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Brazilian design for sustainability: in search of a local approach
Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2014) 1e8
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Journal of Cleaner Production journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro
Brazilian design for sustainability: in search of a local approach Eduardo Romeiro Filho*, 1 ~o, Av. Anto ^nio Carlos, 6627 e Escola de Industrial Engineering Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Engenharia de Produça Engenharia e Sala 3104 e Pampulha, 31270-010 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
a r t i c l e i n f o
a b s t r a c t
Article history: Received 12 November 2013 Received in revised form 2 July 2014 Accepted 20 August 2014 Available online xxx
Small and medium enterprises are fundamental to economic growth and job generation, especially in developing countries. These companies are crucial for the improvement of social conditions and technological development in poorer regions of the Americas, Asia and Africa. However, local conditions are usually very specific and demand a singular approach for sustainability. This paper presents some results of a research aimed at investigating methodologies and tools to support the application of Design for Sustainability principles adapted to the real conditions of Brazilian small and medium enterprises. These enterprises are mainly based on traditional products and technologies. The results of this research were achieved through identifying elements for development of a sustainable approach, with a focus on design of products in Brazil and other developing countries. The methodology considered variables specifically linked to the local situation. The primary focus was on small companies working in traditional production processes (or craftsmanship) in Minas Gerais State, in southeast Brazil. Four main sustainability aspects were considered: environmental, economic, social and cultural. As a conclusion, three cases of intervention focused on sustainable improvement are presented and discussed. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Sustainability Small and medium enterprises Product design Developing countries Craftsmanship
1. Introduction SMEs e small and medium enterprises e are increasingly recognised as central contributors to sustainable development. Especially in developing countries, SMEs have a fundamental importance in employment generation and economic development. This paper presents research intending to adapt D4S e Design for Sustainability e methodologies and tools to Brazilian SMEs. The studies were carried out on a large number of companies based on traditional technologies, producing goods using specific manufacturing skills (e.g. food, clothing and furniture). The main sustainability aspects (Savitz and Weber, 2006; Boulouta and Pitelis, 2014) considered are described below: 1.1. Environmental sustainability LCA e Lifecycle Assessment tools were applied to measure the environmental impact of production processes and products of the local SMEs that adopt traditional materials, work skills and processes. This approach is based on D4S strategies (Crul and Diehl,
* Tel.: þ55 31 3409 4892; fax: þ55 31 3409 4888. E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected]. 1 Visiting Professor at Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Design for Sustainability Program.
2005, 2009) and use of LCA (SAIC, 2006; UNEP, 1996) according to ISO 14040/44. LCA is not just an environmental impact measurement tool. It can also improve “several environmental, economic and social assessment methods” (Jeswani et al., 2010). In this way, LCA method is used as support to a holistic investigation about the influence of product lifecycle on different aspects of sustainability. 1.2. Economic sustainability The production processes in the selected companies were evaluated and engineering and design tools for the development of original and adequate technical solutions (including new designs in products) were applied. These procedures aim to improve the SMEs' economic results and expand the product line and the market share (including exportation possibilities), but maintaining “fair trade” and “ethically correct” principles (Pitelis, 2013). 1.3. Social sustainability The working conditions in crafts production and in the SMEs' were considered as a way to understand social relationships This study intends to contribute to the improvement of social conditions and the way of life of the people impacted by the enterprises (Romeiro Filho and Lima, 2010). This approach is based on the
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Please cite this article in press as: Romeiro Filho, E., Brazilian design for sustainability: in search of a local approach, Journal of Cleaner Production (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.08.065
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context of HDI e Human Development Index and impacts of local companies on population settings such as in the health conditions, education and living expectative of people involved in the production process, their families and communities. According to Crul et al. (2009, p. 25), “the 3 key elements of sustainability e social, environmental, and economic e are also referred to as people, planet, and profit, and are the fundamental components of product innovation”. This paper also includes a fourth aspect, the cultural sustainability: 1.4. Cultural sustainability In this approach (similar to the proposed by Mestre, 2008) the importance of local tradition and skills is considered in the new product development, as a way to increase the profit while maintaining local cultural values. In this way, the origins of some traditional Brazilian products were investigated. This enabled the “mapping” of historical and cultural influences and the identification of native knowledge and “savoir-faire”. European and African cultural elements were also identified. This mapping was done in order to maintain the local identity in new designs. The implementation of design and engineering methods is recognised as a powerful way to improve situations such as those found in Brazil and in other developing countries. However, these methods were originally developed and applied in large companies in developed countries (Klewitz and Hansen, 2014). Unlike the multinational companies, SMEs in developing countries characteristically have an inadequate organisational structure, no trained workforce, low economic resources and low technology. Bearing this in mind, an investigation into adequate techniques focused on the local SMEs' requirements it is essential to improve their competitiveness. One should also consider the improvement of the local population living conditions, without compromising environmental or degrading cultural values, as well as the working conditions in the SMEs. Cultural conservation is particularly important in Minas Gerais, where there are both extraordinary cultural heritage and national history. The main objective of this research was the adaptation of tools that can improve the insertion of D4S principles in Brazilian SMEs, especially those based on technologies and traditional products. 2. The main issue Product design is a crucial element for companies' competitiveness and for Brazil's economic development. Currently the relative decrease in the percentage of total industrial GDP to the country's total GDP, demonstrates a risk of “deindustrialization” (Bresser-Pereira, 2012; Souza, 2009). This situation can be aggravated by increasing importation of consumer goods, especially from Asian countries. In addition to the economic aspect, there is an issue of the appropriateness of such products to the needs of Brazilian consumers. Imported products are often standard solutions developed from generic concepts of the needs of a global market and are distant from the Brazilian needs and characteristics. At the same time, numerous population groups in Brazil live with poverty levels incompatible with the country's economic growth. It has become essential to seek ways of employment and income for these groups, many of whom are descendants of communities that arose during the process of Brazil's colonisation. Although these communities suffer from all types of material deprivation, they maintain important traditions and represent a key element of the Brazil's culture preservation. Its isolation throughout decades of economic deflation is now starting to be reversed and it is necessary to create conditions for its economic
and social development, maintaining the local cultural aspects and reducing the environmental impacts. A possible solution is to support SMEs, which are traditionally responsible for most of the jobs in the nation and are therefore important elements of employment and income generation. Although this experience brings forth positive results, it's important that these enterprises become more agile in product development and more efficient in production processes, enabling better working conditions and reducing the environmental impact, therefore becoming able to attend more properly to their consumer markets and to extend these market ranges. Product replication, together with production increases through work intensification, are strategies that do not persist in the long term and often bring more damage than benefits (Oliveira and Echternacht, 2007). Hence, there is a need for providing these companies with sustainable processes and social elements while maintaining the local cultural repertoire to generate original design solutions. Brazilians SMEs are exposed to competition from large national and international companies. Likewise, they are encouraged (or forced) to compete in new markets by trying to access unexplored regions and/or niches or even exporting to different countries. The same thing occurs to groups that operate in traditional manufacturing systems with artisanal bases. These are stimulated by various governmental programs to build up associations and to develop new solutions to increase the target audience reached, the artisans' entrepreneurial capacity and, in particular, the aggregate value of artisanal nature products (Freitas, 2011; Freitas and Romeiro Filho, 2005). Those different actions aim to bring to production processes of artisanal bases relevant contributions to the economic and socio-cultural development of those producing regions. This research is based on the assumption that traditional methodologies of design and product design, in addition to those oriented toward sustainability, can be inadequate to the observed reality in Brazil, in particular to the existing reality in traditional production systems and SMEs. This situation is similar to observed in other developing countries, e.g. Mexico (Bonsiepe, 2009), Vietnam and Costa Rica (Crul and Diehl, 2005) and experiences linked to principles proposed in the DBoP e Design for the Base of the Pyramid - experiences (Whitney and Kelkar, 2004). In these situations, the specific product requirements and the characteristics of local companies (e.g. weak organizational methods) and people involved (e.g. low education level) lead to the need for specific product development and manufacturing processes. In these cases, a previous diagnosis could be a support to a design intervention aiming the improvement of local products and processes. Intending a deep understanding about a peculiar situation observed in Brazilian SMEs, some research tools are proposed. Design and engineering provide a remarkable contribution to the improvement of this situation. However, the existing methodologies and tools for product design are, for the most part, developed for application in large enterprises, making them inadequate for SMEs, whose organisational structure, investment capacity and labour characteristics are unique. Therefore, the development of design methodologies adequate for the peculiarities of Brazilian SMEs is appropriate, as a way to raise their competitiveness. We must also consider the improvement of the population's living conditions without compromising the environment or degrading local cultural values. The working conditions in SMEs and the creation of conditions that guarantee that cultural aspects related to traditional manufacturing systems should not get lost in the light of disordered innovation processes. This aspect is particularly important in the state of Minas Gerais, where there is extraordinary cultural and historic heritage.
