Product Design Process in the Context of Sustainable Development: An Approach to Waste Reduction

In this study, the importance of decisions of industrial designers in the primary stage of the design of products in terms of reducing environmental impacts was evaluated. In this descriptive research, the relationship between designers’ awareness and design quality in terms of waste reduction considerations was assessed. Then, 56 industrial designers as the research participants filled out the questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed by SPSSWin 23. Statistical analysis of the results based on the Spearman rank test showed that there was a significant relationship between choosing a sustainable approach to design and reducing product waste after its life cycle. Moreover, the level of responsibility of industrial designers for the environment is effective in reducing product waste. Questionnaire analysis showed that designers who cared about the fate of their designed products after the end of the life cycle frequently used sustainable approach. The results showed that designers who took a sustainable approach to design and cared about the fate of the products after the end of their life cycle designed products in such a way that they could be reused. There was also a significant relationship between the choice of a sustainable approach by designers and the use of recycled materials in new products. It seems that more awareness should be raised and further studies should be conducted to improve benefiting of designers’ sustainable approaches as well as to raise their awareness about the necessity of observing the sustainable development objectives.