IDC Newsletter 11-04-08

In this issue
MAY 2008

LCA Calculator Launched

KTP Associate Appointed to Develop Sustainable Design

IDC Develops Eco-friendly Inflatable Solar Panel

Welcome...

to the first issue of Design Lines, IDC’s newsletter. Every quarter we will be bringing you information and views about design, as well as updates of our latest developments.

In this issue we have been getting to the heart of sustainable design with the release of a free online LCA Calculator, the recruitment of a sustainable designer and announce IDC’s new inflatable solar panel. Once again we have been in the news, with IDC’s expertise being valued by journalists. Take a look at the press links for full stories.

We hope you will find Design Lines to be interesting and informative.

Stephen Knowles, Managing Director

LCA Calculator Launched IDC is fast gaining a reputation for its green design principles with the launch of a world-first software tool to help manufacturers, engineers and product designers assess the likely environmental impact of their products. Called the LCA Calculator, it’s available online and provides a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of any product, without costing a penny. This new online service is completely free and easy to use. To test out the LCA Calculator for yourself visit: www.lcacalculator.com

IDC Appoints Sustainable Designer IDC is delighted to welcome a new designer, Luke Robbins, to the team. Luke is appointed as a KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership) Associate in collaboration with London South Bank University as part of a programme to develop commercial sustainable design. This supports IDC’s commitment to sustainability and developing a design process which results in a commercially viable green future. To read more about the sustainable design work that Luke and IDC are doing visit our website here

IDC Develops Low Cost Inflatable Solar Panel IDC is delighted to announce its latest product development; an inflatable solar collector called SolarStore. The SolarStore harnesses the sun’s natural energy to warm domestic water and can heat up to three full tanks of water per day at temperatures close to 80°C. For consumers in the UK, the SolarStore could provide a cheap source of domestic hot water; with an initial cost of under £100 per product, trial data has shown that the system will pay for itself in only 6 months. This compares extremely favourably to conventional domestic solar hot water systems, which cost in the region of £2000-3000 and have payback times of around 10-20 years. Find out more…

Design Tips

Think about sustainability as early as possible - retro fitting sustainability will always result in compromise.
Measure the impact of your product - life cycle assessment allows the impact of decisions to be assessed and improvements tracked.
Focus on the greatest area of impact - whether this is energy usage, toxic materials, or recyclability etc will vary from product to product.
Design in sustainable behaviour - sustainability is about the way people use products as much as the products themselves. Consider this at the concept stage.
Check out suppliers - the environmental and social impact on you product will depend on the practices of you suppliers. You should understand these.

IDC in the Press

Stephen Knowles discusses globalisation in New Design magazine

LCA Calculator in Eureka magazine

Medick Heart Monitor case study in New Design magazine

ColorMatrix Dosing Cart hits in news

IDC’s SolarStore is commented on at the eco blog site, Environmental Graffiti

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To find out more information about any of the items or if you have an queries regarding product design and development, please feel free to contact us:

+44 (0)1753 547 610