158: Thinking Sustainability in Hardware Product Design

What this episode covers

Dave Duncan, Vice President of Sustainability at PTC, explains how startups can integrate sustainability into hardware design using software like Onshape and Creo. He emphasizes that 80% of a product's carbon footprint is determined at the design stage, urging founders to use embedded data on embodied carbon and recyclability early in the process rather than waiting for late-stage life cycle analysis. Duncan details how generative design for lightweighting and circular economy models, such as take-back programs, create competitive advantages in both B2B and B2C markets.