issue 2 : july 1997
TRANSCRIPT
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The Journal of
Sustainable Product Design
ISSU E 2 : JULY 1997
ISSN 13676679
Re-PAIR
Re-THINK Re-DESIGN
Re-FINE
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5 Editorial
Martin Charter and Anne Chick, Editors, The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
Analysis
7 The IC EcoDesign project: results and lessons from a Dutch initiative
to implement eco-design in small and medium-sized companies
Carolien G van Hemel, Researcher, Delft University of Technology, Faculty of
Industrial Design Engineering, Environmental Product Development Section,
the Netherlands, with Harriet Bottcher and Rene Hartman of the Network of
Innovation Centres, the Netherlands
19 Improving the life cycle of elec tronic products: case studies from
the US electronics industry
Patricia S Dillon, Research Associate, The Gordon Institute at Tufts University, US
31 M ainstream appliance meets eco-design
Andrew Sweatman, Research Fellow, Design for the Environment Research Group,
Department of M echanical Engineering, Design and Manufacture, M anchester
Metropolit an University, UK, and John Gertsakis, Senior Programme Manager,EcoRecycle, Victoria, Australia
38 Dr Braden Allenby, Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety,
AT&T, US
Martin Charter, Joint Coordinator, The Centre for Sustainable Design, UK
Gallery
44 Solar M ower, ThinkPad, Teletangram, space and w ater saving toilet
and w ashbasin combination, energy efficient bicycle and road
signpost lighting and jute geotextile
Case history
48 M anaging the eco-design process
Martin Charter, Joint Coordinator, The Centre for Sustainable Design, UK
Innovation
52 The sustainability cycle: a new tool for product development and design
Peter James, Director, Sustainable Business Centre, UK
Special feature
58 O2 Netherlands
Iris van de graaf de Keijser, Co-founder of O2 Global Netw ork and owner of
KIVA Product Ecology, the Netherlands
61 Reviews
64 Diary of events
1997 The Centre for Sustainable Design.
All written material, unless otherwise
stated, is the copyright of The Centre
for Sustainable Design, Surrey, UK.Views expressed in arti cles and letters
are those of the contributors, and not
necessarily those of the publisher.
ISSN 13676679
The Journal of
Sustainable Product Design
ISSU E 2 : JULY 1997
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Editors
Martin Charter and Anne Chick,
Joint Coordinators,
The Centre for Sustainable, Design, UK
Producti on: Anne Chick
Marketing: Martin Charter
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
encourages response from its readers to
any of the issues raised in the journal.
Entries for the Diary of events and material
to be considered for review should all be
sent to the Editors at t he address below.
All a rticles published in the Analysis
section are assessed by an external
panel of business professionals,consultants and academics.
Subscription rates
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
is a quarterly journal appearing in the
months of April, July, October and January
each year. Subscription rates are 80.00
(paper-based) and 40.00 (online) for one
year (four issues). Special subscription
rates for developing countries and
students are available on application.
Cheques should be made payable to
The Surrey Institute in sterling
and sent to:
The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
The Centre for Sustainable Design
Faculty of Design
The Surrey Institute of Art & Design
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Farnham
Surrey GU9 7DSUK
tel +44 (0)1252 732229
fax +44 (0)1252 732274
email: [email protected]
internet: http:// ww w.cfsd.org.uk
Editorial Board
Africa
Gary Owen
CEO, ResponseAbility Alliance (Zimbabwe)
Australasia
Professor Chris Ryan
Director, Centre for Design, Royal
Melbourne Instit ute for Technology
(Australia)
Europe
Jacqueline Aloisi de Larderel
Director, Industry and Environment, UNEP
(France)
Hans Peter Becker
Managing Director, Wilkhahn (UK) Ltd. (UK)Professor Eric Billett
Warden, Brunel University College (UK)
Professor Dr Michael Braungart
Fachhochschule Nordostnierasachen,
(Germany)
Professor Han Brezet
Director, Section of Environmental Product
Development, Faculty of Industrial Design
Engineering, Delft University of Technology
(Netherlands)
Ian Dumelow
Dean, Faculty of Design,
Surrey Institute of Art & Design (UK)
Professor Dr Guenter Fleischer
Director, Instit fuer Technischen
Umweltschutz, Technische Universitat
Berlin (Germany)
Peter James
Director, Sustainable Business
Centre (UK)
Iris van de graaf de Keijser
Director, Kiva Product Ecology,
(Netherlands)
Professor Karl Lidgren
Director, The International Institut e for
Industrial Environmental Economics,
Lund University (Sweden)
Dorothy MacKenzie
Director, Dragon (UK)
Professor Ezio M anzini
Director, Facolta di Architettura,
Unita di ricerca Progetto, Prodotto,
Ambiente, Politecnico di M ilano (Italy)
Dr Stefano Marzano
Head of Corporate Design,
Philips International (Netherlands)
Dr Diana Montgomery
Head of Environment, AutomobileAssociation (UK)
Professor Jeremy Myerson
Contemporary Design,
De Montfort University (UK)
Jonathan Smales
CEO, The Earth Centre (UK)
Sam Towle
Head of Environmental Audit,
The Body Shop Internati onal Plc (UK)
Dr Hans van WeenenDirector, UNEP Working Group
on Sustainable Product Design,
International Centre, University
of Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Professor Jan-Olaf W illums
Norwegian School of Management,
Oslo (Norway)
Dr Jonathan Williams
Director, Group for Environmental
Manufacturing (UK)US
Dr Brad Allenby
Director, Environmental,
Health & Safety, AT&T (US)
Professor Patricia Dillon
The Gordon Institute, Tufts University, (US)
Ralph Earle III
Director, The Alliance for Environmental
Innovation (US)
Professor John EhrenfeldDirector, Technology, Business and
Environment Program, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (US)
Dr Joseph Fiksel
Senior Director, Strategic Environmental,
Health & Safety Management, Battelle
Memorial Institute (US)
James Hartzfeld
Vice President, Interface Research
Corporati on (US)
Professor Wil liam McDonough
Dean, Faculty of Architecture,
University of Virginia (US)
GENERAL IN FORM ATION
4 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
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The recent Rio + 5Conference in New York,highlighted the growing needto develop more sustainable
patterns of consumption andproduction. The role of productsand services is central to thisdebate. It will mean addressingkey questions such as what is asustainable product?, how doesone develop and design sustain-able products? and how doessustainable product design differfrom eco-design? SustainableProduct Development and Design
(SPDD) means exploring a widerset of economic, environmental,ethical and social (e3s) relation-ships in the product develop-ment and design process notonly green issues as emphasisedin eco-design. It means thinkingthrough complex issues such asmeeting the basic needs of the
world's poor and reducing global
inequalities. A key challenge ishow to infuse sustainabilityissues at the front of the newproduct development process,
where ideas and concepts aregenerated and the issues areoften poorly understood.