Please cite this article in press as: Romeiro Filho, E., Brazilian design for sustainability: in search of a local approach, Journal of Cleaner Production (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.08.065
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The studies were conducted in the region of the so-called “Estrada Real”, an old path that was used to transport gold and diamonds from mines (hence the current name of the state e Minas Gerais) to the coast of Rio de Janeiro, from where they were shipped to Europe. The Estrada Real is one of the first regions colonized in Brazil, since the XVII Century, during the called “Mining Cycle”. In the beginning of this Century, some of the most important gold mines around the world were discovered in the region called Minas Gerais (the name could be translated as “General Mining”). Cities as Ouro Preto and Diamantina (“black gold” and “diamond land”) formed the most lucrative entrepreneurship of the Portuguese empire. In order to carry gold and diamonds between Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro (the Brazilian capital at that time) different basis were implemented. Those basis were transformed into villages, each one responsible for one kind of support to mining activities (skills such as agriculture, dairy, food production, clothing etc.). Currently, some cities conserve the original skills, creating a combination of different attractions and traditions. It is possible to visit cities specialized in, e.g. homemade cookies, candies, clothes, cheese etc. After the mining economic cycle, which took place at the end of the eighteenth century, the axis of Brazilian development moved to other regions, which led to the abandonment of the old path. This fact enabled the cities of the region to keep for almost two centuries a significantly unaltered structure, with an economy based on old manufacturing systems that worked in support of the mining, for example, the production of utensils (in leather, wood or stone) and food on a small scale. This situation only began to change in the second half of the twentieth century with the acceleration of Brazil's economic growth and with the increase of tourist flow to the historic towns along the “Estrada Real”, particularly the cities of ~o Joa ~o Del Rei and Tiradentes. The Diamantina, Serro, Ouro Preto, Sa Estrada Real covers about 1400 km and is one of the largest and most ambitious Brazilian tourism projects; it involves 178 municipalities in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (Carvalho et al., 2010). 3. Methods The research was performed in several cities, including Serro, ~o Joa ~o del Rei. The choice for these cities was Ouro Preto and Sa based on several factors, such as the local production of traditional products for consumption (such as food and utility objects), as well as products for tourist trade (souvenirs and art objects). In the area of Ouro Preto, the community of Santa Rita de Ouro Preto, whose economy is based on the production of articles in soapstone, with various demands in the areas of product design, production process improvement and occupational health (Rodrigues, 2012) was investigated. In S~ ao Jo~ ao Del Rei and the surrounding area, researches related to aspects such as the development of packing for traditional food products (Romeiro Filho and Vilela, 2007; Miranda and Romeiro Filho, 2007) and occupational health aspects in traditional manufacturing systems (Oliveira, 2006; Pereira, 2008) was conducted. This article briefly describes some of the research conducted and presents the results. The work was developed at different stages, with the application of different methodologies deemed appropriate for each phase: 1- Survey of the products considered as traditional produced in these SMEs and of the consumer markets by means of market studies and iconographic survey. In the first stage of the research, tools of social research as action research (Thiollent, 2008), focusgroup (Malhotra, 2009) and survey (Babbie, 1990) were applied. In the survey of cultural aspects the methods of iconographic survey (understood as the search for the symbolic meaning of images and forms represented in craft tradition products) and of historical
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research (as described for Duby, 1998) were used. The research was developed from field studies, including open and semi-structured interviews, focus groups and the observation of real working situations. It was considered that the application of closed questionnaires would be inappropriate, in view of the significant differences between the various groups analysed. The iconographic survey was conducted during the field visits and served as a record of discussions. 2- Analysis of the production and working conditions of SMEs based on traditional products and production systems. The methods used for the analysis of the production and work conditions of the SMEs focused on analysis of the work processes that have been adopted in ergonomic and work organisation studies (Piotet and Mabile, 1984; Wisner, 1987), particularly EWA e ergorin et al., 2007). The moninomic work assessment methods (Gue toring and observation of the work in a real-life situation of production was conducted, and the following aspects were analysed: raw material characteristics, instruments of work, reflections of the introduction of new products and work and production organisation (Fig. 2). During the direct observations of the working activity, the posture of the artisans, the communication in the workshop and the handling and the needs in terms of making information were studied. In this way, it was possible to understand the existing working relationships and their effects on artisans' health and on the characteristics of the resulting products. 3- Research of cultural relationship and common roots existent between traditional products, in addition to a survey of the historical influences that have led to the development of local production systems. This survey was conducted from literature research (including consultations to historical documents) and iconographic survey of products for sale in the areas studied. Manufacturers of typical local products were identified as a way to map the existing distribution channels, identifying the products that were truly local and differentiating them from those that are actually imported from other regions of the country or even from abroad. For example, the work of Rodrigues et al. (2013) identified that the soapstone pots produced in the district region of Santa Rita do Ouro Preto follow a pattern identified by Burger (1927). 4- Implementation of a simplified LCA of traditional products and an evaluation of their social and environmental impact, contrasting them (when applicable) with similar products produced industrially. Simplified products' lifecycle assessments (Hochschorner and Finnveden, 2003; Horne et al., 2009) were conducted to evaluate the traditional products, especially the Ecoindicator 95 and Eco-indicator 99 methods (Goedkoop and Spriensma, 2000; PRE Consultants, 2011). In these cases, the product choices resulted from the cultural and economic relevance to the producing regions. The option to compare the lifecycles and environmental impacts resulting from industrial or traditional (or craft) systems had the objective of identifying opportunities for reduction of the environmental impact with the possible adoption of good practises observed in the industry by artisan producers, in €nder “Cradle-to-grave” or “Cradle-to-cradle” perspective (Vogtla et al., 2010; Vogtlander, 2012). 5- Development of technical solutions to improve the traditional products and production processes, aiming to improve the results and the working conditions while maintaining characteristics of value associated with fundamental cultural aspects (as elements of the local tradition). In this sense, it is up to the team of researchers to raise and evaluate the aspects of cultural value associated with the product, incorporating solutions that will not interfere in the free expression of the community. It was observed that often improvements in degraded conditions of production may lead to important advances in the social group involved, whether in economic terms (e.g. profit improvement) or in terms of quality of
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Fig. 1. AKD e Applied Knowledge Dynamics, as presented to carpenters.
