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Abstract

The aim of this article is to raise awareness of the difference between eco-design and sustainable design and to explain the three dimensions of sustainable design, based on the Royal Academy of Engineering model. However, the article focuses on the less well understood social dimension. The article presents the main aspects of socio-centric sustainable design and explains why it is now so important to both the development of truly sustainable products but also to developing new sustainable business models. The article briefly discusses some existing web based resources aimed at assisting practicing designers and engineers to develop sustainably designed solutions. However, these are essentially aimed at the techno and eco-centric dimensions. There is limited and disparate information available on the socio-centric dimension. The article also presents a website (www.sociocentricdesign.com ) which is an attempt to develop a learning resource, currently aimed primarily at undergraduate designers and engineers, on the socio-centric dimension. The article considers whether this resource could be beneficial for practicing designers and engineers and with development could be used as a forum for the development of practice in this area. The article concludes by asking for volunteers to be participants in further research to enable this development to take place.

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• Several Shades of Green - do you do eco-design or sustainable design or neither? (deposited 22 Jun 2010 11:46)
  • Several Shades of Green - do you do eco-design or sustainable design or neither. (deposited 20 Aug 2010 14:00) [Currently Displayed]

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