7 proven strategies to make your products ultra-sustainable and drive massive profits

Welcome to The Innovators Insight.

Every Saturday, you’ll get an actionable email explaining everything you need to know about physical product concept design, development, fundraising, and marketing so you can develop your ideas from sketch to scale.

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Creating the next must-have gizmo?

Make it mega-eco-friendly too! With overflowing landfills and doomtalk about climate meltdowns, savvy innovators know customers crave sustainable goods.

Going green saves serious cash on materials and energy as well.

Win-win for profits AND the planet!

This handy guide unpacks 7 proven tips to shrink the eco-impact of your imaginative contraptions while exploding your bottom line.

Let’s dive in:

Circular Design

Plan out a circular lifecycle where your product components can be endlessly reused or recycled.

Use durable materials built to last multiple lifecycles.

Design products to be easily updated instead of replaced.

Allow for repairs, refurbishment and parts replacements.

Standardize components that can flow back into manufacturing systems.

For example;

Consumer electronics company Fairphone creates smartphones designed for longevity, with modular parts that are easy to replace for repair and upgrading.

Sustainable Materials

Choose renewable, recycled and upcycled materials that preserve virgin resources.

• Bamboo

• Recycled polymers

• Responsibly-sourced rubber

• FSCTM-certified wood

…are great options.

Or used components diverted from landfills.

Calculators made by Sustainable Computers reuse e-waste circuit boards in their design.

Life Cycle Assessments

Conduct in-depth studies mapping out the eco-impact at each stage, from:

• Materials extraction

• Manufacturing

• Transport

• End-of-life disposal

• Powering during use

Identify problem areas generating substantial greenhouse gas emissions, pollution or unnecessary waste.

Then redesign to address those pain points.

Example;

A study found the aluminum bodies of soda cans impact the environment far more than the plastic lids.

So some brands now use thinner, lighter aluminum to reduce mining waste.

Design for Disassembly

Create products using modular components that can be separated after use for recycling or reuse.

Use screws and standard fastening systems instead of permanent glues or welds.

Components should be easily accessible and removable using common tools.

Xerox designs laser printer cartridges to snap apart into recycled plastic and metals.

The modules even attach with reusable fasteners.

Energy Efficiency

Design products and production systems to minimize energy inputs.

Use renewable power where possible.

Size motors, heaters and lights appropriately to prevent waste but avoid unsafe underpowering.

The Tesla Gigafactory produces batteries using exclusively renewable solar and geothermal energy.

Facility lights even respond automatically based on natural outdoor luminance.

Responsible Supply Chains

Minimize shipping distance by sourcing components and manufacturing locally when feasible.

Select suppliers with ethical, sustainable practices using renewables and avoiding pollution.

Producing close to market reduces your distribution carbon footprint.

Unilever selected sustainable Brazilian palm oil farmers for a new soap factory.

This secures regional supply while supporting eco-friendly plantations.

Final Thoughts

Sustainability is the new innovation imperative.

Savvy creators think in closed-loop lifecycles.

Your brilliance must enrich society, not exploit it.

Design to preclude waste and protect our planet.

Build evolvable products that leave the smallest footprint.

And remember, the greenest inventions will win the future.

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Raise crowdfunding: We can help you turn your product prototype into an investible asset. If you’ve got a working prototype, and need funding to scale, send me a direct message on Linkedin (click here) saying “funding” for more details on how we can help.
   

2. Validate your physical product concept: Got a concept (napkin sketch or full concept design) for a killer product? We want to see it. Click here to submit it for review.
   

3. Free Guide - Crowdfunding 101: How to prepare your physical product for a crowdfunding campaign. Click here to learn more.

7 proven strategies to make your products ultra-sustainable and drive massive profits