life (e.g. reduction of occupational diseases and advance of HDI e Human Development Index in the population involved). Examples of this type of action are the case of production of ceramics in the Jequitinhonha Valley, where proposed amendments to the oven have consistently improved the production conditions (Godoy et al., 2005) and the research of systems of craft production in the region of the “Estrada Real”, which raised a number of health problems of the workers involved (Oliveira and Echternacht, 2007). 4. Results and discussion We present some results of the research as a way to illustrate the objectives and scope below. Studies that have been performed in different situations, with emphasis on each aspect of sustainability were selected: 4.1. Economic sustainability This research is based on the studies that evaluate the effective results of governmental actions towards the improvement of conditions of Local Productive Arrangements of the furniture sector in the Region of Jequitinhonha Valley in Minas Gerais. This region is
Fig. 2. An example of soapstone workshop in Santa Rita de Ouro Preto.
known for its poverty and social exclusion. One can find an agglomeration of micro-enterprises that have very little technological and management knowledge, which makes it an appropriate object of this study. Data collected by a survey conducted in local companies reveal difficulties such as absence of production techniques and organisation in the enterprises (lack of data for marketing, market, time and cost of production) and problems for new products design (Pereira et al., 2004). All the furniture companies located in the region of this research were created less than ten years before the time when the study was conducted, and their final product was basically a copy of standard furniture produced in other regions of the country. As a result, the local production was characterised by a low added value. In general, they are family and informal businesses and have poor working conditions in terms of health and safety. The workers level of training is low, making it difficult to adopt technological, managerial and design improvements (Pereira, 2013). Analysing the peculiarities and potentialities of the furniture industry in question, a method to support the transfer and generation of knowledge was developed. The objective was to create mechanisms for the introduction of improvements in the production process, to increase the product's quality, optimise the use of raw material, make the product more competitive and expand its consumer market. The transfer and generation of knowledge (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995) are, in a dynamic process, identified in the course of the companies' activities. Because this project was applied to a real situation to systemise the transfer and generation of knowledge from the perspective of knowledge dynamics, it may become a reference for other governmental actions of this nature (Oliveira et al., 2005). Appropriate procedures were defined to the specific firms based on issues identified as most relevant, especially with regards to the expansion of the entrepreneurs' knowledge, from the following steps: definition of relevant actions and working schedule, entrepreneurs' skills levelling, project and technical documentation, prototyping, testing and certification of products. With the aim of highlighting the need for the systematisation of the existing knowledge and the household knowledge, a diagram with the illustration of the stages of a product's development inserted in the concept of AKD e Applied Knowledge Dynamics e was developed. Fig. 1 shows the general concept of AKD in the context of furniture companies in the Jequitinhonha Valley.
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The concept was schematically presented to the participating companies and consists of the following steps: diagnosis, proposition, experimentation, evaluation, systematisation, operation and results. The main benefit of the proposed system is in its clarity for the entrepreneurs and workers involved. A further evaluation of the project showed that the participating companies had better results in relation to others existing in the same region. It was also observed that the best results were obtained by companies that implemented the proposed concepts in a systemic form, in other words, implemented improvements both in the area of production and in the new products design process. Some results observed by Oliveira (2007) three years after the design intervention should be considered. In the group of companies involved effects such as implementation of manufacture cells (in 14% of companies in the project), layout improvement (in 86%), use of new technologies (29%) and improvement in the production processes (86%) can be observed. In the same period, the general profit increased 20%. 4.2. Cultural sustainability: craftsmanship and industrial production interaction
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is the insertion into the work with the leftovers of the pieces of MDF e medium density fibreboard e made by the industry, providing a natural contrast due to a combination of leftovers from various pieces of stone (in different shades: ashes, greenish, roses, among others), which allowed an interesting aesthetic effect. The crafts' fragments were transformed by the artisan in components with two fixed dimensions (depth and width), with the length varying according to the size of the leftovers. The fixed dimensions were used for clamping the pieces on the furniture, which were designed to support such components. The results demonstrated the economic, social and environmental relevance of the studied region. Some of the results include: the inclusion of new workers in production systems, in particular apprentices who work in artisanal production systems; the incorporation of new features of value to the developed products, highlighting the culture and local traditions and reduction of waste disposal of artisanal production by its reutilisation in the furniture. The closet developed in this project was a finalist in 2006 “Movelsul Hall”, the most important furniture design award in Brazil. 4.3. Social sustainability: soapstone artefacts
The Minas Gerais State Government has been supporting “Estrada Real” since 2003, with the aim of recreating, planning and ordering this historic path and its variants, exploring its touristic potential in its natural, architectonic, social-economical and historic-cultural characteristics. As part of this initiative, this project focused on the furniture industry: a furniture line for inns, considering touristic, cultural and historical aspects and the local traditional activities. The importance of linking the industrial furniture with regional identity is considered, examining the product as a vehicle of the spirit and history of the region. For product design, the use of local cultural elements is associated with industrial solutions, from the insertion of crafted components, ornaments created from “soapstone” (steatite) remnants left over from regional craftworks. The insertion of the pieces in the furniture links it to the “Estrada Real” region, and the natural differences of soapstone tonalities provide an interesting aesthetic effect. However, furniture production by the industrial process is not always compatible with the insertion of craft components, which have to be appropriate to the aims, characteristics and limitations that are typical of the industry. This initiative proposes a contribution to the discussion about the possible relationships between different systems of production (artisanal and industrial), viewing new and differentiated design solutions and improving the artisans' profit and industry competitiveness based on innovative design solutions (Braga and Romeiro Filho, 2011). The approach had the product design associated with the regional tradition and the manufacture facilitation, which would allow production by small local businesses. We opted for solutions of constructive simplicity (drawings defined by straight lines), which would allow the manufacture in different productive contexts (from carpenters up to serial industries). The furniture produced should be modular and should be able to compose various products with minimal changes or no changes, using the small blocks resulted from the soapstone extraction. According to Rodrigues and Lima (2012), “during the exploitation of dimension stones, such as soapstone, only 30% of the rock is recovered. The remaining 70% is composed of small blocks that are used in artisan workshops, where pans and souvenirs are produced”. The possibility of exploiting fragments of handicrafts in soapstone for application in furniture was identified, reinforcing the element of regional raw material character. The project sought to bring together the characteristics (visual, dimensional and physical) of the residues from the regional handicraft with the restrictions of the industrial process. The result
This study aimed the application of EWA e Ergonomic Work Assessment on two producers of soapstone pots, located in Santa Rita de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The use of soapstone to produce artisanal objects is a tradition in that region, and has a relevant social and cultural role for the local communities. However, the production has both environmental e related to mining and processing of steatite e and social problems e the injurious work conditions in the pots production workshop (Fig. 2) and its effects in the population. The first objective of this study was to measure the environmental impacts of the pot production, but the research revealed the relevance of the social impacts. Thus, the introduction of the social approach in the investigation was considered. This analysis demonstrated how elements of EWA can € pffer, contribute to the S-LCA e Social Lifecycle Assessment (Klo 2008; Jørgensen et al., 2008). For this purpose, we used a case study developed in the Santa Rita de Ouro Preto district of Ouro Preto, in which the production of soapstone handicrafts is one of the main activities. In this productive system, we sought to understand the organisational aspects of the activity and to perform an EWA of artisanal production of soapstone pots (Fig. 3). From this, it was possible to understand and describe the productive system in question and characterise some of its aspects and social impacts. A brief description of the production cycle of a soapstone pot consists of the choice/purchase of the soapstone, carrying it to the workshop, preparation, lathing and finishing. In each one of these steps, the characteristics of the production system were identified, including the physical, environmental, human resources and technological aspects of each process unit. It was also possible to identify the socio-cultural aspects of the community involved, as well as the identification of the productive system's main problems. By using parts of EWA, we noticed the need for survey data, which are relevant to the achievement of an S-LCA. The way to obtain data that is specific to a certain reality is one of the difficulties encountered in S-LCA, thus the EWA is shown as potentially effective for aiding the inclusion of social aspects in LCA. An EWA seeks to deeply understand the reality of the studied system. In this way, this analysis was expected to identify what is more important for those involved, i.e., to define, among many indicators, which are the most convenient to use in an S-LCA is a key factor and must be related to the specific needs of the case. As the EWA should be able to specify what is essential, in addition to help with survey data, it could be useful in the decision of which indicators to use in the SLCA.
