Product design for sustainability: A collaboration example between the public, private and vulnerable community

Abstract

This article shares the working experience of joining private interests with public support and talented apprentices, who come from a social and economic vulnerable area. It takes as an example a project proposed by a private company to design a biodegradable urn produced with local technology, materials and labor to control the cost of production without depending on the market and international currency fluctuations. This project took place in the “Tecnoparque Nodo Cazucá, Colombia” program, in the Design and Engineering area, where the design and manufacturing processes were carried out with the help of local students. It began with the development of the composite material and laboratory tests through a computerized product and production method design, done by Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacture systems. Finally, a family of containers were produced to dismiss the ashes of our loved ones by allowing their reintegration with the ground minimizing the impact on the ecosystems and generating both, employment and profits. The result was a complex co-creation research and development process that generated a sustainable product, proving that joining private profits, public investments and local talent is possible and can produce positive social, economic and environmental impacts.