Overview

Google, IBM & Meta Certificates – 40% Off

One plan covers every Professional Certificate on Coursera.

By the end of this course, you will be able to evaluate products across the triple bottom line, conduct life cycle assessments (LCA) to quantify environmental impact, apply circular economy strategies to products and business models, and navigate certifications, regulations, and credible sustainability communication. You will progress from planetary boundaries, SDGs, and eco-design strategies to hands-on classical and fast-track LCA, impact assessment, and sensitivity analysis. You will then design for disassembly, recycling, remanufacturing, and product-service systems, before mastering eco-labels, RoHS/REACH/WEEE compliance, carbon accounting, and greenwashing-proof claims. Uniquely, every design decision in this course is grounded in measurable life cycle data, not assumptions. Real cases — a PET bottle redesign, glass vs. aluminium packaging, Fairphone's circular electronics, and an EU Ecolabel journey — show how theory becomes industry practice. Designed for engineers, product managers, and sustainability professionals, the course equips you with a practical toolkit to create products that are environmentally sound, commercially viable, and ready for global markets.

Syllabus

Foundations of Sustainable Product Design

Learn to design products that balance environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Explore the triple bottom line, life cycle thinking, planetary boundaries, and the SDGs, then apply eco-design strategies for material selection, energy efficiency, and waste reduction. Through real product case studies, use LCA-driven evidence to make informed, impactful design decisions.

Life Cycle Assessment

Learn to quantify environmental impact using life cycle assessment. Master Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions accounting, functional units, system boundaries, and impact categories. Compare classical and fast-track LCA approaches, perform impact assessment, normalisation, and sensitivity analysis, and apply LCA-driven insights to real packaging case studies for evidence-based design decisions.

Circular Economy and Circular Design

Move beyond the linear take-make-dispose model. Learn circular economy principles and the 9R framework, then apply cradle-to-cradle thinking, design for disassembly, recycling, remanufacturing, and refurbishment. Explore product-service systems, biomimicry, and eco-friendly packaging, and analyse the Fairphone case to design products, business models, and ecosystems that keep materials in use.

Sustainability Implementation and Compliance

Turn sustainability theory into industry practice. Learn eco-labels and certifications (EU Ecolabel, ENERGY STAR, Cradle to Cradle), regulatory compliance (RoHS, REACH, WEEE), carbon footprinting and offsetting, and sustainability metrics. Detect and avoid greenwashing, communicate credibly through EPDs and Scope 1–3 disclosures, and explore AI tools and digital product passports.