1. Introduction
It is noticeable that modern businesses are
focused more on maximizing production and productivity at the expense of
environmental sustainability and management. Recent efforts by manufacturers include
using renewable energy sources and they are focused on recycling among other
environmental practices that have been accepted as public relations than the actual
objective of achieving corporate social responsibility. This has led to
increased instances of “green-washing customers into purchasing products that
do not fully support environmental sustainability” (Andrews, 310). These practices outline the challenge for increased
consumer behavior where consumers prefer to follow the latest trends, while firms
are producing goods that are definitely short-lived. This uncontrolled culture
is supported by the concept of planned obsolescence where manufacturers are
reducing the lifespan of products to sustainable production and sales. This
environmental sustainability paper seeks to educate manufacturers and
government organizations.
2. Educational Context and
Target Group
The scope of the
target group qualifies the context for the meeting to be organized into a
formal type of educational session. The sessions will be organized in
partnership with environmental organizations, as well as the United Nations
Environmental Program (UNEP) (Huckle & Arjen, 497). Moreover, it will involve attending a well-planned
meeting that is detailed and realistic to the views of sustainable policies to
govern manufacturing activities.
The target group
is composed mainly of manufacturers. Also, it will include representatives from
the government sectors in charge of policies on environmental management and
sustainability.
3. Specific Goal(s) and
Objective(s) of Educational Experience
The topic of
focus is to increase the lifespan of products to reduce depletion of natural
resources. The government has to execute policies aimed at protecting
non-renewable resources by setting limits for the lifespan of some products to
reduce the impact of planned obsolescence.
The key message
to manufacturers is to invest extensive time into research and development to
improve the quality of their products. This is more focused on targeting
non-decaying products such as electronics, which could be created to have a
longer lifespan. This should be confirmed through laws that ensure that firms
produce long-lasting products.
The lesson aims
to spread awareness of the fact that manufacturers are shortening the lifespan
of products and designing them in a manner that makes them fail within a given
time. Such failure forces consumers to purchase new products while being forced
to dispose of the old one. This issue causes disposal problems while also
depleting available resources.
The key question
to consider is for manufacturers to determine ways of replacing faulty
components in electronics instead of having to dispose of the entire product
and buying another. This is the case in printers where manufacturers preset
them to print a certain number of papers after which they jam automatically.
Why would a manufacturer intentionally set a machine to malfunction?
The main experience
to be developed by individuals is the use of critical thinking to provide long-term
solutions that ensure the durability of electronics while at the same time,
ensuring that firms make profits that are sustainable.
4. Framework of Education
Experience
The best explanation of this sustainability
education session will be a learning experience for sustainable development.
The role of
education for sustainable development is to ensure that all human beings
acquire vital knowledge that encourages a sustainable future. As a recommendation
to policymakers, it should be mandatory for graduates to take on manufacturing
courses to learn more about environmental sustainability. This will allow
students to acquire knowledge that enables them to address the concerns of
sustainable development. In addition, this will help in managing cases of
planned obsolescence and other activities involving shortening product lifecycles
and lifespans.
It is important
that the education system of a country teaches values, skills, and knowledge
that promotes a positive change in attitude towards sustainable development. This
includes consumers and suppliers who have to be educated to change their
attitude towards old products. The current culture needs to be replaced with a
culture that promotes the most concern for the environment. Furthermore,
education from such a perspective will ensure that countries achieve
sustainable development. This will mean that firms will be able to “operate
sustainably by either investing more on research products that suit consumer
needs or by selling spare parts for their products to make profits” (Barth
& Marco, 109). This will ensure consistency in employment and help achieve
sustainable growth of national economies.
The integration
of sustainable development will ensure that manufacturers restructure their
value and supply chain to maximize efficiency, reduce wastage, and produce
higher quality products. Secondly, sustainable development will ensure
countries produce goods that are competitive on the global market based on
their longer lifespan and fair pricing compared to those with a shorter
lifespan. Third, encouragement of sustainable development will ensure that even
though there are reduced manufacturing activities, firms will still be able to
maintain their profit margins and expenses. Therefore, the use of sustainable
development strategies will help individuals change their attitude and values
towards new products that have shorter life spans. Likewise, they will be
required to provide sustainability development classes which will help students
build skills and the right attitude to support firms that invest more in sustainable
manufacturing processes.
