The Covid-19 pandemic has tested the strength and resilience of most individuals and businesses, and engineers have shown that outstanding results can be achieved by working together.
UNESCO defines sustainable engineering as the process of using resources in a way that does not compromise the environment or deplete what is available for future generations. Sustainable engineering should also not just be designated as a sole responsibility of environmental engineers; all engineers in all fields should be incorporating sustainability into their practices to improve the quality of life for all across the planet.
Dr Helen Meese CEng MIMechE says: “When engineers are given the opportunity to develop sustainable solutions to global challenges, the results are outstanding, and yet too often engineers are excluded from the vital conversations where decisions are made.”
According to IMechE, sustainable engineering principles can not only make a huge impact on society, but also save time, money and future proof businesses’ value chain by minimising the threats and maximising the opportunities of this new changing world. Sustainable engineering principles include:
- Strive to ensure that material/energy inputs and outputs not hazardous
- Waste minimisation over waste management
- Design for easy separation and purification
- All components must be designed for maximum mass, energy, and temporal efficiency
- Avoid unnecessary consumption of mass/energy versus
- Use entropy and complexity as guidelines to decide end-of-cycle
- A product must not outlast its uses
- A product must not have unnecessary capabilities/capacities
- Minimise material diversity
- Product creation is only one part of the cycle
- Evaluate products based on life-cycle analysis
- Prioritise the use of renewable and readily available resources
Dr Messe also explains; “Sustainable design is no longer simply focused on reduce, recycle and re-use or repurpose. Today, sustainable design is about adding value, designing products that bring societal benefits and solving environmental challenges that are also viable for businesses to implement. Engineers must have the mindset to develop innovative solutions”.
CAL International are a modern engineering consultancy that combines high-quality traditional engineering principles with cutting edge technology to provide innovative solutions. We strive to implement sustainable engineering practises wherever we can in order to play our part in reducing a number of society’s critical issues.
For more information about our services or to begin your next engineered project, contact us today by;
visiting cal-international.com
emailing enquiries@cal-international.com
calling +44 (0)151 315 0490
messaging us on twitter @CALenquiries or Linked In @CAL International.