Underlying both new and exist-ing product development anddesign is the need to minimise
sustainability impacts throughoutthe life cycle. This means incor-porating SPDD principles intonew product development, now!
But in parallel, it means develop-ing structures and systems toextend the life of the millionsof products that come to the
end of their first useful life, everyday. An economic infrastructureneeds to be created to collectand keep existing value in theeconomic cycle through upgrad-ing, dismantling, remanufactur-ing, reconditioning, recyclingand other strategies. Thereforeit means managing both frontof pipe and end of pipe, andnot either/or.
However, there is still inertia inthe system. If your kettle stopsfunctioning there is generally noclear collection mechanism tointervene between the productgoing to landfill ie. a radio mayhave cost you $20 to buy, but$60 to repair and you may haveto travel 20km to locate therepairer. That is why end of life
electronic products pile-up inoffice cupboards and in the home based on the thought processit doesn't work, I can't repair it,but I still perceive it has value,therefore I will not throw itaway!
This phenomenon is importantfrom both an economic andpsychological viewpoint. There
is a need to keep the value ofphysical goods in 'the economiccycle' if we are to move to
Factor X 1 levels of resource andenergy reduction ie. why gener-ate new energy or extract new
virgin materials if we can retain
and extend existing products.Antiques are a good exampleof the link between economic
values' and 'psychologicalvalues. Where there is aperceived value of an artifact,it generates an economic valuerelated to the basic economicsof supply and demand ie. as morepeople want a scarce artifact,the price goes up! Within thesustainability context, there is aneed to generate a concept ofthe real value of productsamongst consumers.
Factor X levels of reduction inthe consumption of materialsand energy will not come aboutthrough incremental change, but
will require radical new solu-tions. In addition, movingbeyond eco-innovation to e3sinnovation will require newproducts and processes thatprovide customers with morereal value but with significantlyreduced sustainability impacts.This will necessitate a newcorporate framework to manageproduct/service innovation. Themore radical the change required
the more strategic the decisionwill need to be, and the closer tothe front of pipe. However, at
EDITORIAL
5JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
Welcome to the second issue ofThe Journal of Sustainable Product Design
M artin Charter and Anne Chickn
Editors, The Journal of Sustainable Product Design
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present, most eco-driven changesare at the operational level ie.incremental changes of existingproducts. Within the sustainabil-
ity context, innovation cannotjust create new substitutemarkets unless they create morereal value and produce lessimpact. This will mean strategicchanges in product developmentand design, coupled with changesin consumer perception andbehaviour. For example, car shar-ing implies that the product willbe owned by consumers payingper unit of service ie. mileageand time. This will mean a shiftin consumer behaviour fromindividual consumption(outright purchase of cars) toorganised consumption (rentalof cars). Such a shift will produceless traffic congestion, reducedemissions, and therefore less airpollution, but will mean fewer
cars will be needed. A moreintensified use of fewer productseg. cars, will produce significantimplications for product design,technology, costing and end oflife management.
To enable shifts from products toservices, there will need to bemore systemic planning andmanagement, an ethos of contin-
uous improvement and ongoingsocietal programmes of stake-holder education.
The second issue of the Journalof Sustainable Product Designfocuses on the eco-designactivities of various researchcentres from around the world.These include the AustralianNational Centre of Design's
EcoReDesign Program housedwithin the Royal MelbourneInstitute of Technology; the
Design for EnvironmentResearch Group at ManchesterMetropolitian University, UK;the Gordon Institute, Tufts
University, US and theEnvironment ProductDevelopment Section,Delft University of Technology(DUT), the Netherlands.
Carolien van Hemel, Researcher,DUT, describes the results andlessons learnt from their ICEcoDesign Project, which wasconducted in collaboration with
the Network Innovation Centres(IC). The aim of this project is toenhance awareness of eco-designamongst 900 small and mediumsize enterprises (SMEs) in theNetherlands. Patty Dillon,Research Associate at theGordon Institute presents casestudies from Hewlett-PackardCompany, Nortel and CompaqComputer who demonstrate howelectronics manufacturers areembracing product stewardship,Design for Environment (DfE)principles and life cyclemanagement programmes. TheKambrook Axis electrical kettlecase study by Andrew Sweatmanand John Gertsakis also demon-strates such product processes inaction. Both authors worked on
the EcoReDesign Program whichundertook the re-design of theoriginal kettle using a balanceof design innovation, environ-mental understanding andcommon sense engineeringprinciples. The resultingenvironmental benefits of thisapproach is a kettle that usesup to 25% less electricityand significantly fewermaterials and components.
This issue's interview is with DrBraden Allenby, Vice President,Environment, Health and Safety,AT&T. Dr Allenby discusses issues
such as sustainable consumption,sustainable product design andindustrial ecology. Peter James,Director of the SustainableBusiness Centre, UK, continuesthe Sustainable Product Designtheme by proposing a new toolcalled the 'Sustainability Circle',
which analyses both environ-mental and social dimensionsof products and services.
The Journal of SustainableProduct Design has developed apartnership with the O2 GlobalNetwork, an internationalnetwork of ecological designers.O2 will regularly update readerson eco-design and SPD activities
worldwide and focus on O2activities in one particular coun-try each issue. They commencetheir O2 News pages with theNetherlands.
As in the first issue of TheJournal of Sustainable ProductDesign we continue to search forcase studies and articles whichexplore eco-design research andnew thinking and ideas in theareas of sustainable consumptionand SPD. The aim now is to build
the Journal's international profileas a platform for debate andanalysis in this area. 1 Factor X: At present there is consid-
erable discussion over the level of
resource and energy reduction required
to progress towards sustainability ie.
factor 4, 10 and 20. 'Factor X' is a
generic term that highlights that a
significant reduction is required, but at
present the level and changes required
are unclear.
EDITORIAL
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In 1995 the Network of Innovation
Centres (ICs) in the Netherlands
established the IC EcoDesign
project, w ith the aim of enhancing
the aw areness of eco-design
amongst 900 small and medium-
sized manufacturing enterprises
(SM Es). Firstly, this article
describes the background,
organisation and auditingmethods used throughout the
project. Secondly, it introduces
the monitoring mechanism used
and reveals the initial results of
the research. Finally, it explores
the stimuli and barriers to eco-
design at a strategic level.
Introduction
How do we implement environmental
product development or eco-design
amongst SMEs?
I n 1994 the Dutch governmentfocused on this key questionfollowing the results from eco-design demonstration projectscompleted in eight medium tolarge-sized companies between19911993 (Riele and Zweers,1994).
The government decided toinitiate a new eco-design project
focused on the needs of SMEs,with financing through the DutchMinistry of the Environment andthe Ministry of Economic Affairs.The target group for this project
was 4,500 SMEs and the projecttimetable was set from 199598.
