Innovation in design can come about in many ways. In some cases all it takes is a change in materials, like with Way Basics' zBoard material, which is pieces of compressed, recycled paper that's used to make light, stable furniture.

Other times it's a complete rethinking of how products are used, like with Method's new detergent. In addition to being 8x concentrated (making all those 2x and 3x concentrated detergents that have become the norm seem outdated) the detergent is administered by squirting a pump instead of pouring it out into a measuring cap.

And sometimes it comes in the form of rethinking what kind of packaging is necessary for a product, a step Kodak took when it decided to use a plastic and paperboard package for one of its cameras instead of the typical all-plastic clamshell.

This issue of David Report, "A Checklist For Sustainability," gives a range of questions for designers, companies and others to consider to infuse sustainability into products, along with a plethora of examples.
 

This book explores the concept of sustainable product design in the context of the global doll-making industry. The author reviewed eco design parameters and developed criteria for sustainable product design in the doll-making industry, the conducted three case studies of dolI-makin in China, Germany and Peru.

Mark your calendars for two 2010 State of Green Business Forums, in San Francisco and Chicago. These one-day information-packed events coincide with the release of GreenBiz.com’s “State of Green Business 2010,” the acclaimed annual status report on corporate environmental trends and progress.