In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, the growing capabilities of hardware and software integration means unprecedented opportunity for innovative design. Yet with great innovation comes great responsibility. The need to act on climate change grows more urgent every day. The data is stark: natural disasters are increasing in frequency, wildlife populations have declined by 69%, and UN scientists are calling for a 43% emissions cut by 2030 to achieve the targets set out in the Paris agreement.
Despite these pressures, many companies are not yet up to standard when it comes to managing their environmental impact. Last year, hundreds of businesses that originally committed to the UN’s campaign were removed for failing to set sufficiently meaningful targets. Limitations around technology, geopolitical tensions and poor economic factors have all been cited as barriers for progress.
Co-founder and CTO at TG0.
As the co-founder and CTO of TG0, I can see that one of the biggest opportunities we have to make a positive impact is in conscientious product design. EU Science Hub estimates that more than 80% of all product-related environmental impacts are determined during the design phase. Almost 70% of Apple’s gross carbon emissions are attributed to purchased goods and services. For BMW, it’s 81%, and for Siemens, it’s 96%.
As business leaders commit to sustainability initiatives and navigate regulations like the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products, it is crucial to recognize that genuine environmental impact begins at the design stage.
Consumer demand is also driving progress – a recent poll by Amazon found two in three UK shoppers prefer to buy products that have a more positive environmental impact.
The simplicity revolution
When Capgemini surveyed over 900 senior product designers and engineering executives, only 22% of companies had made sustainability a key component of their product design processes. Those that did reported remarkable benefits: 67% saw reductions in carbon emissions, 73% achieved higher revenue growth, and 70% experienced increased customer satisfaction.
But where to start? Through my work developing next generation human-machine interfaces, I’ve discovered that simplification at the design stage delivers benefits across almost every stage of the product life cycle. The choice of materials, for example, determines how easily a product can be repaired, recycled, or reused. The functionality dictates how many manufacturing steps are required. And the components and features will affect overall energy efficiency.
Materials reimagined
It starts with the materials that product designers choose. The environmental cost of our current approach is staggering: half of all global greenhouse gas emissions and around 90% of the world’s biodiversity loss is down to the extraction and processing of raw materials. Choosing recycled materials, reducing the complexity of a product’s bill of materials (BOM), and limiting the number of components significantly limits environmental impact without reducing any functionality.
Simplifying or rationalizing materials doesn’t have to mean sacrificing any sophistication of performance, especially in a world of evergreen products that are improved with regular software updates.
The economic case
Beyond environmental benefits, there are substantial economic advantages to simplified design. Fewer physical components means a more streamlined assembly process, reduced potential for errors, and lower production costs. Products become more durable with fewer points of failure, while digitization enables feature expansion without increasing material usage. And minimizing complexity often means the end products are lighter, which saves transport costs and associated emissions. This approach creates a virtuous cycle of sustainability and profitability. Conquering the E-Waste Crisis.
Perhaps most critically, these considerations address the growing issue of electronic waste. In 2022 alone, 62 million tonnes of e-waste were produced worldwide, with only 22% collected and recycled. When hardware consists of multiple materials, recycling becomes a challenge and often leads to products being discarded in landfill.
Reduced complexity means improved recyclability. When recyclers can easily separate different materials, products are less likely to end up in landfills. Smart design principles mean minimizing material types and creating products that are inherently easier to recycle at end-of-life.
More innovation at your fingertips
Beyond the cost savings and associated productivity gains, tackling these challenges can actually lead to more innovative products. This was something that Adidas discovered when it revolutionized its high-performance shoes by replacing twelve different materials with a single smart material. Assembly became easier, recycling more straightforward, and the company pioneered new manufacturing techniques using just heat and pressure rather than adhesives.
Similarly, in automotive, Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 exemplifies this approach with recycled PET bottle seat fabric, bio-based carpets derived from sugarcane and corn, leather interiors dyed with flaxseed oil, and doors finished with eco-friendly paint. These innovations demonstrate how simplification can lead to more sophisticated, sustainable outcomes.
The future of sustainable design
As designers create the next generation of products for the future, we must embrace innovation in our design approach alongside the features we deliver to customers. Simplifying product designs doesn’t mean compromising sophisticated functionality or a luxurious finish. Instead it’s a more streamlined way to deliver advanced capabilities, while minimizing carbon impact.
For technology leaders, sustainability can't be a check-box exercise. Only by embracing simplified design philosophy at every stage can we minimize costs, reduce environmental impact, and drive meaningful innovation. The future of product design isn't about adding more - it's about achieving more with less through intelligent design.
The time for this transformation is now. Our planet can't wait, and neither can our businesses.
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