The organisation that wasselected to implement theproject was the network ofnon-profit Innovation Centres.One of the reasons why the ICs
were chosen was that they werefamiliar with many of the prod-uct-related issues faced by SMEs;one-third of the questionsreceived by the ICs annuallyrelate to new product develop-ment issues. Apart from this, the
ICs had already built up environ-mental competence due totheir involvement in an earlierCleaner Production project,in which 600 companies wereaudited in order to improve theenvironmental aspects of theirproduction processes.
Between 19891990 a networkof 18 ICs was established in
the Netherlands, funded by theMinistry of Economic Affairs(Coehoorn, 1995). Every regionalIC has a director and, depending
ANALYSIS
7
Carolien G van Hemel (top)is a PhD
researcher at the Environmental Product
Development Section, Faculty of IndustrialDesign Engineering, Delft Universit y of
Technology, in the Netherlands. She has
been involved in t he Innovation Centre
EcoDesign project since i t started in 1994,
as methodological advisor, trainer and
researcher. The IC EcoDesign project is the
focus for her PhD research, wit h her thesis
disclosing further results and interpretations
on the project. The thesis will be available
in English at the end of 1997.
Rene Hartman (above left )and Harriet
Bottcher (above right)work for the Network
of ICs in the Netherlands. Rene Hartman,
an industrial design engineer, graduated
at the TU Delft and is employed at the IC
Amsterdam-Haarlem. Harriet Bottcher i s a
sociologist w ho graduated at the RU Leiden
and owns a private consulti ng company.
Together they initiated and coodinate the IC
EcoDesign project. In additi on they are
co-authors of EcoDesign: benefit for t he
environment and profit for the company,
which offers supplementary project
information and six case descriptions.
JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
The IC EcoDesign project: results and lessonsfrom a Dutch initiative to implement eco-design in small and medium-sized companies
Carolien G van Hemel i
Researcher, Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Industrial
Design Engineering, Environmental Product Development Section,
the Netherlands, with Rene Hartman & Harriet Bottcher
of the Netw ork of Innovation Centres, the Netherlands
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on the region, 4 to 10 consul-tants. The aim of the ICs isto enhance access to newly-developed technological
knowledge for SMEs, enablingthem to innovate faster (theICs are similar to RegionalTechnology Advisory Centresthat exist in other Europeancountries). The network includes140 consultants who advise20,000 SMEs annually.
The aim of the IC
EcoDesign projectThe uncertainty surroundingthe benefits and improvementsresulting from undertaking eco-design has proven to be a majorobstacle to development,especially amongst SMEs (Hemeland Keldmann, 1996). Mostcompanies ask questions thatare difficult to answer:
is eco-design relevant to ourbusiness?
how can eco-design be appliedto our products?
what will be the effects ofproduct changes on the envi-ronment, on our organisation,on our market position, infinancial terms, and on themotivation of our employees?
in what direction willinternational legislation andconsumer demand develop?
how can we set clear targetsfor eco-design and achievethem if we dont know theconsequences?
The aim of the IC EcoDesignproject is to make SMEsconscious of the opportunities
arising from eco-design, andguide them through the processof integrating environmentalconsiderations into their product
development processes. A keymechanism to motivate actionis to instil the philosophy oflearning by doing. To achieve
this, companies are given adviceon environmental innovation forone of their products and in this
way taught to appreciate thevalue of eco-design. When thecompanies integrate eco-designinto their regular product devel-opment process, a major goal ofthe IC EcoDesign project hasbeen achieved.
The aim of this approach is todevelop competence and com-petition in eco-design, whichothers can follow. In largercompanies, already workingon eco-design, competitivenessseems to be a major driver. Forexample, in consumer tests, ifa competitor performs better ongreen aspects, this often addsa strong impetus to eco-design
within the firm.
The target group
The target group for the ICEcoDesign project was estimatedto be 4,500 companies, withthe most important criteria forselection being that:
companies did not have more
than 200 employees companies were responsible for
the specification of the product
products were developed inthe Netherlands
products were tangibleproducts.
The aim was for 20% of the4,500 SMEs (900 SMEs) toparticipate in the project, on
the assumption that the effectsof the project would cascade toanother 60% of the totaltarget group.
ANALYSIS
8 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
A key
mechanism
to motivate
action is
to instil the
philosophy
of learning
by doing.
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For 1995 the target was set at100 SMEs and at the end of1995, 95 were participating.
The auditing method:the environmental
innovation scan
The IC EcoDesign project wasa successor to previous demon-stration projects which had beencompleted in medium and large-sized companies. A new methodhad to be developed to focus onthe needs of SMEs and the exist-ing working practices of the ICconsultants.
SMEs generally have limited timeand money to perform activitiesthat are additional to their day-to-day work. Due to this, theenvironmental action taken bySMEs had tended to focus ongood housekeeping and cleanerproduction, with little experi-ence of eco-design. Therefore,an auditing method had to bedeveloped, taking into accountthe low awareness of eco-designand lack of time and money.Important characteristics of theIC EcoDesign approach are athree-phase approach and theshort intervention period.Preceding the first phase, consid-
erable effort was invested inraising the firms interest in eco-design and in convincing themof the need for participation. Tosupport this, a range of material
was produced, including compre-hensive project documentation,introductory interviews withentrepreneurs and public eco-design meetings.
Phase 1The goal of the first phase wasto create an awareness of eco-
design, by helping the companyto understand the environmentalimpact of its business and itsproducts, and the possibility of
turning environmental threatsinto opportunities. This wasachieved through an auditingmethod derived from the DutchPROMISE Manual for Ecodesign[(Brezet, 1997), (Hemel andBrezet, 1997)]. The audits arerelatively short and concentrateon the strategic elements of eco-design decision-making. Thisprocedure assists the IC consul-tant and the company represen-tative in answering the followingthree key questions:
what must the company do?(mapping the external factorsleading to eco-design, likelegislation, increasing wastecosts, increasing consumerdemands, new technologiesetc.)
what does the companywantto do? (mapping the internalmotivation for eco-design,like improving product quality,corporate image, costreduction)
what can the company do?(mapping the environmentalprofile of the selected product,following all stages of the
products life cycle).
The result of this first phase isa plan containing many optionsand actions to improve theenvironmental aspects of thechosen product.
Phase 2
The second phase starts afterthe company had been audited.
At this stage, the company couldapply for money for a feasibilitystudy concerning specific aspects
of eco-design, partly financed bythe government. The aim of thisphase is to investigate the tech-nical, financial and environmen-
tal feasibility of one or moreoptions suggested in the actionplan. The feasibility study wasgenerally undertaken by aconsultancy or in some instancesby the company itself, sometimesassisted by a graduate student.
Phase 3
The third phase is the implemen-tation of the improvement
options. The company has topay for this, but is assisted by anIC consultant. In April 1996 theDutch Ministry of EconomicAffairs introduced a creditsystem, which enabled high-riskinvestments in eco-design tobe partly financed.
