Adopting and applying eco-design techniques: a practitioners perspective

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThis paper discusses the findings of a small scale research project which explored the possibility of adopting eco-design techniques. The paper focuses on identifying how eco-design techniques can be determined as being compatible with new product development processes. Via the development of a five stage 'applicability framework', this study demonstrates how a compatible suite of tools can be identified for application to product development processes. Testing and validation of this 'applicability framework', which was used to identify three key eco-design techniques; namely checklists, guidelines, and a material, energy and toxicity (MET) matrix, is shown to have taken place in relation to the development of a lightweight chemical detector product. It is established that checklists, guidelines and the MET matrix can be used both on a specific product, and also more generally in the design process. In particular, the MET matrix is shown as being used to successfully identify key environmental aspects of the product during its lifetime. The paper concludes by arguing that eco-design techniques may not have been more widely adopted by businesses because such methods are not necessarily generic and immediately applicable, but instead require some form of process-specific customisation prior to use, which can in turn act as a barrier to adoption . It is also highlighted that the shear diversity of pressures that come to bear during the product development process can also act as a barrier to adoption, and that the full integration of eco-design techniques will have to encompass approaches which overcome such pressures.

Product-Centric Simulation-Based Design for Recycling: Case of LED Lamp Recycling

“…Digitalization in the form of simulation should be a key backbone of Ecodesign to get it closer to predicting true impact of product (re)designs. Thus, much like Knight and Jenkins [33] give a practitioner perspective, this paper gives a metallurgical and recycling process engineer perspective. Digitalization, as briefly presented in this paper, is the common language linking and harmonizing all actors.…”

Integrando sustentabilidade ambiental e gestão de portfólio de projetos: estudo de caso em uma empresa de energia

“…Among the methods associated with ecodesign and project life cycle analysis that can assist managers in the selection of projects that meet environmental sustainability criteria, we find environmental quality function deployment (EQFD), the MET (materials, energy, and toxicity) matrix, environmental failure mode effects analysis (E-FMEA), and the ecodesign checklist (Bovea & Pérez-Belis, 2012;Byggeth & Hochschorner, 2006;Knight & Jenkins, 2009). The literature also presents stimuli for, and barriers to, the adoption of ecodesign (Luiz et al, 2016;Van Hemel & Cramer, 2002).…”

Toward proactive (eco)design process: modeling information transformations among designers activities

“…In the paper and based on [9], a Design To Environment approach deals with a wide diversity of ecodesign settings depending on the industrial contexts in which ecodesign has to be performed (this is one of the obstacles faced by designers presented in section 2.2).…”

“…Some authors propose to classify those supports in categories (checklists, guides, guidelines, databases, product lifecycle assessment tools, etc.) and to study their applications (see for example [9,10]). The number of ecodesign methods and tools are still growing, as represented by a fraction of the number of publications on ecodesign methods from 1990 to 2010 2 , given by table 1.…”