Environment

Environmental criteria applied to communication design practices.

Below are the environmental criteria that this tool evaluates.

Environmental impact reduction

Actions that lead to designs with a lower impact.

Lifecycle assessment

How a design can address the environmental impact of a product.

Product ingredients list

How products should display their list of “ingredients”, or material components.

CO2 certification

What are some certification options and how to display them in the product.

Renewable energy

Clean energy sources used in the making of a product.

Air pollution and greenhouse gases

Ways to offset the emissions of a product

Water

Ways to reduce water use and pollution

Product quantity

Reproduction and end-of-life considerations

Carbon offsets

Carbon offset credits to offset all travel, production and Web presence.

Non-renewable resources

Strategies to reduce non-renewable natural resources.

Animal welfare

Animals or an entire animal species are not put at risk.

Toxins

Reducing or eliminating toxins in a product.

Environmental policy

A publicly-accessible environmental policy

Ink

Reducing the ink-coverage area of printed materials.

Paper

Questioning the need for paper and the efficiency of paper use.

Ink, Printing and Finishes

Questioning the need for printing; or use of environment-friendly inks.

Transport

Efficiency in the product’s transportation.

Consumer energy

Does the product consume energy efficiently?

Extended life product

Is the product designed to be used for a life-span longer than the industry’s average?

Durability

Where applicable, how does the product durability become an asset?

Zero waste

Can a product result in zero waste?

Recyclability or Reusability

Can a product and its packaging be reused or recycled?

Product’s end of life

Can the product be composted, or used as fuel or food?

Environmental sustainability policy

Contents of a designer’s environmental sustainability policy.