The IC consultants and the
eco-design helpdesk
A significant element of anyconsultation is the quality of theexpertise that was offered. TheIC consultants already hadexperience of advising SMEsabout product and new businessdevelopment. To create a strongsupport infrastructure, 23 ICconsultants received training in
the completion of eco-designaudits.
The consultants started auditingthe first group of companies inFebruary 1995. Since then, allconsultants and project assistantshave come together every threemonths to exchange knowledgeand experiences and to receiveextra training in eco-design
topics.The IC consultants are assistedby a eco-design helpdesk.
ANALYSIS
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+ 2
1
@
7
6
5
4
3
Frequently the consultants areconfronted with questions aboutenvironmental issues to whichthey have no clear answers. Inthese cases they can request
support from the eco-designhelpdesk, which is mannedby an employee from DelftUniversity of Technology (withanswers reaching the consultants
within three days). The mostfrequently asked topics include:
product-oriented environ-mental legislation
environmental aspects of
materials environmental aspects of
production processes.
The EcoDesign Strategy
Wheel
In the report completed forthe company, the options forimprovement are structuredaccording to the classificationof eight eco-design strategies, asillustrated in Figure 1. The modelused in the IC EcoDesign projectis based on this figure and iscalled the EcoDesign StrategyWheel. It gives a typology ofthe possible actions that can betaken to improve the environ-mental impacts of product(s).
There is a strong parallel tothe product life cycle starting
with selection of low-impactmaterials and ending with
ANALYSIS
10 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
Figure 1: The EcoDesign
Strategy Wheel
(Hemel and Brezet, 1997)
Product system le vel
7 Optimisation of end
of life systemReuse of product
Remanufacturing/refurbishing
Recycling of materials
Safer incineration
6 Optimisation of initial lifetime
Reliability and durability
Easier maintenance and repair
Modualr product structure
Classic design
Strong product-user relat ion
@ New Concept Developmemt
Dematerialisation
Shared use of the product
Integration of function
Functional optimisati on of product
(components)
Product component level
1 Selection of low-impact
materials
Cleaner materials
Renewable materials
Lower energy materials
Recycled materials
Recyclable materials
2 Reduction of materials usage
Reduction in w eight
Reduction in (transport) volume
Product structure level
4 Optimisation of distribution system
Less/cleaner/reusable packagingEnergy-effi cient transport mode
Energy efficient logistics
5 Reduction of impact during use
Lower energy consumption
Cleaner energy source
Fewer consumables needed
Cleaner consumables
No waste of energy/
consumables
3 Optimisation of production
techniques
Alternative production
techniques
Fewer production steps
Lower/cleaner energy
consumption
Less production w aste
Fewer/ cleaner production
consumables
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ANALYSIS
11JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
optimisation of the end of lifesystem.
As indicated in Figure 1, somestrategies will influence the prod-uct mostly at component level,some at product structure leveland others at product systemlevel. For example, substitutinga material with a more environ-mentally benign alternative mayonly have consequences for thedesign of a specific part of theproduct (product componentlevel). Furthermore, if a clean
energy source like solar energyis used, it will probably lead tochanges not only in the designof the product parts, but in thearchitecture of the product as
well (product structure level). Ifwe want to extend the productsinitial lifetime some more radicalchanges may be required that gobeyond the product componentor structure level. They mayinclude changes in the productsrepair and maintenance system(product system level). The NewConcept Development strategy ischaracterised by the symbol @,in order to emphasise its specialcharacter, the @ symbolrefers to the innovative andeco-efficient email system (whichsaves paper and money). This
strategy provokes companies toreconsider their actual productconcepts. It leads to questionssuch as does our productperform optimally in functionaland environmental terms? andcan we create market opportuni-ties by developing a newproduct concept that fulfils thisfunction in more innovative andeco-efficient ways. The graphin the middle of the model isused to visualise the companyseco-design goals.
The EcoDesign Strategy Wheelthat is used in the IC EcoDesignproject is a simplification of thismodel. It has proven to be a
valuable mechanism for showinga range of eco-design directions.The same typology is used tostructure the IC EcoDesign data-base, in which consultants canlook up advice that has beengiven in preceding eco-designconsultations. The model aspresented in Figure 1 is also usedto classify the project results in
the monitoring research.
M onitoring the results of
the IC EcoDesign project
In September 1995, after apreliminary evaluation of thefirst years project results, it wasdecided to proceed with another800 companies between 199698.The estimation was that 300 of
those 800 would complete aneco-design project after anabridged scan. In the autumn of1996 a mechanism was developedby Delft University ofTechnology, to monitor theenvironmental and commercialresults of the IC EcoDesignproject. This consisted of a ques-tionnaire to be completed by the
participating company and amethodology for interviewingcompany representatives, who
were generally, the Director ofthe firm and in some cases theHead of R&D. This mechanismaimed to monitor various projectresults:
direct environmental benefits
indirect environmental benefits
commercial benefits.To test the monitoring mecha-nism, it was applied to a total of
The
EcoDesign
Strategy
Wheel gives
a typology of
the possible
actions that
can be taken
to improve the
environmental
impacts of
products.
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77 of the 95 companies that hadparticipated in the IC EcoDesignproject in 1995. 74 of them were
willing to complete question-
naires; and 73 of the firms wereinterviewed by telephone.
In the process of developing themonitoring mechanism, it turnedout to be difficult to effectivelymeasure the results of theproject. For example, there
were two key questions:
how do you define eco-designsuccess?
how do you distinguishbetween those companies
who have achieved pooreco-design results and those
who have achieved excellenteco-design results?
This experience illustrated that itis hard to measure a firms envi-ronmental attitudes, strategy orperformance (Hass, 1996). One
option was to undertake LifeCycle Assessments (LCAs) of allmonitored products, but this
would have proved to be animpossible task due to lack oftime and information. In addi-tion, an LCA does not reflect theindirect results of the project eg:
increased knowledge
development of eco-design
routines (internalisation ofthe eco-design principles)
increased cooperation withother organisations
follow-up activities.
The solution chosen was to letthe EcoDesign Strategy Wheelturn again and make an inventoryof the extent to which all
suggested eco-design improve-
ment options had been achieved.The model of Figure 1 providedthe framework for the inventory.In total 602 eco-design improve-
ment options were recommen-ded to the 73 interviewedcompanies. During telephoneinterviews, the company repre-sentative had to inform the inter-
viewer about the extent to whichthe company had been able toimplement its specific eco-designimprovement options. They werealso asked to indicate why aspecific option had been of inter-est or not, in the context ofexternal and internal stimuli andbarriers for implementation.
If the option was close to beingimplemented, the intervieweehad to indicate the environmen-tal impacts of the improvement.For each option the intervieweehad to indicate the additional
value resulting from participating
in the IC EcoDesign project. Thecompanies were also asked to fillout a comprehensive question-naire, mapping out the indirectproject results.
