Dyson

Beyond recycling rubbish in the right bin, turning the lights off and limiting water go to waste, more needs to be done to help people reduce their household's environmental impact and energy use.

Throughout March, Dyson is partnering with national retailer The Good Guys and environmental foundation Planet Ark on a national trade-in campaign to encourage the use of more efficient technologies and appliance recycling.

In vacuum cleaners, 90% of the machine's environmental impact comes from the energy in use. And while James Dyson state's he is not an environmentalist, rather an engineer, his engineering belief of doing more with less has lead to technology advancements benefiting households and the environment.

The average energy consumption of a vacuum cleaner is 1800W. And whilst many manufacturers continue to market higher motor wattage with higher performance, this is not the reality. Technology is what makes the difference, not the motor wattage. The reality of high wattage motors is they waste energy and needlessly harm the environment. They are also heavy and use more materials, like copper.

Dyson engineers are already producing high performing cleaners with lower wattage motors. The smallest upright machine is one of the most energy efficient. It has a small 650W motor and equals the same performance of a full-sized Dyson vacuum cleaner. This is achieved through patented Radix cyclone technology.

What is responsible engineering?

At Dyson, engineers are tasked to come up with the best performing machines, which means ideas are constantly being designed out; from materials, energy, cost, waste, consumables and inefficiencies. The result is a machine that outperforms others and has a limited impact on the environment.

In any product design, materials are important when it comes to doing more with less. It is possible for a plastic to be thinner and have the same performance as its bulkier predecessor.

Apple design in this way too. The MacBook Air is ultra compact, which reduces its material footprint. This approach helps reduce the volume of materials required to make products, without compromising durability or performance. And from a consumer viewpoint it is much lighter and easier to carry around. If something is worth doing, it will pay dividends.

Dyson did away with the vacuum cleaner bag in 1992. Bags are plastic not paper. They are bad not only because they clog and cause vacuum cleaners to clog and not work properly, but they also clog up the environment. Nowadays vacuum cleaner bags made from plastic are not accepted in recycling streams, and like other waste, end up in landfill where they do not biodegrade.

Manufacturers can have an impact on the world through the responsible design of energy using products. There is little excuse for material and energy inefficiency. It's clear we're facing a period of environmental austerity. Consumers are beginning to demand this. The solution is technological advancement through efficient design. But as yet, few manufacturers of energy using products have responded.

Rapid change is required. Legislation is one solution to inertia. In many markets including the UK and greater Europe, manufacturers have a legal obligation to responsibly recycle their own products at end of life. In Australia, this legislation has still not been passed.

Brad Gray from Planet Ark states that whilst it is not a legal obligation of manufacturers, it should be considered a moral one. However less that 20 percent of manufactures provide this basic service.

Dyson is now calling for a ban on energy-guzzling vacuum cleaners. The European Commission are listening and an impending law will compel vacuum cleaner manufacturers to exchange their green marketing, for green technologies if they hope to keep products on shelves.