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rin et al., 2007). Fig. 3. EWA e Ergonomic Work Assessment (adapted from Gue
Among the indicators used in this study, from the phases used from EWA on the soapstone pots production, are those related to health and safety in an S-LCA. In addition, these indicators should also be included: the existence of child labour, in youth or forced; social security; appropriate working time; collective association; remuneration; level of internal education; infrastructure service; respect of the local community; sustainable development; and culture, sport and leisure activities. The activity analysis of the studied case attempted to investigate health and safety issues and, in this case, also enabled the qualification and quantification of the social impact caused by this activity. In the case of the soapstone pot production, it was possible to identify the main risks of the activity, and from the data available in the literature, it was possible to quantify the effects of the impact (pain and illness at work) in the activity of handicrafts in soapstone. Therefore, EWA is useful to the S-LCA, and the two complement each other. Both methodologies should be developed in the environment in which the activity takes place, and they complement each other to support the data collection, the evaluation and interpretation of impacts and to obtain recommendations for an effective change in the productive system, if applicable. The analysis of soapstone activity raises questions about worker safety and health, which helps both qualification and quantification of the social impact caused by the activity. In the case of soapstone pots, it was possible to identify the main risks of the activity, and from the data available in literature, it was possible to quantify the impact of effects such as pain and illnesses on the soapstone crafting activities. Often, a full assessment is not possible when only considering the indicators; therefore, the EWA acts as a systemic view of the analysed tasks, complementing the S-LCA. One of the striking features of the activity performed by the operator to produce a soapstone pot is the lack of formalization shown by high variability of production rates, operating mode, postures, environment, work and product organization. Climatic conditions and the kind of material used are also relevant. Variations in the raw material used (called “hard rock” or “soft rock”, according to their composition) affect the activity of the operators in terms of physical strength, work cycle time, postural maintenance time, among others. The possibility of projection of soapstone fragments and exposure to weather are also important
aspects. In addition, there are risks arising from ineffective or nonexistent maintenance of the used equipment. Some recommendations were presented to improve the work conditions in the soapstone workshops: review and maintenance of equipment; proper storage of waste; suitability of tools/machines; improvement of communication between quarry and CPU; noise reduction; minimization of substances used in finishing of pieces (wax, varnish and fat) and use of Personal and Collective Protective Equipment. In the specific case of soapstone pot production in Santa Rita do Ouro Preto, the information gathered by EWA was attached to the information available from the Brazilian government (related to the entire Brazilian population and used to calculate the local Human Development Index). This pairing made a better understanding of the relationship between the product life cycle and the social issues relevant to the local population possible, which is heavily involved in various stages of the production. 5. Conclusions This paper presented, in a concise way, the results of three studies aimed at improving the conditions observed in SMEs and/ or groups of artisans based on traditional systems of production in Brazil. The importance of the conservation of local traditions as a way of product differentiation from products that are imported, arising from industrial production systems on a large scale, was observed. In addition, attention was drawn to the need for the adequacy of the products, the methods adopted and the solutions to improve the production systems to the peculiar characteristics of the local population. The research showed that the adoption of local solutions can be an alternative to models of economic development based on the introduction of new systems of industrial production. It was possible to observe that the adoption of appropriate tactics for knowledge systematisation can bring benefits to small furniture producers that are incapable of incorporating organisational systems designed for larger enterprises. The possibility of product differentiation through the insertion of decorative elements produced from small-scale production systems was created. Finally, the precarious work and production conditions observed in handicrafts could be evaluated and
Please cite this article in press as: Romeiro Filho, E., Brazilian design for sustainability: in search of a local approach, Journal of Cleaner Production (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.08.065
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measured from the application of tools such as S-LCA, associated with methods such as EWA. Because the “Estrada Real” in Minas Gerais it is such a unique region of historic importance, it is observed that an approach that contemplates aspects of sustainability presents itself as the most suitable for the improvement of the indices related to human development and cleaner production. The research demonstrated that use of different research tools (e.g. EWA) can help the diagnosis of the local situation; meanwhile a specific way of intervention (e.g. AKD) can bring consistent results to local SMEs. In fact, the main issue is not the intervention methodology, but the correct analysis and understanding of peculiar characteristics of local population and material conditions. An adequate and preliminary survey must support the intervention as a way to understand the real needs and possibilities of social groups involved. In the first case, the profit enlargement in 20% is a significant result to local SMEs and a start point to new design developments. The second example demonstrates that inclusion of local elements can improve the “design quality” of products, contributing for creation of a “local brand”, recognized by the most important Brazilian design award. Finally, the consideration of social aspects in the LCA can be supported by EWA, contributing to the definition of correct strategies to introduction of principles of Design for Sustainability, while improving work conditions in the SMEs. The relevance of a singular approach in the studies focused in SMEs was demonstrated, especially when related to particular aspects associated to work conditions and local skills involved in this type of organization. In this way, this study brings support to understanding the real conditions involved in a model of production situated between the artisanal and industrial models. The singular characteristics observed (as an informal and non structured organization) bring new challenges to understand and improve the competitive conditions in SMEs. This work demonstrated an opportunity to open new studies focused on SMEs that could be developed as future works. In terms of methodological approach, the adaptation of analysing tools as LCA, EWA and AKD to SMEs, in an adequate level of complexity, is an interesting field for future studies. The development of new technologies based on a sustainable approach to traditional skills and tools (as example the development of efficient and sustainable machines to small workshops) is an important demand in the developing countries to improve work conditions and implement cleaner production principles. At last, the application of the approach proposed in this article in similar situations (in America, Africa or Asia) could improve and refine the understanding of peculiar aspects of the SMEs in the developing countries. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank CNPq e Conselho Nacional de gico (National Council of Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnolo Technological and Scientific Development) (201426/2009-9) and the Brazilian Science and Technology Ministry for funding this research project and the sabbatical period in TU Delft (Netherlands). He would also like to thank professors Han Brezet, JC Diehl and Marcel Crul (from TU Delft) for the debates and conversations about this theme. Finally, he especially thanks Mrs. Joseane Silveira de Andrade for her critiques and comments, and excellent recommendations to improve this article. References Babbie, E., 1990. Survey Research Methods. Wadsworth, Belmont.
