The term you are looking for is green design (often also called green product design or green product design objectives).

Direct definition

In many design and technology curricula, green design is specifically defined as a design strategy whose objectives “address three broad environmental categories—materials, energy and pollution/waste.”

This means that when a product is designed with green design principles, the designer is intentionally trying to:

  • Use materials that are less harmful, less resource‑intensive, and more recyclable.
  • Reduce energy use during production, transport, and product use.
  • Minimize pollution/waste , including emissions, toxic substances, and end‑of‑life disposal impacts.

How it shows up in exam or textbook questions

Questions phrased like:

“Which term is defined as a design strategy focusing on three broad environmental materials, energy, and pollution/waste?”

are typically testing recognition of this textbook wording for green design , not broader terms like “sustainable design” or “eco‑design.”

So, for that style of multiple‑choice or flashcard question, the correct answer is:

Green design.

TL;DR: The design strategy that focuses on the three environmental categories of materials, energy, and pollution/waste is called green design.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.