Curricular Innovation in Sustainable Product Design: Combining LCA, DFMA, and Case Studies

It is common to have postgraduate programs that focus on sustainability. The most common lens for looking at sustainability is through a life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective and assessing the impact of the use of different materials and manufacturing processes in the overall footprint of products or the broader ESG approach where environmental, social, and governance issues are intertwined. Engineering programs tend to focus on a rather more technical approach using life cycle assessment. Because of the details necessary for an LCA, the analyses are based on existing products, where all of the information on materials and manufacturing is readily available. The Master of Science in Technology and Design in Sustainable Product Design (MTD-SPD) at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) encompasses a course on Design for Sustainability where the usual aspects related to LCA are dealt with. However, two important aspects of product design with a significant impact on the environment are seldom considered: product architecture and product assembly. The MTD-SPD focuses on these aspects, to bring a fresh perspective into the discussion about sustainable development, deeply rooted in engineering.