We believe climate change is a critical global issue which requires leadership and immediate action from every sector of society.
The market for climate friendly products and services is growing rapidly, from energy efficient products to new renewable energy systems. To offer such products, however, it's important to begin at the design stage where 70 per cent of the costs of product development and manufacture are invested, and significant impact on end of life management for a product is determined. Actions as simple as adding energy efficient specifications into the design process, for example, can produce a design that minimises energy consumption during its use and saves customers the time and energy from making adjustments to a product after a purchase, such as wrapping water heaters with insulation blankets.
A more thorough and systematic approach comes from the field of ‘design for sustainability', which includes life cycle design and environmentally conscious design and manufacturing. This new approach to design considers environmental aspects at all stages of the product development process to create products with the lowest environmental impact throughout the product life cycle. This can reduce waste, generating financial benefits on resource use and waste disposal costs. Ecodesign is an important strategy for small and medium sized companies both in developed and developing countries to improve the environmental performance of their products and at the same time improve their competitive position on the market.
Product service systems (PSS) that enable new, climate friendly models of efficiency can also be introduced. These systems shift the business focus from designing and selling physical products only, to selling a system of products and services which are jointly capable of fulfilling specific client demands. What the company or an alliance of companies conceive, produce, and deliver, is not simply material products, but in fact, a more integrated solution to a customer demand, producing a satisfactory utilitarian result. Perhaps the most famous example is that of carpet supplier Interface that decided to offer its products in a modular tile system as a ‘floor covering service' where the units are eventually returned to the company for re-manufacture into new units.
Dr Paul Nieuwenhuis from Cardiff University investigates how low car carbon emissions can go. 
