in a direct sense, however the findings also held wider implications for Interface at a company strategy level. In a sense the investigation of Pathways served as a portal to wider issues raised by architects and designers regarding the effectiveness and suitability of Interface’s sustainability communication.
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    Making construction projects more sustainable through materials choice
    (2002-09) Holliday, Martin; Dewberry, Emma
    Globally, the construction industry is responsible for the use of vast quantities of natural resources. These resources are often procured on the basis of their economic value, the cheaper the material, the more likely it is to be chosen to construct with. It is widely recognised that there are limits to the amount of raw resources available on Earth and that those that remain must be subject to careful management. It is becoming increasingly important for companies to show greater awareness of the growing issues of sustainability- concerning social, environmental and economic equities. One way of doing this is to incorporate 'sustainable' thinking into the early design phase of projects where opportunities exist for many environmental and social impacts to be addressed and minimised. The aim of this project was to provide designers, engineers and architects with a materials selection tool to enable them to facilitate more enlightened design. Through more informed choice of materials, the projects and programmes of construction can be made less unsustainable and result in working to preserve the amount of natural resources available whilst simultaneously promoting social equity and economic viability. The project aimed to address how a material selection tool could be utilised in real life construction projects. This aim was realised through working with MWH (Montgomery Watson Harza), a global engineering and environmental consultancy firm, who provided an ideal opportunity for the tool to be developed and used in a pilot study. The research looked at current environmental methods of selecting materials for building/construction purposes and sought to develop them into a more sustainable materials selection tool called the Materials Matrix (M2). The M2 was developed for use by engineers, designers and architects within MWH and their operations in connection with the particular construction programme Trident West Agreement'. The findings of this research suggest that there is a case and perceived need for a tool of this type that actually provides company employees with a choice of construction materials based on factors other than cost. Secondly there is a major lack of information regarding specific materials' social and environmental properties, particularly in relation to the information made available by material suppliers. However it is clear that the Materials Matrix has potential to provide a broader context of information for designers and engineers to achieve more sustainable solutions.