What are the best sustainable design evaluation methods?

1 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a method that quantifies the environmental impacts of a product or service from the extraction of raw materials to the end of its useful life. LCA can help you identify the most critical stages of your design, compare different alternatives, and optimize your choices to reduce emissions, waste, and resource use. LCA can also help you communicate the environmental benefits of your design to your stakeholders and customers.

2 Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA)

Social life cycle assessment (SLCA) is a method that evaluates the social and socio-economic impacts of a product or service on the people involved in its life cycle. SLCA can help you assess how your design affects the well-being, health, safety, and rights of workers, consumers, communities, and society at large. SLCA can also help you identify the potential risks and opportunities for improving the social performance of your design.

3 Circular Economy Assessment (CEA)

Circular economy assessment (CEA) is a method that measures how well a product or service fits into a circular economy, where waste and pollution are eliminated, materials are kept in use, and natural systems are regenerated. CEA can help you evaluate how your design reduces the need for virgin materials, extends the lifespan and functionality of products, enables reuse and recycling, and supports the restoration of ecosystems. CEA can also help you align your design with the principles and practices of circular economy.

4 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Alignment

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) alignment is a method that assesses how your design contributes to the 17 global goals for sustainable development adopted by the United Nations in 2015. The SDGs cover a wide range of topics, such as poverty, health, education, climate change, peace, and justice. SDGs alignment can help you understand how your design addresses the most pressing challenges of our time, creates positive impacts for people and the planet, and supports the transition to a more sustainable future.

5 Sustainability Maturity Matrix (SMM)

Sustainability maturity matrix (SMM) is a method that evaluates how mature your design process is in terms of integrating sustainability principles and practices. SMM can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your design process, set goals and priorities for improvement, and track your progress over time. SMM can also help you benchmark your design process against best practices and standards in your industry or sector.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?