A result of this method was anoverview of the project outcomesfor each of the studied compa-nies. Since all eco-designimprovement options had been
classified according to theEcoDesign Strategy Wheel, thedegree of implementation of the
various eco-design strategiescould be assessed. Next, the dataoffered insight into the stimuliand barriers to eco-design, at thedetailed level of specific eco-design strategies and even thelevel of specific eco-design
improvement options.
ANALYSIS
12 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
The solution
chosen was
to let the
EcoDesign
Strategy Wheel
turn again
and make an
inventory of the
extent to which
all suggested
eco-design
improvementoptions had
been achieved.
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Results of the IC EcoDesign
project
Below are some results of the ICEcoDesign project researchcompleted in 1995:
Participating industries
The best represented industrieswere metal products, machinery,wood and furniture, electronics,rubber and synthetics.
Attitude towards eco-design
75% of the companies did nothave any eco-design experience
before starting the IC EcoDesignproject.
Most companies regarded eco-design as an opportunity ratherthan a threat. Eco-design wasrecognised by some for itsmarketing potential.
Some companies saw eco-designas a cost-neutral activity.However, the majority of thecompanies regarded eco-designas an initial investment, which
would be paid back in themedium to long-term.
External parties that wereperceived to be most concernedabout eco-design were govern-ment, suppliers and trade associ-ations. However, the parties
which stimulated them to imple-
ment eco-design were govern-ment, industrial customers andthe end-users of the product.
Motivation towards eco-design
The two most important motivesfor participation in the ICEcoDesign project were the wishto increase the quality of specificproducts, and the importance ofanticipating future developments.A third motive was that eco-design was seen as an importantaspect of product innovation.
With a fourth motive being afeeling of personal responsibilityfelt towards the environmentby the company representative.
The search for environmentallybenign alternative materials orcomponents, and supply chainpressures were also strongmotivations.
Direct project results
A total of 602 eco-designimprovement options wererecommended to participatingcompanies. 183 (30%) of these
were (nearly) completed at thetime of the research, which was1016 months after the advisehad been originally given. Within3 years from when the researchtook place a total of 247 options(41%) were predicted to becompleted.
One-third of the options werenew to the companies and were
mainly concerned with low-impact materials, lower product
weight and recycling.
The 77 companies provided thefollowing results:
eco-design had been applied to1 product that was totally newto the company
eco-design had been appliedto 21 products that have been
thoroughly re-designed eco-design has been applied to
13 products that were slightlyimproved. These products werebeing or will be launched inthe near future.
the packaging of another 4products was environmentallyimproved
in 7 companies the focus was
on improving the environ-mental aspects of productionprocesses
ANALYSIS
13JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
The majority
of companies
regarded
eco-design
as an initial
investment,
which would
be paid back
in the medium
to long-term.
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25% expected
a profit to be
generated
through
eco-design
within two
years, ranging
from 10%
to 50%
in 9 companies the producthad not yet been improved, butresearch was being undertaken
in 11 companies the product
has not been improved, butresearch had been concluded
in 6 companies the producthad not been improved, butresearch was planned
in 5 companies the projecthad not produced any results.
Focus on eco-design
Some eco-design strategiesproved to be more popular thanothers. These eco-design strate-gies were recycling, reduction of
weight/components, low-impactmaterials and high product relia-bility. After these four types, themost popular options concernedcleaner production, moreefficient packaging, low energy-use in the use phase and theapplication of recycled materials.
Eco-design strategies that had agreater chance of being imple-mented were cleaner production,the prevention of waste ofenergy/consumables in usephase, high product reliability,easy maintenance and repair andrecycling.
Indirect project results
The greatest increase in eco-design knowledge concernedeco-design in general, environ-mental aspects of materials andthe environmental burden of theproduct in its total life cycle.
Most companies said that theywere now able to apply eco-design independently.
30% had already appliedeco-design principles to otherproducts.
60% said that they would apply
eco-design in the future. 25% said that they had
developed an eco-designchecklist to be used duringproduct development.
25% wanted to integrateproduct-related environmentalinformation and requirementsin their environmentalmanagement system.
25% aimed to integrateenvironmental demands intheir quality system.
Commercial results
67% expected theireco-designed products toincrease their market shares.
56% expected to enter newmarkets with their environ-mentally improved product.
25% expected a profit to begenerated through eco-design
within two years, ranging from10% to 50%; 27% expected aprofit ranging from 1% to 5%(profit was defined as beingbased on costs savings as wellas sales increases).
Appreciation of the IC
EcoDesign project
64% said that the IC EcoDesignproject has led to concreteresults.
71% said that they wouldcontinue to use elements ofthe auditing method.
90% said that they wouldrecommend the project toother companies.
ANALYSIS
14 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
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Stimuli and barriers for
eco-design
A secondary aim of the researchwas to determine the stimuli andbarriers to eco-design strategies
and options. Therefore allcompanies were prompted to tellthe interviewer what they saw asexternal and internal stimuli, as
well as the barriers to eco-designoptions. This part of the researchresulted in an overview of thestimuli and barriers for the 602eco-design improvement options,classified according to the
EcoDesign Strategy Wheel.Some preliminary conclusionsare listed below.
External stimuli for
eco-design
Figure 2 shows how often thevarious types of external stimuliwere mentioned.
For 111 of the 602 improvementoptions a total of 119 externalstimuli were mentioned. For491 options (82%) no externalstimuli were mentioned. The
research highlighted that thegovernment and the supplychain offered the most externalpressure towards eco-design.
26% of the options for whichno external stimuli werementioned were completed.50% of the options that haveexternal stimuli are realised; ofthe options without external
stimuli only 26% had beencompleted.
Only in 3 of the 111 optionswith external stimuli werecompanies not interested.
26% of the options have beenimplemented but were notstimulated by an externalstimulus.
ANALYSIS
15JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
Government
Industryorganisations
(Industrial)customers
Environmentalactiongroup
Suppliers
Competitors
Otherexternalstimuli
43
7
46
0
16
43
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Frequencyofmentioning
The research
highlighted
that thegovernment
and the
supply chain
offered the
most externalpressure for
eco-design.
Figure 2: The external
stimuli for eco-design
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Internal stimuli for
eco-design
Figure 3 gives an overview of
the 798 internal stimuli thatwere mentioned for 343 of the602 eco-design options. Theinternal stimulus of the envi-ronmental benefit was onlynoted when the companymentioned it spontaneously.
A greater proportion of internalstimuli (798 internal stimuli for343 options) than external stim-uli (119 external stimuli for 111options) were mentioned. Theseindicated that internal stimuliplayed a bigger role in eco-design decision-making than theexternal stimuli. Further analysishas shown that half of theimplemented options werecompleted regardless of externalstimuli. Of all options with alack of internal stimuli, only a
very few have been imple-mented. Further research islikely to indicate which of thestimuli actually has had thestrongest impact on eco-designdecision-making in the SMEs.