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Brazilian design for sustainability: in search of a local approach Eduardo Romeiro Filho*, 1 ~o, Av. Anto ^nio Carlos, 6627 e Escola de Industrial Engineering Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Engenharia de Produça Engenharia e Sala 3104 e Pampulha, 31270-010 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
a r t i c l e i n f o
a b s t r a c t
Article history: Received 12 November 2013 Received in revised form 2 July 2014 Accepted 20 August 2014 Available online xxx
Small and medium enterprises are fundamental to economic growth and job generation, especially in developing countries. These companies are crucial for the improvement of social conditions and technological development in poorer regions of the Americas, Asia and Africa. However, local conditions are usually very specific and demand a singular approach for sustainability. This paper presents some results of a research aimed at investigating methodologies and tools to support the application of Design for Sustainability principles adapted to the real conditions of Brazilian small and medium enterprises. These enterprises are mainly based on traditional products and technologies. The results of this research were achieved through identifying elements for development of a sustainable approach, with a focus on design of products in Brazil and other developing countries. The methodology considered variables specifically linked to the local situation. The primary focus was on small companies working in traditional production processes (or craftsmanship) in Minas Gerais State, in southeast Brazil. Four main sustainability aspects were considered: environmental, economic, social and cultural. As a conclusion, three cases of intervention focused on sustainable improvement are presented and discussed. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Sustainability Small and medium enterprises Product design Developing countries Craftsmanship
1. Introduction SMEs e small and medium enterprises e are increasingly recognised as central contributors to sustainable development. Especially in developing countries, SMEs have a fundamental importance in employment generation and economic development. This paper presents research intending to adapt D4S e Design for Sustainability e methodologies and tools to Brazilian SMEs. The studies were carried out on a large number of companies based on traditional technologies, producing goods using specific manufacturing skills (e.g. food, clothing and furniture). The main sustainability aspects (Savitz and Weber, 2006; Boulouta and Pitelis, 2014) considered are described below: 1.1. Environmental sustainability LCA e Lifecycle Assessment tools were applied to measure the environmental impact of production processes and products of the local SMEs that adopt traditional materials, work skills and processes. This approach is based on D4S strategies (Crul and Diehl,
* Tel.: þ55 31 3409 4892; fax: þ55 31 3409 4888. E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected]. 1 Visiting Professor at Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Design for Sustainability Program.
2005, 2009) and use of LCA (SAIC, 2006; UNEP, 1996) according to ISO 14040/44. LCA is not just an environmental impact measurement tool. It can also improve “several environmental, economic and social assessment methods” (Jeswani et al., 2010). In this way, LCA method is used as support to a holistic investigation about the influence of product lifecycle on different aspects of sustainability. 1.2. Economic sustainability The production processes in the selected companies were evaluated and engineering and design tools for the development of original and adequate technical solutions (including new designs in products) were applied. These procedures aim to improve the SMEs' economic results and expand the product line and the market share (including exportation possibilities), but maintaining “fair trade” and “ethically correct” principles (Pitelis, 2013). 1.3. Social sustainability The working conditions in crafts production and in the SMEs' were considered as a way to understand social relationships This study intends to contribute to the improvement of social conditions and the way of life of the people impacted by the enterprises (Romeiro Filho and Lima, 2010). This approach is based on the
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context of HDI e Human Development Index and impacts of local companies on population settings such as in the health conditions, education and living expectative of people involved in the production process, their families and communities. According to Crul et al. (2009, p. 25), “the 3 key elements of sustainability e social, environmental, and economic e are also referred to as people, planet, and profit, and are the fundamental components of product innovation”. This paper also includes a fourth aspect, the cultural sustainability: 1.4. Cultural sustainability In this approach (similar to the proposed by Mestre, 2008) the importance of local tradition and skills is considered in the new product development, as a way to increase the profit while maintaining local cultural values. In this way, the origins of some traditional Brazilian products were investigated. This enabled the “mapping” of historical and cultural influences and the identification of native knowledge and “savoir-faire”. European and African cultural elements were also identified. This mapping was done in order to maintain the local identity in new designs. The implementation of design and engineering methods is recognised as a powerful way to improve situations such as those found in Brazil and in other developing countries. However, these methods were originally developed and applied in large companies in developed countries (Klewitz and Hansen, 2014). Unlike the multinational companies, SMEs in developing countries characteristically have an inadequate organisational structure, no trained workforce, low economic resources and low technology. Bearing this in mind, an investigation into adequate techniques focused on the local SMEs' requirements it is essential to improve their competitiveness. One should also consider the improvement of the local population living conditions, without compromising environmental or degrading cultural values, as well as the working conditions in the SMEs. Cultural conservation is particularly important in Minas Gerais, where there are both extraordinary cultural heritage and national history. The main objective of this research was the adaptation of tools that can improve the insertion of D4S principles in Brazilian SMEs, especially those based on technologies and traditional products. 2. The main issue Product design is a crucial element for companies' competitiveness and for Brazil's economic development. Currently the relative decrease in the percentage of total industrial GDP to the country's total GDP, demonstrates a risk of “deindustrialization” (Bresser-Pereira, 2012; Souza, 2009). This situation can be aggravated by increasing importation of consumer goods, especially from Asian countries. In addition to the economic aspect, there is an issue of the appropriateness of such products to the needs of Brazilian consumers. Imported products are often standard solutions developed from generic concepts of the needs of a global market and are distant from the Brazilian needs and characteristics. At the same time, numerous population groups in Brazil live with poverty levels incompatible with the country's economic growth. It has become essential to seek ways of employment and income for these groups, many of whom are descendants of communities that arose during the process of Brazil's colonisation. Although these communities suffer from all types of material deprivation, they maintain important traditions and represent a key element of the Brazil's culture preservation. Its isolation throughout decades of economic deflation is now starting to be reversed and it is necessary to create conditions for its economic
and social development, maintaining the local cultural aspects and reducing the environmental impacts. A possible solution is to support SMEs, which are traditionally responsible for most of the jobs in the nation and are therefore important elements of employment and income generation. Although this experience brings forth positive results, it's important that these enterprises become more agile in product development and more efficient in production processes, enabling better working conditions and reducing the environmental impact, therefore becoming able to attend more properly to their consumer markets and to extend these market ranges. Product replication, together with production increases through work intensification, are strategies that do not persist in the long term and often bring more damage than benefits (Oliveira and Echternacht, 2007). Hence, there is a need for providing these companies with sustainable processes and social elements while maintaining the local cultural repertoire to generate original design solutions. Brazilians SMEs are exposed to competition from large national and international companies. Likewise, they are encouraged (or forced) to compete in new markets by trying to access unexplored regions and/or niches or even exporting to different countries. The same thing occurs to groups that operate in traditional manufacturing systems with artisanal bases. These are stimulated by various governmental programs to build up associations and to develop new solutions to increase the target audience reached, the artisans' entrepreneurial capacity and, in particular, the aggregate value of artisanal nature products (Freitas, 2011; Freitas and Romeiro Filho, 2005). Those different actions aim to bring to production processes of artisanal bases relevant contributions to the economic and socio-cultural development of those producing regions. This research is based on the assumption that traditional methodologies of design and product design, in addition to those oriented toward sustainability, can be inadequate to the observed reality in Brazil, in particular to the existing reality in traditional production systems and SMEs. This situation is similar to observed in other developing countries, e.g. Mexico (Bonsiepe, 2009), Vietnam and Costa Rica (Crul and Diehl, 2005) and experiences linked to principles proposed in the DBoP e Design for the Base of the Pyramid - experiences (Whitney and Kelkar, 2004). In these situations, the specific product requirements and the characteristics of local companies (e.g. weak organizational methods) and people involved (e.g. low education level) lead to the need for specific product development and manufacturing processes. In these cases, a previous diagnosis could be a support to a design intervention aiming the improvement of local products and processes. Intending a deep understanding about a peculiar situation observed in Brazilian SMEs, some research tools are proposed. Design and engineering provide a remarkable contribution to the improvement of this situation. However, the existing methodologies and tools for product design are, for the most part, developed for application in large enterprises, making them inadequate for SMEs, whose organisational structure, investment capacity and labour characteristics are unique. Therefore, the development of design methodologies adequate for the peculiarities of Brazilian SMEs is appropriate, as a way to raise their competitiveness. We must also consider the improvement of the population's living conditions without compromising the environment or degrading local cultural values. The working conditions in SMEs and the creation of conditions that guarantee that cultural aspects related to traditional manufacturing systems should not get lost in the light of disordered innovation processes. This aspect is particularly important in the state of Minas Gerais, where there is extraordinary cultural and historic heritage.
