Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Taylor and I'm really pleased you can join me here today for our lesson.

Our lesson today is Material Sustainability, and this is from the unit: Principles of Materials and Manufacturing.

Let's begin.

The outcome: I can identify the sources of materials and assess their sustainability.

And we have four keywords: synthetic, which means manufactured, not naturally occurring; sustainable: using resources wisely so they do not run out; renewable: resources that are non-finite and can replenish itself; recycle: convert waste into reusable materials.

Okay, we have three learning cycles.

We have the first one, which is Material Sources, then Sustainable Material Choices, and then Recycling.

Let's begin.

Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment.

We can consider where the resources we use to create products come from and the impact they may have on the environment.

For example, plants, the Earth and animals.

Oil is an example of a finite resource.

It is non-renewable and cannot be replaced.

Plants are an example of a non-finite resource.

These are renewable and can be replaced.

Let's have a check.

Which of the following can reduce the negative environmental impact of products? Is it A: using non-renewable resources such as coal or oil; B: using renewable resources such as plants; or C: using sustainable energy to produce and use a product? Pause the video and have a go.

Fabulous.

Let's check.

That's right, it's using renewable resources such as plants and using sustainable energy to produce and use a product.

Materials can be naturally occurring such as: timber and paper and board from trees; wool from sheep.

Materials that are manufactured are known as synthetic.

Polymers, you may know as plastics, manufactured from crude oil are synthetic materials such as acrylic, polythene, or high impact polystyrene sheet, "HIPS." Synthetic materials can be manufactured from finite or non-finite resources.

Another check.

Synthetic materials are A: naturally occurring; B: are manufactured; C: use finite or non-finite resources? Pause the video and have a go.

Great.

Let's have a look.

That's right.

It's B and C.

Synthetic materials are manufactured and they use finite or non-finite resources.

Task A: Complete this table to identify the material sources for these products.

A polythene carrier bag, a wool jumper, a clear acrylic record player lid, and a beach timber lemon juicer.

Pause the video.

Well done.

Let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

Synthetic.

The polythene carrier bag is synthetic and the acrylic record player lid is also synthetic.

The natural material products are the beach timber lemon juicer, and the wool jumper.

Finite and also non-renewable, so the resource will run out, a polythene carrier bag and the acrylic record player lid.

Non-finite and renewable, so it can be replenished itself, is the beach timber lemon juicer and the wool jumper.

Well done.

We move on to the second learning cycle: Sustainable Material Choices.

Sustainable means using resources wisely so that they do not run out.

Sustainability can be complex to assess, as the source of the material is not the only factor which has an effect on the environment.

How the material is processed and disposed of also affects its sustainability.

Let's have a check.

Something means using resources wisely so they do not run out.

Is it A: suitable, B: sustainable, or C: recyclable? Pause the video.

Brilliant.

Let's have a look.

That's right.

It's sustainable.

Well done.

Cotton is a natural resource, grown from plants.

The fluffy white bols, notice that they're not called balls, they're called bols, B-O-L-S, are harvested and then processed.

They are spun into yarns, which can then be woven into fabric.

Cotton can be a sustainable material as it can be replanted.

However, farming and processing can damage the environment.

For example, using chemicals to bleach or dye the cotton can harm the local rivers if not disposed of carefully.

This is also true for paper and cardboard if bleached and dyed.

Therefore, not all cotton is sustainable as it must be harvested and processed sustainably.

Let's have a check.

Which of these are part of the cotton production process? Is it A: weaving the bols; B: harvesting the bols; C: spinning into yarn; or D: harvesting yarn? Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

Let's check.

That's right, it's harvesting the bols and spinning into yarn.

Well done.

Metals are naturally occurring elements found in the Earth's crust.

They are mined from the earth.

They are heated and often combined with other elements to create materials such as mild-steel.

Metals are a finite resource and are non-renewable.

Mining can damage the earth.

Processing metals uses huge amounts of energy which produce carbon emissions.

Metals can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality or degrading.

Polymers can occur naturally or be manufactured.

Natural polymers are sourced direct from nature, such as rubber plants.

The sap from the rubber tree is harvested.

This is then processed by adding chemicals to make the liquid more stable.

This is then heated in moulds, a process called vulcanization.

Vulcanised rubber products are very difficult to recycle.

A quick check.

True or false? All polymers are made from finite and non-renewable sources.

True or false? Pause the video.

Fantastic.

Let's look.

That's right.

It's false.

Some polymers are renewable, such as those from plants like rubber or corn starch biopolymers.

Fantastic.

Manufactured polymers are known as synthetic.

Synthetic polymers can be made from renewable sources, such as corn starch, or non-renewable sources, such as crude oil.

Crude oil is a finite resource.

It is drilled from the earth and then refined and processed to create polymers such as PVC.

Drilling can damage the earth.