Figure 3 shows that in manycases eco-design leads to asynergy with other businessinterests, like cost reduction,
image improvement and newmarket opportunities.
For 343 of the 602 options atotal number of 798 internalstimuli has been mentioned.
Barriers to eco-design
Figure 4 shows that 425 barrierswere mentioned for 329 of the
602 eco-design options.The most frequently mentionedbarrier to eco-design was
ANALYSIS
16 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
Figure 3: The internal st imuli for eco-design
Environmentalbenefit
Costreduction
Imageimprovement
Marketchances
Increasedproductquality
Synergywithotherrequirements
Otherbusinessbenefits
0
25
50
75
100
125
150
175
200
225
Frequencyofmentioning
103
84
179
48
80
2
203
Interestinginnovation
Otherinternalstimuli
63
36
0
Frequencyofmentioning
25
50
75
100
125
Noclearenvironmentalbenefit
Notourresponsibility
Noalternativeavailable
Notyetrequiredbylegislation
Notyetrequiredbycustomers
Businessdisadvantage
Conflictingfunctionalrequirements
Investmentnotjustified
Notechnologicalchallenge
Insufficientcapacity
25
37
23
112
52
31
11
37
46
51
Figure 4: The barriers for eco-design
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conflicts with functional productrequirements. However, furtheranalysis has shown that this doesnot prevent action. Many options
have been completed, regardlessof this barrier. This also appliesto barriers such as:
not yet required by legislation
not yet required by (industrial)customers
business disadvantage
investment not justified
insufficient capacity.
The real no go barriers ie.obstacles that make eco-designimpossible for companies, are:
no clear environmental benefit
not our responsibility
no alternative available.
The IC EcoDesign project
in 19961998
The results of the IC EcoDesignproject in 1995 justified thefollow-up stage in 199698. In1996, 151 companies participatedin the project. The target for 1997
was set at 150; and the target for1998 is 200 companies. Somepreliminary results of the projectin 1996 are described in thepublication Eco design: benefitsfor the environment and profit
for the company (Bottcher andHartman, 1997).
Conclusions
The analysis of the IC EcoDesignproject in 1995, indicates that theproject appears to have enhancedthe awareness of eco-design inalmost all participating SMEs. The
project appears to have acted asa catalyst for the application ofeco(re)design principles in new
or improved product designs in45% of the 77 companies studied.The project indicates that mostprogress in eco-design was
achieved when the company hada strong drive for (new) productdevelopment.
The implementation of eco-design improvement options
was mostly driven by stronginternal stimuli and/or externalstimuli. Options that wereenvironmentally beneficial but lacked internal or external
stimuli did not obtain theinterest of the participatingcompanies. Therefore, if SMEsare to broaden their scope fromspecific eco-design improve-ment options that create directcommercial results to eco-designoptions that require investments,there are two clear rules:
Rule 1: Ensure strong and stable
external stimuli, focused onspecific eco-design strategies,especially for those options thatrequire a major investment andcreate only long-term profits.
Rule 2: Try to motivate companiestowards eco-design when thereis strong internal motivationtowards product innovation.A project like the IC EcoDesign
project can create a synergybetween eco-design innovative-ness and the corporate drive forinnovation, resulting in thecreation of products that arehighly innovative and that havea high (environmental) qualityas well.
The IC EcoDesign project hasbeen a stimulus for eco-design
in Dutch industry, as well as foracademic research. Eco-design ismoving from its infancy in the
ANALYSIS
17JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
The project
indicates that
most progress
in eco-design
was achieved
when the
company had
a strong drive
for (new)
product
development.
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Netherlands, and this is beingsupported by recent develop-ments such as the recentlypublished United Nations
Environmental Programme(UNEP) manual Ecodesign: apromising approach to sustain-able production and consump-
tion (Hemel and Brezet, 1997),the eco-design credit system andan ambitious new governmentprogramme Ecology, Economy
and Technology aimed atenhancing eco-efficientinnovations.
ANALYSIS
18 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
References
Bottcher, H. and R. Hartman, Ecodesign: benefit for the environment and
profit for t he company in Industry and Environment, Vol. 20, UNEP, Industry
and Environment (1997).
Riele, H. te and A. Zweers, Eco-design: Ac ht voorbeelden van
milieugerichte produktontw ikkeling, (NOTA/SDU, Den Haag, 1994).
Coehoorn, C.A., The Dutch Innovation Centres: implementat ion of
technology policy or facilitation of small enterprises? (Labyrinth
Publication, Capelle a/d Ijssel, 1995).
Hemel, C.G. van and T. Keldmann, Applying Design for X experience in
Design for Environment , in G.Q. Huang (ed.) Design for X; Concurrent
Engineering Imperatives, (Chapmann & Hall, London, UK, 1996) pp. 7295.
Brezet, J.C. e.a., PROMISE Handleiding voor milieuger ichte produkt-
ontwikkeling, (NOTA/SDU, Den Haag, 1997).
Hemel, C.G. van, Tools for setting realisable pr ioriti es at strategic level
in Design for Environment, (Proceedings of International Conference
on Engineering Design, Prague, 2224 August 1995) pp. 104401047.
Hass, J.L., Environmental (Green) management typologies: an
evaluation, operationalisation and empirical development in Business
Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 5, (1996) pp.59-68.
Hemel, C.G. van, and J.C. Brezet eds., Ecodesign; a Promising Approach to
Sustainable Production and Consumption, (UNEP/IE, Paris, 1996) pp.5968.
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ANALYSIS
19JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
Product stewardship and Designfor Environment (DfE) programmes
aim to improve the environmental
aspects of a product throughout its
life cycle. Leading companies in the
US electronics industry, driven by
emerging regulation and market
opportunities, have embraced these
principles w ith the tandem goals of
enhancing products environmental
and economic performance. This
article presents the case studies
of three compamies Hew lett-
Packard, Nortel and Compaq
Computer to illustrate the
practices and direction of US
electronics manufacturers. The life
cycle management programmes
of these firms include supplier
involvement management pro-
cesses, design for upgradeability
and recycling, improvements inenergy efficiency, and asset recov-
ery and recycling. These initiatives
demonstrate progress in improving
the environmental aspects of prod-
ucts; however, they are largely
incremenetal w hen view ed w ithin
the context of sustainability.
Introduction
Electronics firms are subjectto a proliferation of inter-national environmental policies
and standards that go beyondconcerns about manufacturingprocess, wastes and releases.Pressures that impact on productdesign, marketability, and post-consumer disposal, most notablyeco-label requirements andproduct take back legislation.Their suppliers and customersare increasingly sensitive toenvironmental issues such asenergy efficiency, material use(for example, recycled content,ozone depleting substances(ODCs)), and product recoveryand recycling. Together thesepressures are motivating elec-tronics firms to re-examine theirpractices and product design tocompete in a highly competitivemarket.
