incorporating environmental issues in product design and realization

BY

GROUP 8

INCORPORATING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN

PRODUCT DESIGN AND REALIZATION

Traditional focus of companies onDesign, Manufacture and Distribution.

Now Environment has become a significant concern too.

LegislationCustomer demandEco-labeling programs ISO14000

INTRODUCTION

TO DISCUSSA number of approaches for reducing

environmental impact of products.A number of organisational issues that are to

be considered when identifying its capabilities and state.

The integration and information management issues of design tools that support environmentally conscious product design.

PURPOSE OF THE PAPER

Three approaches distinguished by differences in scope of organisational and temporal (time) concern.

1. Approaches Focusing on Specific Product Life-Cycle Stages.

Traditional environmental engg Pollution Prevention PracticesEnvironmentally oriented Design for X ( X=Recycling/Disassembly etc) approaches.One limitation.

APPROACHES FOR REDUCING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF PRODUCTS

Sca

le o

f O

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niz

ati

on

al C

on

cern

Scale of Temporal Concern

Sin

gle

Pro

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Lif

e C

ycl

e X Products

One Manufacturer

Society

Manufacturing

Use

Disposal

Product Life Cycle

Human Lifetime

Civilization Span

X Manufacturers

Manufacturing Use Disposal

1: Environmental Engineering 2: Pollution Prevention 3: Envir. Conscious D&M 4: Design for the Environment 5: Life Cycle Design 6: Industrial Ecology 7: Sustainable Development

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3,4,5

6

7

A Classification of Environmental Impact Reduction Efforts

2. Approaches focussing on a Complete Product Life-Cycle.

Includes all phases of a product’s life-cycle .3. Approaches going beyond Single Product

life-cycles.In a limited sense- everyone towards one goal.In a broader sense, sustainable development

and technology.

An org must consider to what extent will its suppliers and product realization partners have to change. Becoz

Relies on other companies or orgs or industries for its raw materials or design or production technologies or distribution of its products.

ORGANISATIONAL ASPECTS OF INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Need for Tools which assess diff aspects of a product’s

LC(such as recyclability and remanufacturability assessments).

Tools which allow an assessment of the entire product’s LC (e.g., Life-Cycle Analyses and Costing).

Tools which facilitate trade-off analyses in pursuing various LC aspects.

TOOLS SUPPORTING ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS DESIGN

Characteristics of Tools.Simple Easily Obtainable Precisely DefinableObjective - two or more qualified observers

should arrive at the same result;Valid – they should measure, indicate, or

predict correctly what they are intended to measure, indicate, or predict;

Robust – relatively insensitive to changes in the domain of application;

Enhancement of Understanding and Prediction

Design Guidelines And ChecklistsBasic and easy toolQuantitative Design AssessmentsAssess progress, provide means for

continuous improvement and feedback. Relative and Absolute Design

AssessmentsRelative Assessment practical. Eg .LiDS Wheel.

Decision Support ToolsLess established. Concerned with the trade-off b/w

environmental impact and financial costs/benefits

With issues like the costs of using non-renewable versus renewable resources

Design for assembly versus disassembly etc.

Industry ecology and sustainable development

The major concerns are summarised in the following questions:

· Who is supposed to use the tools, i.e., who is the audience?

· Why would they use them, i.e., what is their incentive?

Integration into Design Practice and Information Management

EDUCATION – A NECESSARY PREREQUISITE TO ALL OF THE ABOVE

Lectures on environmental issues to engg design and manufacturing students.

Awareness programmes in large companies.

Conclusion