What is eco-design?

Eco-design is a design approach that considers the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials through production, usage, and eventual disposal or recycling. This holistic perspective seeks to minimize negative environmental impacts while still meeting the functional and aesthetic needs of the product.

By focusing on the life cycle, eco-design encourages designers and manufacturers to think critically about how materials are sourced, the energy consumed during production, the durability of the product, and how it can be reused or recycled at the end of its life. This approach promotes sustainability by aiming to reduce waste, pollution, and resource depletion.

In contrast, options that refer to reducing manufacturing costs or prioritizing aesthetic appeal do not address the environmental considerations that are central to eco-design. Similarly, a marketing strategy for environmentally friendly products does not inherently involve the design process itself, which is what eco-design specifically entails.