The following case studies high-light selected life cycle manage-ment or product stewardshipactivities of three US electronicscompanies CompaqComputer, Hewlett-Packardand Northern Telecom (Nortel).The case histories illustrate thebreadth of extended productresponsibility programmes in
this industry sector, includingDesign for Environment (DfE),product take back, and newcustomer-supplier partnerships.
Patricia S Dillon is a research
associate at the Gordon Institute
at Tufts University, US, speciali singin business strategy, the environment,
and public policy. Ms. Dillon also
provides consulting services to major
corporations and industry associations
such as the W orld Business Council f or
Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Her
current work focuses on such issues as
extended product responsibilit y,
electronics recycling, and sustainable
consumption and production. She
participates on various US Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) advisory
panels and is on the Advisory Board of
the Greening of Industry Netw ork. Prior
to joining the Gordon Institute, Ms.
Dillon was a research analyst at the
Center f or Environmental Management
at Tufts University (19851994).
Improving the life cycleof electronic products:case studies from the USelectronics industry
Patricia S Dilloni
Research Associate, The Gordon Institute at Tufts University, US
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In many respects, theseprogrammes are in their infancy,but represent the leading-edge ofproduct life cycle management
in US companies.
Life cycle management
At the root of the life cycleapproach is design that is,design to minimise adversehealth, safety and environmentalimpacts for the manufacture, useand disposal of products. A focuson product design is critical toachieving environmentalimprovement, given the rate ofnew product introductions inthe industry. At Hewlett-Packard(HP) for example, more than halfof 1995 orders were for productsintroduced in the previous two
years (Annual Report, 1996).
Product stewardship effortsextend beyond product designin these companies. To influencethe inputs to its products andprocesses, Compaq, HP andNortel are developing suppliermanagement processes, whichadds environmental issues tosupplier management alongsidetraditional concerns such asquality, delivery and cost. Energyconsumption of products and
processes are also a major target.At the end of product life, thesecompanies engage in selectedcollection of products fromcustomers for processing atrecycling centres in the US andEurope.
Design for Environment
at Compaq Computer
Worldwide competitive pressureshave led Compaq to re-definethe boundary of its product life
cycle. In earlier years, Compaqconsidered its job done when theproduct left manufacturing and
was sold in the marketplace. The
introduction of a 3 year warrantyextended Compaq ownershipconcerns through service andsupport. With the advent oftake back legislation in Europe,Compaqs view of the productlife cycle has been stretched tothe end of its products life.
This paradigm shift created a newmandate for design. The ability
to cost-effectively service andrepair the product, as well asrecycle the product at end oflife, became an integral part ofthe competitiveness equation.
Product life cycle management atCompaq is market-driven. Forthis reason, Compaq is notdeveloping complex Life CycleAssessment (LCA) tools to
identify environmental impact.Rather, customer needs, expecta-tions and regulatory trends aretranslated into product, processor service features. The personalcomputer industry is also a high
volume, low margin business.Therefore, Compaq paysparticular attention to costs.
Design guidelines at a glance
In 1994, Compaq completedcomprehensive environmentaldesign guidelines. The designguide promotes the adoption ofa life cycle perspective in thedesign of products, and specifi-cally addresses the followingissues:
material selection, focusingon recyclability
design for disassembly packaging materials
energy conservation
design for reuse andupgradeability.
Figure 1 highlights some designparameters within each category.
Compaq finds synergy between
DfE and other priority designobjectives, namely design formanufacturability and design
Figure 1: Sample design
guidelines f rom Compaq
Packaging
minimum 35% recycled
content
no heavy metals in
packaging inks
100% Kraft paperboard,
no bleach
use of recyclable materials
only
Plastics
use only recyclablethermoplastics
consolidate plastic types
use ISO markings to identify
resin type and exact blend
no paint f inishes
labels: moulded in or use
same resin type as housing
Disassembly and recycling
use of standard screw
heads
design modular components
minimize number of parts
Energy conservation
comply with Energy Star
standards
Design for reuse
user upgradeability
use of industry standard
architecture.
ANALYSIS
20 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
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for serviceability. For example,fewer parts simplifies manufactur-ing, while facilitating recycling.Similarly, easy disassembly facili-
tates the servicing, upgrading andrecycling of equipment as well.
Easy upgradeability
One of the most promising reuseand recycling opportunities forelectronics can be found inupgradeable products. Productupgrade features help avoid earlyobsolescence and increase theproduct life by facilitating the
replacement of electronic compo-nents, while avoiding the unneces-sary disposal of mechanical parts,such as the plastic housing, powersupply and metal chassis, which donot impact product functionality.
For example, a customer whopurchased a 486/33 MHZ computer
with 4 megabytes of RAM mayhave trouble running Windows
95. Rather than discarding the oldcomputer and buying a newPentium-based computer, a usercan attain similar results byupgrading the microprocessor toa Pentium and adding additionalRAM. The added bonus theupgrade is a fraction of the cost ofa new computer (for example, theupgrade costs approximately $300compared to $2000 for a Pentium-based product).
While any PC can be upgraded,if you have the technical knowl-edge and are willing to replacethe motherboard or manuallyde-solder the microprocessor chipand potentially end up with amess, Compaqs designs are trulyupgradeable by the average user
without the use of specialisedtools and/or the risk of damaging
your computer. This is accom-plished through the use of alterna-tive technologies for mountingcomponents and easily accessible
sub-assemblies. In Compaqsrecent Deskpro models, a usercan easily upgrade the videoperformance, the microprocessor,or the memory and easily accessthe hard drive and expansion slotsto replace or add new features.
Zero insertion force (ZIF)
One technology that enables easyupgrades is the zero insertion
force (ZIF) socket that holds themicroprocessor in place on themotherboard. This socket replacesthe traditional solder mounting,
which is considered a semi-permanent connection technol-ogy. The ZIF socket uses a tensionbar to hold the microprocessorand force a connection. Thistechnology allows the user to
easily remove and replace the oldmicroprocessor and install updatedor faster technology, simply byunlatching and relatching the bar.
From an environmental vantagepoint, upgradeable productsconserve resources. For the mostpart, however, this is not criticalto the purchasing decisions ofcustomers, who are concernedpredominantly about costs andproduct features. For Compaq andits customers, the upgradeable PCis important from another angle.It lowers the lifetime cost ofcomputer ownership, a growingconcern to customers as techno-logical obsolescence occurs at anever increasing rate. Upgradeableproducts also lower the costsof servicing products, for those
customers who do not want to doit themselves.
ANALYSIS
21JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
The
upgradeable
PC lowers
the lifetime
cost of
computer
ownership,
a growing
concern to
customers as
technological
obsolescenceoccurs at
an ever
increasing
rate.