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The studies were conducted in the region of the so-called “Estrada Real”, an old path that was used to transport gold and diamonds from mines (hence the current name of the state e Minas Gerais) to the coast of Rio de Janeiro, from where they were shipped to Europe. The Estrada Real is one of the first regions colonized in Brazil, since the XVII Century, during the called “Mining Cycle”. In the beginning of this Century, some of the most important gold mines around the world were discovered in the region called Minas Gerais (the name could be translated as “General Mining”). Cities as Ouro Preto and Diamantina (“black gold” and “diamond land”) formed the most lucrative entrepreneurship of the Portuguese empire. In order to carry gold and diamonds between Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro (the Brazilian capital at that time) different basis were implemented. Those basis were transformed into villages, each one responsible for one kind of support to mining activities (skills such as agriculture, dairy, food production, clothing etc.). Currently, some cities conserve the original skills, creating a combination of different attractions and traditions. It is possible to visit cities specialized in, e.g. homemade cookies, candies, clothes, cheese etc. After the mining economic cycle, which took place at the end of the eighteenth century, the axis of Brazilian development moved to other regions, which led to the abandonment of the old path. This fact enabled the cities of the region to keep for almost two centuries a significantly unaltered structure, with an economy based on old manufacturing systems that worked in support of the mining, for example, the production of utensils (in leather, wood or stone) and food on a small scale. This situation only began to change in the second half of the twentieth century with the acceleration of Brazil's economic growth and with the increase of tourist flow to the historic towns along the “Estrada Real”, particularly the cities of ~o Joa ~o Del Rei and Tiradentes. The Diamantina, Serro, Ouro Preto, Sa Estrada Real covers about 1400 km and is one of the largest and most ambitious Brazilian tourism projects; it involves 178 municipalities in the states of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo (Carvalho et al., 2010). 3. Methods The research was performed in several cities, including Serro, ~o Joa ~o del Rei. The choice for these cities was Ouro Preto and Sa based on several factors, such as the local production of traditional products for consumption (such as food and utility objects), as well as products for tourist trade (souvenirs and art objects). In the area of Ouro Preto, the community of Santa Rita de Ouro Preto, whose economy is based on the production of articles in soapstone, with various demands in the areas of product design, production process improvement and occupational health (Rodrigues, 2012) was investigated. In S~ ao Jo~ ao Del Rei and the surrounding area, researches related to aspects such as the development of packing for traditional food products (Romeiro Filho and Vilela, 2007; Miranda and Romeiro Filho, 2007) and occupational health aspects in traditional manufacturing systems (Oliveira, 2006; Pereira, 2008) was conducted. This article briefly describes some of the research conducted and presents the results. The work was developed at different stages, with the application of different methodologies deemed appropriate for each phase: 1- Survey of the products considered as traditional produced in these SMEs and of the consumer markets by means of market studies and iconographic survey. In the first stage of the research, tools of social research as action research (Thiollent, 2008), focusgroup (Malhotra, 2009) and survey (Babbie, 1990) were applied. In the survey of cultural aspects the methods of iconographic survey (understood as the search for the symbolic meaning of images and forms represented in craft tradition products) and of historical
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research (as described for Duby, 1998) were used. The research was developed from field studies, including open and semi-structured interviews, focus groups and the observation of real working situations. It was considered that the application of closed questionnaires would be inappropriate, in view of the significant differences between the various groups analysed. The iconographic survey was conducted during the field visits and served as a record of discussions. 2- Analysis of the production and working conditions of SMEs based on traditional products and production systems. The methods used for the analysis of the production and work conditions of the SMEs focused on analysis of the work processes that have been adopted in ergonomic and work organisation studies (Piotet and Mabile, 1984; Wisner, 1987), particularly EWA e ergorin et al., 2007). The moninomic work assessment methods (Gue toring and observation of the work in a real-life situation of production was conducted, and the following aspects were analysed: raw material characteristics, instruments of work, reflections of the introduction of new products and work and production organisation (Fig. 2). During the direct observations of the working activity, the posture of the artisans, the communication in the workshop and the handling and the needs in terms of making information were studied. In this way, it was possible to understand the existing working relationships and their effects on artisans' health and on the characteristics of the resulting products. 3- Research of cultural relationship and common roots existent between traditional products, in addition to a survey of the historical influences that have led to the development of local production systems. This survey was conducted from literature research (including consultations to historical documents) and iconographic survey of products for sale in the areas studied. Manufacturers of typical local products were identified as a way to map the existing distribution channels, identifying the products that were truly local and differentiating them from those that are actually imported from other regions of the country or even from abroad. For example, the work of Rodrigues et al. (2013) identified that the soapstone pots produced in the district region of Santa Rita do Ouro Preto follow a pattern identified by Burger (1927). 4- Implementation of a simplified LCA of traditional products and an evaluation of their social and environmental impact, contrasting them (when applicable) with similar products produced industrially. Simplified products' lifecycle assessments (Hochschorner and Finnveden, 2003; Horne et al., 2009) were conducted to evaluate the traditional products, especially the Ecoindicator 95 and Eco-indicator 99 methods (Goedkoop and Spriensma, 2000; PRE Consultants, 2011). In these cases, the product choices resulted from the cultural and economic relevance to the producing regions. The option to compare the lifecycles and environmental impacts resulting from industrial or traditional (or craft) systems had the objective of identifying opportunities for reduction of the environmental impact with the possible adoption of good practises observed in the industry by artisan producers, in €nder “Cradle-to-grave” or “Cradle-to-cradle” perspective (Vogtla et al., 2010; Vogtlander, 2012). 5- Development of technical solutions to improve the traditional products and production processes, aiming to improve the results and the working conditions while maintaining characteristics of value associated with fundamental cultural aspects (as elements of the local tradition). In this sense, it is up to the team of researchers to raise and evaluate the aspects of cultural value associated with the product, incorporating solutions that will not interfere in the free expression of the community. It was observed that often improvements in degraded conditions of production may lead to important advances in the social group involved, whether in economic terms (e.g. profit improvement) or in terms of quality of
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Fig. 1. AKD e Applied Knowledge Dynamics, as presented to carpenters.
