Ecodesign A promising approach

To sustainable production And consumption

What are the objectives of the manual?

The manual Ecodesign: a promising approach to production and consumption has been written to help industrial businesses worldwide introduce systematic ecodesign. Now that becoming more familiar with the concepts of environmental management and cleaner processes, the time has come to focus on the core of the issue: the design of the product itself. Improving product design by apply ing ecodesign principles is a big step towards the prevention of environmental problems at source and, hence, towards a more sustainable society. Ecodesign, or the integration of environmental aspect into the familiar product development process, is important from both environmental and the business perspective. Ecodesign project carried out all over the world have shown that as well as helping improve the environment, ecodesign also often offers businesses financial benefits. The objectives of this ecodesign manual are: To describe a step -by-step method, tools and guidelines to help companies implement ecodesign in their product development processes; To supply practical information on specific ecodesign issues, such as Ecodesig n strategies, methods for l ife cycle assessment and life cycle costing, product -oriented environmental policy, the environmental problem and green tactical marketing; To function as a broker for ecodesign by including extensive Information sources, literature references and addresses of ecodesign information providers; To create worldwide interest in ecodesign by including many international ecodesign case studies which reveal the environmental and entrepreneurial benefits of ecodesign when applied in practice; and T o stimulate p r o d uct developers experienced in improving the environmental profile of their products to provide innovative products with a low environmental impact.

What can be achieved with ecodesign?

The first results of ecodesign are promising: a 30 to 50 per cent reduction in environmental load is often feasible in the short term. Even higher reductions can be achieved. For example, the Picto office chair is a breakthrough in which ecodesign resulted in a saving of material and energy, a reduction in waste, an innovative product design and a considerable reduction in costs. This is a win -win situation in which there are benefits for both the business and the environment. A win -win situation can also be achieved through a number of small steps rather than a single large breakthrough. It takes only a little logical thinking to achieve a moderate reduction in environmental impact and thus familiarity with the subject. It is therefore important for businesses to start gaining experience with ecodesign as soon as possible. Opportunities are legion, and it is simply a case of grasping them as quickly as possible.

How is ecodesign treated in the manual? Background to the manual

Governments, businesses and consumers began to give more attention to the environmental aspects o f products after 1990. This trend has been encouraged by a growing awareness of responsibility for the environment. The focus has shifted from environmental management in the form of end of-pipe technology to cleaner processes followed by improving the product design itself. Larger companies with international sales outlets have already gained experience with ecodesign. Their knowledge and experience has been used to make this manual. The approach followed here The word ecodesign has been chosen since it implies a need to find the right balance between ecological and economic requirements while developing products. Environmental issues must be considered in all the stages of product development, with the aim of producing products with the lowest possible environmental burden at all stages of the product life cycle. In the end, ecodesign should lead to a more sustainable system of production and consumption (as the title of this publication suggests). Other terms referring to the same approach are designfor the environment life cycle design and environmentally conscious design and manufacturing. Cleaner production is regarded as the predecessor of ecodesign. A relation between ecodesign and the concepts of life cycle management and industrial ecology exist, but is less direct. A more extensive discussion of these concepts can be found in Chapter 2.1. The backbone of the manual is a step -by-step plan, which allows a business to initiate and carry out an ecodesign project and, as a result, gain experience in this field and become familiar with the main ecodesign principles. As experience with ecodesign is gained, the company can moderate the step-by-step plan in an ecodesign program that best suits its own situation and demands. With that, the company can internalize ecodesign in its product development function and improve its other products as well.

Who is the manual intended for?

This manual provides an introduction to ecodesign for all those who are active or interested in product development, in large as well as small companies and in design consultancies. The manual assumes that the reader already has some knowledge of the general design process and associated marketing aspects. The primary audience is thus product developers and designers. Nevertheless, many of the issues discussed are relevant to marketing managers, production planners and buyers as well. When the manual refers to the product developers or product development team it includes all those who cooperate to develop products. The manual also contains valuable information for students and teachers in industrial design engineering or, more specifically, ecodesign.

How should the manual be used?

The manual is set up in such way that each user can pick out the issues in which he or she is most interested. To achieve this, the manual has a modular structure.

The arrangement of the manual

Chapters 1 and 2 provide the necessary background. Chapter 1 describes the importance of ecodesign, addressing both environmental and entrepreneurial interests. Chapter 2 explains the essence of ecodesign by describing the relation of ecodesign to other environmental approaches in industry and its relation with the traditional product development process. The backbone of the manual is Chapter 3, the ecodesign process described in seven steps. This step -b y -step plan runs more or less parallel to the customary design process. In each step attention is focused on those aspects which are specifically related to ecodesign, The steps deal with the organization of an ecodesign project (Step 1), product selection (Step 2), the establishment of ecodesign strategies (Step 3), the generation of ideas (Step 4), detailing the designconcept(Step 5), communication and product launch (Step 6) and the organization of follow-up activities (Step 7). This structure is illustrated in the Readers Guide (see page 10 and at the beginning of each Step). Supplementary modules can be found. Nine modules have been included, each dealing with a specific ecodesign issue: ecodesign strategies, optimization of the endo f-life system, methods for quantitative life cycle analysis and-life cycle costing, ecodesign workshops, green marketing, the environmental problem, product oriented environmental policy and information providers and literature references. The Readers Guide on page 10 illustrates the relevance of the modules to each ecodesign step. A collection of ecodesign work sheets concludes the manual. These can be used while the ecodesign team is following the step -b y -step plan.