Processing crude oil uses huge amounts of energy.

Many polymers can be recycled but most lose their quality each time and is therefore limited.

Here we have Task B: Choose two of the materials and analyse their sustainability using the table below.

We have a cotton sheet, a piece of mild-steel, a rubber ice hockey puck, and a PVC drain pipe.

In the table, there are two columns: sustainable qualities and unsustainable qualities.

Pause the video and have a go.

Great.

Let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

Cotton.

The sustainable qualities are that cotton trees occur naturally and, if replanted, are renewable.

The unsustainable qualities are that farming can damage the environment and chemicals used to dye the cotton can damage the environment if not disposed of carefully.

Now we look at mild steel.

Mild steel: the sustainable qualities are that the metal ores naturally occur in the Earth's crust.

And it can be recycled indefinitely without degrading.

The unsustainable qualities are that mining is damaging to the environment.

It cannot be replaced as it is finite and non-renewable, and huge amounts of energy used to produce the ore into metal materials.

Rubber.

Sustainable qualities: Rubber trees occur naturally and, if replanted, are renewable.

The unsustainable qualities are that it is difficult to recycle.

PVC drain pipe: The sustainable qualities are it can be recycled.

The unsustainable qualities are: Drilling crude oil is damaging to the environment.

Crude oil is a finite and non-renewable resource.

Processing crude oil uses huge amounts of energy and recycling is limited as the quality degrades each time it is processed.

Well done.

And now we move on to the third learning cycle, Recycling.

The 6 Rs are sustainability principles that help minimise waste and environment impact in design and manufacturing.

They have an order, or precedence.

This means the first is the most sustainable and the sixth the least.

So the first is Rethink, second, Refuse, third, Reduce, four, Reuse, five, Repair, and then six, Recycle.

Let's have a check.

Which of the following are one of the Six R's? Is it A: Readjust; B: Reuse; C: Recycle; and D: Respond? Pause the video and have a go.

Let's check.

Well done.

It's Reuse and Recycle.

Recycling is where materials are converted and reprocessed.

Some materials can be recycled.

This avoids disposing of them for longer and makes them more sustainable.

However, recycling materials uses energy and can be difficult if the materials are mixed and difficult to identify or separate.

When creating products, many designers need to consider the 6 Rs.

Here we have a check.

What can make recycling difficult? Is it A: materials difficult to identify; B: materials difficult to cut; C: materials difficult to separate; and D: materials difficult to join? Pause the video.

That's right, it's A: materials difficult to identify and materials difficult to separate.

Well done.

These Kibu headphones are an example of a product which has been designed with sustainability in mind.

They are sold in kit form, so the users build the product.

Many of the components are 3D printed using a biopolymer made from corn starch.

Because the components are easy to construct, they are also easy to repair or replace.

Task C.

Here we have a picture of some chocolate box packaging.

There's a cardboard outer box, a high impact polystyrene sheet polymer tray, and some corrugated paper that acts as a pad between the chocolates and the top of the box.

Part one: analyse the sustainability of the materials used for the chocolate box packaging by completing the table on the next slide.

Identify the material sources.

Describe the sustainable and unsustainable qualities of each material.

And then part two: Explain how the packaging could be more sustainable.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fabulous.

Let's check.

The cardboard box is sourced from trees, which is natural and renewable.

The sustainable qualities are that trees occur naturally and, if replanted, are renewable and it can be recycled.

The unsustainable qualities are that the bleach and dye used to create clean and coloured card can damage the environment if not disposed of carefully.

High impact polystyrene sheet or HIPS.

The sources are crude oil, which is natural and finite.

The sustainable qualities are that it can be recycled, but the unsustainable qualities are that drilling crude oil is damaging to the environment.

Crude oil is finite and non-renewable.

Processing crude oil uses huge amounts of energy and recycling is limited as the quality degrades each time it is processed.

And the corrugated paper pad is also made from trees which are natural and renewable.

Trees can occur naturally and if replanted are renewable, can be recycled.

And again, the bleach and dye used to create clean and coloured paper damage the environment if not disposed of carefully.

Jacob explains how the packaging could be more sustainable.

"Cardboard has fewer unsustainable qualities compared to HIPS.

The HIPS insert tray could be changed to a curved cardboard one, similar to an egg box or folded card dividers." Alex also adds, "The box could be reduced from a large box with three different materials to a paper bag." Well done.

Here is a summary of our learning today.

Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment.

Materials can be sourced from finite or renewable sources.

They can be naturally occurring or synthetic.

Sustainable means using resources wisely so that they do not run out.

Sustainability can be complex.

Many materials have some sustainable qualities and some unsustainable ones.

Recycling is where materials are converted and reprocessed.

This is the least sustainable of the 6 Rs, as energy is used to create the converted material.

Well done and thank you for joining me today.