Sustainable Design Workshop a Success

Professionals from the chemicals using industries aiming to adopt more sustainable product and service design strategies gave a big thumbs up to C-Tech Innovation’s latest Sustainable Design Workshop, hosted by the Institution of Chemical Engineers at their Portland Place, London headquarters.

The latest in a collaborative series of events between C-Tech Innovation, the Chemistry Innovation and Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Networks, the one-day workshop provided an introduction to Sustainable Design in industry, including the drivers, principles and key tools to achieve impactful results. All delegates received a complimentary copy of Chemistry Innovation’s 150-page Sustainable Design Guide.

The Sustainable Design Workshop introduced a three-stage process (Why? - What? - How?) which helps companies think big and develop better products that address genuine customer needs, whilst minimising any negative impacts on environment, and society. Generously scattered with examples of how state-of-the-art thinking has been exploited across a whole range of applications and sectors, the delegates came away with an understanding of how these principles and tools could be deployed within their own organisations.

The workshop combined presented material with an extended interactive group exercise which allowed delegates to get hands-on experience applying the three-stage approach to sustainable design thinking to a real-world based case study scenario.

Delegates praised the event for providing a good, positive introduction to a challenging field, and comments reflected an eagerness for further steps, for instance a specialist in the oil and gas field said, “I will look for opportunities to apply techniques such as Life Cycle Assessment and the Eco-Innovation Compass to the design and construction process for large developments.”

The event also offered the opportunity for delegates to meet experts and to engage with the Knowledge Transfer Networks which provide further networking opportunities and assistance in the exploitation of relevant funding opportunities.

C-Tech Innovation will be running another similar workshop on 6th June. Although this workshop was tailored towards the Chemical sector, it is extremely useful to anyone in the Product Design industry.

One way to ensure you receive details of these events is to sign up to the Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network, which you can do free of charge at https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/sustainabilityktn

If you would like to know more about Sustainable Design Services from C-Tech Innovation, or about running or attending another workshop please contact Ben.Peace@ctechinnovation.com.