Sustainable Design
SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES IN INDIAN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
Sustainability in industries, balancing environmental safety with economic and social considerations, is a global concern, especially in India, where it began gaining attention in 2001. Among various sectors, the pharmaceutical industry stands out as a significant polluter, generating 25–70 kg of waste per kg of product, consuming high energy, and emitting substantial greenhouse gases (GHGs). This has motivated researchers to explore sustainability practices within the Indian pharmaceutical sector.
This study investigates the adoption and implementation of sustainability practices in the Indian pharmaceutical industry, aiming to establish relationships between sustainability, the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), and key drivers. Through a comprehensive literature review, research gaps were identified, leading to the development of a theoretical framework tested via a survey among 2,147 organizations, yielding 393 usable responses. Data analysis using SPSS developed three models correlating sustainability factors with predictors.
Model A highlights that sustainability awareness is significantly influenced by material impact, process optimization, economic and social aspects, and key drivers. Model B confirms the relationship between sustainability planning and process optimization alongside economic aspects. Model C establishes that process optimization, economic aspects, and key drivers strongly influence sustainability implementation. Together, these models demonstrate how awareness leads to better planning and implementation, culminating in organizational sustainability.
A case study further assessed environmental performance in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Recommendations from the LCA led to process optimization, improving API yield by 5%. This emphasizes the utility of tools like LCA in addressing environmental challenges, enhancing economic outcomes, and fostering social responsibility. However, global initiatives, legislative actions, or standardized guidelines are crucial drivers for widespread adoption.
Based on survey findings and case study outcomes, a consolidated sustainability framework for the Indian pharmaceutical industry was developed and validated. This research provides critical insights into achieving sustainability by integrating TBL considerations and key drivers.
SUSTAINABILITY OF PRODUCTS DURING CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
Sustainability has become a core goal for companies worldwide. Sustainable development, as defined by Brundtland, involves meeting current needs without compromising future generations. Achieving this requires sustainable production and consumption, where consumer behavior and product design play critical roles. While sustainable production benefits society, consumption patterns can significantly impact the environment, making it vital to understand and guide both designers and consumers toward sustainable practices.
This research focuses on supporting designers in the conceptual design phase, where modifications are most flexible and risk is minimal, to integrate sustainability from the start. To understand stakeholder perceptions, a survey of 422 responses, including producers, consumers, and others, analyzed awareness, accessibility, and affordability of sustainable products. The results emphasized the need for tools to assist designers in creating sustainable products.
The study engaged six designers in problem-solving exercises with and without environmental triggers. Protocol analysis revealed that designers prioritize idea generation but often neglect environmental considerations unless explicitly prompted. This highlights the need for targeted support during the ideation phase.
To address this, a framework was developed to guide designers in generating sustainable ideas. A database of problem-solving methods was categorized into steps aligned with product life cycle stages, ranked by frequency of use, and incorporated into a tool with TRIZ40 initiatives for sustainability. This tool enables designers to generate and evaluate methods tailored to specific design challenges.
Additionally, a methodology was created to assess the sustainability of product ideas during the conceptual phase. By analyzing product sketches, calculating material mass, and estimating energy consumption and CO2 emissions, the tool provides insights into environmental impacts. The framework, integrated into an interactive GUI, offers potential for database expansion and further enhancements, enabling designers to assess and improve the sustainability of their ideas before they become products.
ECODESIGN SUPPORT FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Global warming and resource depletion have made eco-friendly production a critical need. The Global Footprint Network’s 2016 data revealed natural resource use exceeding renewal rates by 1.6 times, prompting industries to adopt eco-design strategies. Eco-design integrates environmental considerations into product design across its life cycle. Despite its introduction in the 1990s, implementation in industries remains limited, primarily due to a mismatch between existing tools and designers’ needs. This research focuses on developing support mechanisms for designers to adopt eco-design effectively, especially during the early design stages.
The first objective identifies factors influencing eco-design adoption in industries, highlighting poor environmental strategies as a significant hurdle. Designers emerge as key stakeholders, as they directly translate eco-design principles into products, even under regulatory or managerial pressure.
The second objective explores designers' needs from eco-design tools, revealing differing priorities between engineering designers and design researchers. Survey findings show that bridging the gap between available tools and designers' requirements is crucial for successful adoption.
The third objective evaluates existing tools, identifying the Checklist, MET Matrix, and LiDS as the most effective. Integrating and modifying these tools in sequence formed the basis of a new ecodesign method.
The fourth objective develops and tests this method through case studies on office staplers and hand blenders, achieving a 49% reduction in environmental impact. Designers noted the need for early-stage environmental evaluation tools.
The final objective introduces an Artificial Neural Network (ANN)-based tool for early design stages. This tool optimizes life cycle parameters, yielding results comparable to GaBi software with greater time efficiency.
This research establishes a comprehensive framework for eco-design support, enabling designers to create environmentally conscious products without requiring specialized expertise. It bridges the gap between academic research and industrial implementation, fostering better environmental performance in product development.