MYP Design Year 1 · Unit 4 · Lesson 29
Sustainable Design
L29 · 01

Product Life Cycle

A product’s impact does not begin when we buy it or end when we stop using it.

Student Materials
Life-cycle lens
1
BEFORE USEMaterials are sourced, processed, made, packaged, and moved.
2
DURING USEFunction, maintenance, durability, and repair affect how long it stays useful.
3
AFTER USEReuse, repurpose, recycling, or disposal determines what happens next.
Use ← → / Space to navigate.Lesson 29 · Life cycle
Learning Focus
Map the whole journey
L29 · 02

By the end of today, students can…

01

Map

a simple product life cycle.

02

Identify

resource use, waste, or durability issues at different stages.

03

Suggest

one design change that could improve a stage.

Simple life-cycle thinkingNo complex LCA calculations
Mini-Lesson
Linear path vs circular opportunity
L29 · 03
TAKE + MAKESource materials and create the product.
→
USEMaintain, repair, and keep useful value.
→
NEXT LIFEReuse, repurpose, recover material, or dispose.
DESIGN OPPORTUNITY

A designer can sometimes create a path that keeps the product or material useful for longer.

Keep model conceptual, not absolute.Circular thinking
What Changes the Life Cycle?
Design decisions matter
L29 · 04
Material choice

Availability, properties, processing, recyclability.

Construction

Can parts be repaired or separated?

Durability

How long can the product keep functioning?

Use pattern

Single-use, repeated-use, shared-use, refill, repair.

Design does not control every stage, but it can influence many.Systems thinking
Workshop
Product Journey Mapping
L29 · 05
Workshop

Map one familiar product from material source to next life.

STEP 01

Choose

Select a familiar product with an understandable material journey.

STEP 02

Map

Record the main life-cycle stages.

STEP 03

Mark

Circle one stage where design could reduce waste or extend useful life.

Possible products: cardboard box, notebook, simple bottle, paper tube.Main workshop
Decision Point
Improve one stage
L29 · 06

Choose one intervention.

Reduce

Use less unnecessary material.

Durable

Make a weak feature last longer.

Repair

Allow a worn part to be fixed.

Second life

Make reuse or repurposing easier.

Students explain the likely benefit and trade-off.Evidence-based choice
Exit Reflection
A product belongs to a system
L29 · 07

Finish one sentence.

“The stage I would change in this product’s life cycle is _______ because _______.”

Next lesson

Students test material properties and connect evidence to appropriate product uses.

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