life (e.g. reduction of occupational diseases and advance of HDI e Human Development Index in the population involved). Examples of this type of action are the case of production of ceramics in the Jequitinhonha Valley, where proposed amendments to the oven have consistently improved the production conditions (Godoy et al., 2005) and the research of systems of craft production in the region of the “Estrada Real”, which raised a number of health problems of the workers involved (Oliveira and Echternacht, 2007). 4. Results and discussion We present some results of the research as a way to illustrate the objectives and scope below. Studies that have been performed in different situations, with emphasis on each aspect of sustainability were selected: 4.1. Economic sustainability This research is based on the studies that evaluate the effective results of governmental actions towards the improvement of conditions of Local Productive Arrangements of the furniture sector in the Region of Jequitinhonha Valley in Minas Gerais. This region is
Fig. 2. An example of soapstone workshop in Santa Rita de Ouro Preto.
known for its poverty and social exclusion. One can find an agglomeration of micro-enterprises that have very little technological and management knowledge, which makes it an appropriate object of this study. Data collected by a survey conducted in local companies reveal difficulties such as absence of production techniques and organisation in the enterprises (lack of data for marketing, market, time and cost of production) and problems for new products design (Pereira et al., 2004). All the furniture companies located in the region of this research were created less than ten years before the time when the study was conducted, and their final product was basically a copy of standard furniture produced in other regions of the country. As a result, the local production was characterised by a low added value. In general, they are family and informal businesses and have poor working conditions in terms of health and safety. The workers level of training is low, making it difficult to adopt technological, managerial and design improvements (Pereira, 2013). Analysing the peculiarities and potentialities of the furniture industry in question, a method to support the transfer and generation of knowledge was developed. The objective was to create mechanisms for the introduction of improvements in the production process, to increase the product's quality, optimise the use of raw material, make the product more competitive and expand its consumer market. The transfer and generation of knowledge (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995) are, in a dynamic process, identified in the course of the companies' activities. Because this project was applied to a real situation to systemise the transfer and generation of knowledge from the perspective of knowledge dynamics, it may become a reference for other governmental actions of this nature (Oliveira et al., 2005). Appropriate procedures were defined to the specific firms based on issues identified as most relevant, especially with regards to the expansion of the entrepreneurs' knowledge, from the following steps: definition of relevant actions and working schedule, entrepreneurs' skills levelling, project and technical documentation, prototyping, testing and certification of products. With the aim of highlighting the need for the systematisation of the existing knowledge and the household knowledge, a diagram with the illustration of the stages of a product's development inserted in the concept of AKD e Applied Knowledge Dynamics e was developed. Fig. 1 shows the general concept of AKD in the context of furniture companies in the Jequitinhonha Valley.
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The concept was schematically presented to the participating companies and consists of the following steps: diagnosis, proposition, experimentation, evaluation, systematisation, operation and results. The main benefit of the proposed system is in its clarity for the entrepreneurs and workers involved. A further evaluation of the project showed that the participating companies had better results in relation to others existing in the same region. It was also observed that the best results were obtained by companies that implemented the proposed concepts in a systemic form, in other words, implemented improvements both in the area of production and in the new products design process. Some results observed by Oliveira (2007) three years after the design intervention should be considered. In the group of companies involved effects such as implementation of manufacture cells (in 14% of companies in the project), layout improvement (in 86%), use of new technologies (29%) and improvement in the production processes (86%) can be observed. In the same period, the general profit increased 20%. 4.2. Cultural sustainability: craftsmanship and industrial production interaction
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is the insertion into the work with the leftovers of the pieces of MDF e medium density fibreboard e made by the industry, providing a natural contrast due to a combination of leftovers from various pieces of stone (in different shades: ashes, greenish, roses, among others), which allowed an interesting aesthetic effect. The crafts' fragments were transformed by the artisan in components with two fixed dimensions (depth and width), with the length varying according to the size of the leftovers. The fixed dimensions were used for clamping the pieces on the furniture, which were designed to support such components. The results demonstrated the economic, social and environmental relevance of the studied region. Some of the results include: the inclusion of new workers in production systems, in particular apprentices who work in artisanal production systems; the incorporation of new features of value to the developed products, highlighting the culture and local traditions and reduction of waste disposal of artisanal production by its reutilisation in the furniture. The closet developed in this project was a finalist in 2006 “Movelsul Hall”, the most important furniture design award in Brazil. 4.3. Social sustainability: soapstone artefacts
The Minas Gerais State Government has been supporting “Estrada Real” since 2003, with the aim of recreating, planning and ordering this historic path and its variants, exploring its touristic potential in its natural, architectonic, social-economical and historic-cultural characteristics. As part of this initiative, this project focused on the furniture industry: a furniture line for inns, considering touristic, cultural and historical aspects and the local traditional activities. The importance of linking the industrial furniture with regional identity is considered, examining the product as a vehicle of the spirit and history of the region. For product design, the use of local cultural elements is associated with industrial solutions, from the insertion of crafted components, ornaments created from “soapstone” (steatite) remnants left over from regional craftworks. The insertion of the pieces in the furniture links it to the “Estrada Real” region, and the natural differences of soapstone tonalities provide an interesting aesthetic effect. However, furniture production by the industrial process is not always compatible with the insertion of craft components, which have to be appropriate to the aims, characteristics and limitations that are typical of the industry. This initiative proposes a contribution to the discussion about the possible relationships between different systems of production (artisanal and industrial), viewing new and differentiated design solutions and improving the artisans' profit and industry competitiveness based on innovative design solutions (Braga and Romeiro Filho, 2011). The approach had the product design associated with the regional tradition and the manufacture facilitation, which would allow production by small local businesses. We opted for solutions of constructive simplicity (drawings defined by straight lines), which would allow the manufacture in different productive contexts (from carpenters up to serial industries). The furniture produced should be modular and should be able to compose various products with minimal changes or no changes, using the small blocks resulted from the soapstone extraction. According to Rodrigues and Lima (2012), “during the exploitation of dimension stones, such as soapstone, only 30% of the rock is recovered. The remaining 70% is composed of small blocks that are used in artisan workshops, where pans and souvenirs are produced”. The possibility of exploiting fragments of handicrafts in soapstone for application in furniture was identified, reinforcing the element of regional raw material character. The project sought to bring together the characteristics (visual, dimensional and physical) of the residues from the regional handicraft with the restrictions of the industrial process. The result
This study aimed the application of EWA e Ergonomic Work Assessment on two producers of soapstone pots, located in Santa Rita de Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The use of soapstone to produce artisanal objects is a tradition in that region, and has a relevant social and cultural role for the local communities. However, the production has both environmental e related to mining and processing of steatite e and social problems e the injurious work conditions in the pots production workshop (Fig. 2) and its effects in the population. The first objective of this study was to measure the environmental impacts of the pot production, but the research revealed the relevance of the social impacts. Thus, the introduction of the social approach in the investigation was considered. This analysis demonstrated how elements of EWA can € pffer, contribute to the S-LCA e Social Lifecycle Assessment (Klo 2008; Jørgensen et al., 2008). For this purpose, we used a case study developed in the Santa Rita de Ouro Preto district of Ouro Preto, in which the production of soapstone handicrafts is one of the main activities. In this productive system, we sought to understand the organisational aspects of the activity and to perform an EWA of artisanal production of soapstone pots (Fig. 3). From this, it was possible to understand and describe the productive system in question and characterise some of its aspects and social impacts. A brief description of the production cycle of a soapstone pot consists of the choice/purchase of the soapstone, carrying it to the workshop, preparation, lathing and finishing. In each one of these steps, the characteristics of the production system were identified, including the physical, environmental, human resources and technological aspects of each process unit. It was also possible to identify the socio-cultural aspects of the community involved, as well as the identification of the productive system's main problems. By using parts of EWA, we noticed the need for survey data, which are relevant to the achievement of an S-LCA. The way to obtain data that is specific to a certain reality is one of the difficulties encountered in S-LCA, thus the EWA is shown as potentially effective for aiding the inclusion of social aspects in LCA. An EWA seeks to deeply understand the reality of the studied system. In this way, this analysis was expected to identify what is more important for those involved, i.e., to define, among many indicators, which are the most convenient to use in an S-LCA is a key factor and must be related to the specific needs of the case. As the EWA should be able to specify what is essential, in addition to help with survey data, it could be useful in the decision of which indicators to use in the SLCA.
