2021 - Autopsy of a product - Global Sustainable Design Workshop
Our first-year Bachelor Design students conducted their first workshop focused on Eco-Responsible Design. The opportunity for them to discover this subject which one of the options for their second year of Bachelor.
In order to raise students awareness of the environmental impact our objects are made of, the chosen theme was «Autopsy of a product». Divided into small groups, they selected an out-of-service object found at home or in public space, with the aim of finding the origin of the malfunction and repairing it if possible. Each object has been carefully disassembled to analyze its components, material types, their functions and recyclability indices.
This work allowed them to discover the meaning of certain symbols on these objects which we don't even notice anymore.
The most complex step in their work was the search for the ecological footprint of their object, also known as the 'ecological backpack of the product'. The ecological footprint of a product is calculated on the consequences of its mode of production and its use on the planet.
At the end of the week, a jury of teachers gathered to evaluate the students' work. Each group made a presentation summarizing their actions and a video explaining the process of dismantling their object.
The students invested a lot in this workshop, perhaps even that some have discovered an interest in Eco-Responsible Design that will push them to make it their specialty soon.
