# 158: Thinking Sustainability in Hardware Product Design

- Show: [Product Startup](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup)
- Published: 2023-01-13
- Length: 27m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-01-13-158-thinking-sustainability-in-hardware-product-design
- Listen: https://productstartup.com/

## Summary

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.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-01-13-158-thinking-sustainability-in-hardware-product-design#t=0) Introduction: Dave Duncan and PTC's Sustainability Mission
- [2:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-01-13-158-thinking-sustainability-in-hardware-product-design#t=178) Defining Design, Manufacturing, and Service Sustainability
- [4:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-01-13-158-thinking-sustainability-in-hardware-product-design#t=268) Integrating Sustainability Early in the Design Lifecycle
- [13:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-01-13-158-thinking-sustainability-in-hardware-product-design#t=814) Manufacturing Efficiency: Bottleneck Analysis and Energy Management
- [18:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-01-13-158-thinking-sustainability-in-hardware-product-design#t=1137) Circular Economy and End-of-Life Product Management
- [22:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-01-13-158-thinking-sustainability-in-hardware-product-design#t=1366) Using Onshape and Arena for Material and Generative Design

## Topics

- [Design for manufacturing & NPI](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/design-for-manufacturing)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- PTC (company)
- Onshape (product)
- Creo (product)
- Princeton University (other)
- Salesforce.com (company)
- A Priori (product)
- Arena (product)
- Silicon Expert (product)
- Octopart (product)
- Ansys Granta (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#012 Season 2: Robert Irwin - Senior Industrial Designer, Founder of LearnIndustrialDesign.com, Principal Sustainability Consultant at irwindesigned](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/designing-in-the-wild/2024-05-01-012-season-2-robert-irwin-senior-industrial-designer-founder-of-learnindustriald) (Designing in the Wild)
- [100: Embodied Energy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2023-07-02-100-embodied-energy) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [Upgradable, Durable, and Greener Laptops for Reducing CO2 Emissions with Nirav Patel, Ceo and Founder of Framework](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-03-16-upgradable-durable-and-greener-laptops-for-reducing-co2-emissions-with-nirav-pat) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [BONUS - iNEMI VP of Technical & Project Operations Grace O'Malley at APEX 2023 - EMSNOW & SCOOP On Location](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2023-02-09-bonus-inemi-vp-of-technical-project-operations-grace-omalley-at-apex-2023-emsnow) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [91 - Are you ready for the sustainable packaging data revolution? Interview with Matthew Wright and Prashant Jagtap](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2021-12-15-91-are-you-ready-for-the-sustainable-packaging-data-revolution-interview-with-ma) (People of Packaging)

## Citing this page

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