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rin et al., 2007). Fig. 3. EWA e Ergonomic Work Assessment (adapted from Gue
Among the indicators used in this study, from the phases used from EWA on the soapstone pots production, are those related to health and safety in an S-LCA. In addition, these indicators should also be included: the existence of child labour, in youth or forced; social security; appropriate working time; collective association; remuneration; level of internal education; infrastructure service; respect of the local community; sustainable development; and culture, sport and leisure activities. The activity analysis of the studied case attempted to investigate health and safety issues and, in this case, also enabled the qualification and quantification of the social impact caused by this activity. In the case of the soapstone pot production, it was possible to identify the main risks of the activity, and from the data available in the literature, it was possible to quantify the effects of the impact (pain and illness at work) in the activity of handicrafts in soapstone. Therefore, EWA is useful to the S-LCA, and the two complement each other. Both methodologies should be developed in the environment in which the activity takes place, and they complement each other to support the data collection, the evaluation and interpretation of impacts and to obtain recommendations for an effective change in the productive system, if applicable. The analysis of soapstone activity raises questions about worker safety and health, which helps both qualification and quantification of the social impact caused by the activity. In the case of soapstone pots, it was possible to identify the main risks of the activity, and from the data available in literature, it was possible to quantify the impact of effects such as pain and illnesses on the soapstone crafting activities. Often, a full assessment is not possible when only considering the indicators; therefore, the EWA acts as a systemic view of the analysed tasks, complementing the S-LCA. One of the striking features of the activity performed by the operator to produce a soapstone pot is the lack of formalization shown by high variability of production rates, operating mode, postures, environment, work and product organization. Climatic conditions and the kind of material used are also relevant. Variations in the raw material used (called “hard rock” or “soft rock”, according to their composition) affect the activity of the operators in terms of physical strength, work cycle time, postural maintenance time, among others. The possibility of projection of soapstone fragments and exposure to weather are also important
aspects. In addition, there are risks arising from ineffective or nonexistent maintenance of the used equipment. Some recommendations were presented to improve the work conditions in the soapstone workshops: review and maintenance of equipment; proper storage of waste; suitability of tools/machines; improvement of communication between quarry and CPU; noise reduction; minimization of substances used in finishing of pieces (wax, varnish and fat) and use of Personal and Collective Protective Equipment. In the specific case of soapstone pot production in Santa Rita do Ouro Preto, the information gathered by EWA was attached to the information available from the Brazilian government (related to the entire Brazilian population and used to calculate the local Human Development Index). This pairing made a better understanding of the relationship between the product life cycle and the social issues relevant to the local population possible, which is heavily involved in various stages of the production. 5. Conclusions This paper presented, in a concise way, the results of three studies aimed at improving the conditions observed in SMEs and/ or groups of artisans based on traditional systems of production in Brazil. The importance of the conservation of local traditions as a way of product differentiation from products that are imported, arising from industrial production systems on a large scale, was observed. In addition, attention was drawn to the need for the adequacy of the products, the methods adopted and the solutions to improve the production systems to the peculiar characteristics of the local population. The research showed that the adoption of local solutions can be an alternative to models of economic development based on the introduction of new systems of industrial production. It was possible to observe that the adoption of appropriate tactics for knowledge systematisation can bring benefits to small furniture producers that are incapable of incorporating organisational systems designed for larger enterprises. The possibility of product differentiation through the insertion of decorative elements produced from small-scale production systems was created. Finally, the precarious work and production conditions observed in handicrafts could be evaluated and
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measured from the application of tools such as S-LCA, associated with methods such as EWA. Because the “Estrada Real” in Minas Gerais it is such a unique region of historic importance, it is observed that an approach that contemplates aspects of sustainability presents itself as the most suitable for the improvement of the indices related to human development and cleaner production. The research demonstrated that use of different research tools (e.g. EWA) can help the diagnosis of the local situation; meanwhile a specific way of intervention (e.g. AKD) can bring consistent results to local SMEs. In fact, the main issue is not the intervention methodology, but the correct analysis and understanding of peculiar characteristics of local population and material conditions. An adequate and preliminary survey must support the intervention as a way to understand the real needs and possibilities of social groups involved. In the first case, the profit enlargement in 20% is a significant result to local SMEs and a start point to new design developments. The second example demonstrates that inclusion of local elements can improve the “design quality” of products, contributing for creation of a “local brand”, recognized by the most important Brazilian design award. Finally, the consideration of social aspects in the LCA can be supported by EWA, contributing to the definition of correct strategies to introduction of principles of Design for Sustainability, while improving work conditions in the SMEs. The relevance of a singular approach in the studies focused in SMEs was demonstrated, especially when related to particular aspects associated to work conditions and local skills involved in this type of organization. In this way, this study brings support to understanding the real conditions involved in a model of production situated between the artisanal and industrial models. The singular characteristics observed (as an informal and non structured organization) bring new challenges to understand and improve the competitive conditions in SMEs. This work demonstrated an opportunity to open new studies focused on SMEs that could be developed as future works. In terms of methodological approach, the adaptation of analysing tools as LCA, EWA and AKD to SMEs, in an adequate level of complexity, is an interesting field for future studies. The development of new technologies based on a sustainable approach to traditional skills and tools (as example the development of efficient and sustainable machines to small workshops) is an important demand in the developing countries to improve work conditions and implement cleaner production principles. At last, the application of the approach proposed in this article in similar situations (in America, Africa or Asia) could improve and refine the understanding of peculiar aspects of the SMEs in the developing countries. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank CNPq e Conselho Nacional de gico (National Council of Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnolo Technological and Scientific Development) (201426/2009-9) and the Brazilian Science and Technology Ministry for funding this research project and the sabbatical period in TU Delft (Netherlands). He would also like to thank professors Han Brezet, JC Diehl and Marcel Crul (from TU Delft) for the debates and conversations about this theme. Finally, he especially thanks Mrs. Joseane Silveira de Andrade for her critiques and comments, and excellent recommendations to improve this article. References Babbie, E., 1990. Survey Research Methods. Wadsworth, Belmont.
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Please cite this article in press as: Romeiro Filho, E., Brazilian design for sustainability: in search of a local approach, Journal of Cleaner Production (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.08.065