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Sustainable Materials
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:07:54
Abstract
This lecture addresses sustainability in manufacturing, focusing on materials. To determine where high-impact changes can be brought, widely used materials, their production and transformation into a product are analysed in terms of energy use and emissions. It then explores alternative design strategies to reduce material use and innovative processes to lower energy consumption and emissions.
Objective
After this lecture students will be able to: • Develop a critical thinking of published sustainability data and facts • Explain where the materials that we use come from, what emissions arise from the different steps of raw material production and product manufacturing • Identify key opportunities for improving sustainability in product design, particularly through material selection, reduction of material use, and design for disassembly, repair and recycling. • Develop feasible solutions towards a more sustainable use of materials
Content
• Introduction : what is sustainability, which industrial sectors are responsible for the most CO2 (and other) emissions • Where to find reliable data, how one can play with numbers and how to make estimates • Basics of life cycle analysis and introduction to Granta Edupack software • CO2 and other emissions (GHGs, by-products) • The most used materials: Steel and Al o key properties and applications o Evolution of production and consumption o Emissions and energy cost associated with making and transformation into products o Recycling challenges • The most used materials: plastics o Global production, associated emissions and plastic waste o The different types of plastics and their uses o Recycling o Biopolymers vs biodegradable polymers o Polymer-based composites • Process efficiencies, new processing routes for Al and steel • Use less material by design • Re-use of materials & prolonging products life • Presentation of students’ projects
Resources
Lecture Notes
Slides distributed and available on Moodle
Literature
References given in the lecture
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- BSC , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Sustainable Materials
The lecture starts in the second week.
|
No time listed | 2 h weekly |
| independent project | Sustainable Materials | No time listed | 2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Design, Mechanics and Manufacturing (Focus Coordinator: Prof. Dennis Kochmann To achieve the required 20 credit points for the Focus Specialization Design, Mechanics and Manufacturing, all of the courses listed can be selected. If required, one course from another focus specialization or from the electives of the ME Bachelor program can be selected. For recommended courses and further information, please visit the MAVT website for Focus Specialization ( ).)
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Core Courses (The Core Courses in the Master’s program Mechanical Engineering listed below are indicative and include courses designed by the Department at the Master's level. With the approval of the tutor, students may also select Master's-level courses offered by other departments at ETH. These courses will be marked as non-regular in the LAG, but their categorization as Core Courses is possible if included in the approved LAG.)
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