What key concept should be employed when designing a sustainable mobile phone?

What key concept should be employed when designing a sustainable mobile phone?

• A. Recycling old models
• B. Design for environment and lifecycle assessment
• C. Maximizing battery life
• D. Reducing production costs

Answer: (B)

Designing a sustainable mobile phone fundamentally revolves around the concept of "design for environment" and lifecycle assessment. This approach evaluates the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire lifecycle, from extraction of raw materials and production processes to usage and eventual disposal or recycling. By integrating lifecycle assessment into the design phase, manufacturers can identify and minimize negative environmental effects at each stage. This includes using materials that are less harmful to the environment, ensuring that the phone is energy-efficient during use, and facilitating easy disassembly for repair or recycling at the end of its life. Focusing solely on recycling old models, maximizing battery life, or reducing production costs does not comprehensively address the broader environmental implications or encourage sustainable practices throughout the entire lifecycle of the mobile phone. These aspects may contribute to sustainability in different ways, but they are not as holistic or effective as embedding lifecycle thinking into the product design itself. Thus, employing design for environment and lifecycle assessment is crucial in achieving a genuinely sustainable mobile phone.

Designing a sustainable mobile phone fundamentally revolves around the concept of "design for environment" and lifecycle assessment. This approach evaluates the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire lifecycle, from extraction of raw materials and production processes to usage and eventual disposal or recycling.

By integrating lifecycle assessment into the design phase, manufacturers can identify and minimize negative environmental effects at each stage. This includes using materials that are less harmful to the environment, ensuring that the phone is energy-efficient during use, and facilitating easy disassembly for repair or recycling at the end of its life.

Focusing solely on recycling old models, maximizing battery life, or reducing production costs does not comprehensively address the broader environmental implications or encourage sustainable practices throughout the entire lifecycle of the mobile phone. These aspects may contribute to sustainability in different ways, but they are not as holistic or effective as embedding lifecycle thinking into the product design itself. Thus, employing design for environment and lifecycle assessment is crucial in achieving a genuinely sustainable mobile phone.