Page 327 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

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tion, Mohawk recycles about 10 million pounds per year of crumb
rubber from about 720,000 scrap tires into designer door mats. Finally,
Mohawk has replaced cardboard carpet cores with those made from
recycled carpet edge trim, plastic bottle tops and stretch films. These
new cores last longer, are less likely to damage the carpet, and can be
recycled into new cores.

Patagonia: Dancing on the Fringe
Patagonia is an acknowledged leader in sustainable product devel-
opment. The company was founded in 1973 by environmentalist
Yvon Chouinard, a mountain climbing enthusiast, whose philoso-
phy and values continue to guide the company. With about $300
million in annual sales and 1400 employees worldwide, the company
has achieved extraordinary influence and staying power in the out-
door clothing market. Patagonia’s mission statement is to “build the
best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire
and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
Unlike larger companies that have injected sustainability concepts
into an existing culture, Patagonia has sustainability embedded in its
DNA [8]. For example, in 1985 Patagonia formalized its support of
environmental activism by committing 10% of pretax profits to grass-
roots environmental groups; later, the company changed its pledge to
at least 1% of sales. Patagonia’s human resource policies are family
friendly and encourage diversity of thought and behavior. In addi-
tion, Patagonia protects the environment through its clothing designs,
which are simple, versatile, durable, and in most cases recyclable. The
company does not place growth above fidelity to its values.
The Patagonia brand inspires fierce customer loyalty, and vin-
tage garments are prized. The legendary quality of Patagonia prod-
ucts is attributable to its unique design philosophy [9]. Patagonia’s
designers have developed a list of criteria that define the company
mission to make the best product. They pose a series of questions that
are universally applicable:
• Is it functional, and does it fit the intended use and market
need?
• Is it multifunctional, or versatile, so that it fulfills multiple
needs?
• Is it durable, long-lasting, failure-resistant, and repairable
if needed?
• Does it fit our customer (especially important for clothing)?
• Is it as simple as possible in design and construction?
• Is the product line simple, offering a few distinct choices?
• Is it an innovation or an invention (the latter is rare but
powerful)?