How to design for environment and minimize life cycle cost

Abstract

The scope of environmental issues relevant to new product development ranges from traditional health and safety issues to more contemporary concerns about resource conservation and sustainability. To practice eco-efficient design, companies need appropriate support tools that can help both to identify worthwhile design approaches and to decide upon the preferred approach. This paper describes how manufacturing firms can develop a design for environment toolkit, including online guidance for product developers and performance assessment capabilities for analysis of design trade-offs. Examples are given of a life-cycle approach to product and process design that considers costs and environmental benefits.<>