Application principles for the use of DFE tools

Design for the environment (DFE) is a new and expanding area. Different kinds of design tools and check lists are being developed in many companies for different purposes. Major issues facing the design communities of some companies include: when do you tell your engineers to apply the range of DFE tools available to them and which tools should a designer use? Some companies can offer a number of DFE tools ranging from expensive and data intensive life cycle assessments to simple qualitative cost and ecosystem linkage tools. The problem can be a daunting one for companies with thousands of products, wide ranges of materials, design activities all over the world, shrinking design times, and potentially expensive and time consuming DFE tools. This paper will describe an approach which allows company managers to select products that would benefit from an environmental review and lead designers to know which tools to use.