New
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Lesson 3 of 8
  • Year 9

Design

I can explain how design affects the environmental impact of a product.

Lesson 3 of 8
New
New
  • Year 9

Design

I can explain how design affects the environmental impact of a product.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Design plays a crucial role in shaping the environmental impact of a product across it's entire lifecycle.
  2. Designing products that last longer and can be shared help to reduce environmental impact.

Keywords

  • Circular economy - an economic system where products and materials are kept in circulation and do not become waste

  • Design decisions - a deliberate choice to meet a requirement or solve a problem

  • Modular design - a design approach where a product is made up of separate, interchangeable parts or modules

  • Design opportunity - a gap, or a need where a new or improved product would be beneficial

Common misconception

Sustainability decisions happen after the product has been designed.

At the design stage, designers have a huge responsibility to influence many other stages of a product's life cycle through their design decisions.


To help you plan your year 9 design and technology lesson on: Design, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Source a range of products with differing environmental impacts. What decisions were and could be made to reduce the environmental impact?
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Identify the examples of products that follow a circular economy.

Correct answer: reusable straws
clingfilm
single use coffee cups
Correct answer: reusable food wraps

Q2.
Which stage of the circular economy would the be the use of hybrid or electric vehicles?

design / redesign
Correct answer: distribution
raw materials
waste

Q3.
Successful design do not give a specific solution.

Correct Answer: opportunities

Q4.
What is the correct definition for life cycle assessment?

LCA assesses the environmental impact at the design stage of a product's life.
Correct answer: LCA assesses the environmental impact at every stage of a product's life.
LCA assesses the financial impact at every stage of a product's life.
LCA assesses the waste impact at every stage of a product's life.

Q5.
Match the term to the definition.

Correct Answer:circular economy,an economic system where products are kept in circulation

an economic system where products are kept in circulation

Correct Answer:design decisions,a deliberate choice to meet a requirement or solve a problem

a deliberate choice to meet a requirement or solve a problem

Correct Answer:design opportunity,a gap, or a need where a new or improved product would be beneficial

a gap, or a need where a new or improved product would be beneficial

Q6.
80% of a product's environmental impact is influenced by decisions made at which stage of the circular economy?

the product in use stage
Correct answer: the design / redesign stage
the distribution stage
the repair and maintenance stage

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that of a product's environmental impact is influenced by decisions made at the design stage.

Correct Answer: 80%, eighty percent

Q2.
A label such as this encourages users to:

An image in a quiz
Correct answer: pass on to someone else
put in the bin
Correct answer: give to the charity shop
cut it up to make into another product

Q3.
Environmental benefits of a chair such as this include:

An image in a quiz
fabric cannot be removed and replaced
Correct answer: can be flat packed
height cannot be adjusted for other users
Correct answer: has a modular design so separate parts can be replaced if necessary

Q4.
Match the benefits of a bike share scheme to the stage of the circular economy.

Correct Answer:durable heavy duty build,manufacture and materials processing

manufacture and materials processing

Correct Answer:collect/return to different location,product in use

product in use

Correct Answer:can be dismantled for recycling,recycling

recycling

Correct Answer:modularity enables parts to be replaced,repair and maintenance

repair and maintenance