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Product stewardship at
Hewlett-Packard
HPs environmental philosophytook a significant stride in 1992
with the launch of its productstewardship programme. Thecompany made a commitment tomove beyond the factory and anemphasis on the manufacturingprocess to embrace a new lifecycle philosophy. The life cycleapproach broadened HPsconcerns to encompass productdesign, packaging, distribution,
use, and disposal, in addition totraditional manufacturing issues.
Most importantly, the life cycleapproach allows HPs BusinessUnits to identify and addressemerging global product legisla-tion and market expectations.Indeed, it was a desire to stayahead of legislative developmentsand voluntary programmes such
as German take back and USEnergy Star requirements, andrespond to an increase in thenumber of customers seekingmore environmentally-soundproducts, that triggered HPsproduct stewardship programme.
As a result, Hewlett-Packarddeveloped a global product stew-ardship network and manage-
ment process that providesBusiness Units with support,tools and information, as well asautonomy, to develop responsesthat meet the demands of theirproduct lines and customers.
Each of HPs product lines has aproduct steward who championsthe programmes and coordinatesefforts to identify, evaluate and
respond to any market forcesthat could impact on thatproduct line.
The product stewards createcross-functional teams, asneeded, to deliberate on issuesand weigh up all aspects of
design from cost and perfor-mance to environmental impact.
Product stewardship at
the business level
The Computer ProductsOrganisation (CPO) first testedproduct stewardship concepts
within HP. As the producer ofHPs widely-recognised and high-
volume LaserJet and InkJet print-
ers and personal computers, CPOwas a good place to start.
CPO was subject to a prolifera-tion of emerging green marketforces. Customers were increas-ingly asking about environmental
features and the green impactof HP products, including energyefficiency, packaging, recyclabil-ity and the use of ozone deplet-ing substances.
Eco-labels and voluntary stan-dards were driving competitorsto introduce new products.European take back require-ments were pushing product
stewardship (Korpalski, 1994).CPO developed a set of metricsto help drive product stewardship
ANALYSIS
22 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
Metric Improvement
Number of parts 1650 to 350
Weight 13 kg to 7 kg
Number of screw s 4
(to module level)
Time to disassemble 4 minutes
(to module level)
Number of materials 2 (pure plastic and steel )
(housing and chassis)
Energy efficiency All 486s and most Pentiums meet
Energy Star requirements
Batteries No heavy metalsNo batteries in some models
Flame retardants No brominated flame retardants
(housing and chassis) (PBB/PBDE)
Packaging 75% recycled corrugated EPS foam
No heavy metals in inks
Manuals 400 pages to 150 pages
50% recycled content
Recycling compatible binding
No heavy metals in inks
Figure 2: Environment al improvement s for HP Vectra personal computers
(Korpalski, 1996)
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improvements and to providemanagement with a mechanismto review and measure progress.Metrics were chosen based on
customer inquiries, governmentinitiatives, proposed ecolabelcriteria and end of life handlingconsiderations. For products,consumables, and packaging,CPO chose to focus on energyefficiency and reducing itscontribution to the waste stream.
Vectra series PCs
The environmental improve-
ments achieved for one product,the Vectra series of personalcomputers is shown in Figure 2.
HPs Vectra VL series carries thecomprehensive German BlueAngel label for PCs, a tribute toits environmental performance.The German Blue Angel isgranted only to PCs that meet orexceed 65 requirements in a
broad range of environmentaland safety categories. Productrecycling is an important aspectin PC Blue Angel certification.
Most of the Vectra PCs meet USEnergy Star requirements and areeasier to disassemble and recyclethan previous models due to theuse of fewer materials, parts, andscrews. Indeed, it takes a recycler
only four minutes to break downthe computer into its componentparts. In addition, the productmass was reduced by 46%, whilethe weight of paper-basedmanuals was cut by over 60%.
A new packaging concept
reduces waste
One innovative solutiondeveloped in HPs workstation
division requires 30% lesspackaging because protectivepackaging is built into theproduct itself, instead of being
wrapped around it. The new HPPackaging Assembly Concept(PAC) replaces the metal chassis
with expanded polypropylene
(EPP) foam. The foam chassiscushions sensitive electronicparts during shipping, whilereducing the number of mechan-ical parts needed to hold parts inposition. The foam chassis hasan added benefit of reducingproduct development time, sinceprototypes require less prepara-tion and assembly time with theeasy to mould foam.
Hewlett-Packards chemicalanalysis business adopted theinnovative PAC technology in itsnew 1100 Series HPLC systems.This new packaging designresulted in major costs savings inassembly and disassembly, sincefewer parts and no assemblytools are needed. For example,the new product design resultedin:
a 70% reduction in mechanicalhousing parts
a 95% reduction in screw joints
a 70% reduction in assemblytime
a 90% reduction in productdisassembly time compared toprevious models.
EPP foam can also be 100%recycled into the source materialpolypropylene (Huber andBerndt, 1996).
Asset management and
recycling
Managing the end of life ofelectronic equipment providesmultiple business opportunitiesfor Hewlett-Packard, from
improved customer service andsourcing of spare parts to newrevenue streams in some cases.
ANALYSIS
23JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
HP Vectra PCs
are among a
growing
number of HP
products that
are designed
to be easier to
take apart
and recycle.
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The company operates productrecovery centres in Roseville,California and Grenoble, France.
The primary mission of the
California-based HardwareRecycling Organisation (HRO)is to recover useful service partsthrough the disassembly andrefurbishment of HP and non-HPexcess equipment and parts. HROalso serves as one of HPs recy-cling hubs. Equipment and partsthat are not suitable for serviceare routed to environmentally-
responsible, non-competitiverecovery channels. This includesthe re-sale of components andparts such as disc drives andmotors, as well as the recyclingof precious metals, non-ferrousmetals and plastics. Overall, HPrecycles or reuses 98% by weightof the material received fromcustomers or HP operations.
Salvaging parts from used equip-ment allows HP to improve itsservice levels; in particular, itincreases parts availability whilelowering costs. Indeed, theorigins of the HRO operation liehere. In 1987, HP found it diffi-cult and expensive to obtain newservice parts for some printers.
In its search for solutions, the
service organisation found thattear down of used equipmentand subsequent refurbishment ofparts to be a cheaper and morereliable source of service parts.HRO could fill an order for spareparts in 2 weeks, in comparisonto over 6 months for some newparts.
HRO now stocks the servicesupply pipeline, resulting in animmediate turn around forservice parts. Stocking serviceparts using the HRO organisation
also frees up HPs manufacturingcapacity, allowing productionunits to concentrate on manufac-turing new product.
In addition, for some older tech-nologies which are no longer inproduction, recovery of serviceparts from used equipment is theonly option, and therefore, it is
vital to keeping equipment inservice.
In the past, the HRO programmewas passive; they waited forequipment to come to them. This
is changing into a more activeprogramme, a programme thatdeliberately pulls product frommarkets into the HP recyclingsystem in order to recover valu-able service parts. For example,in late 1994, HPs marketingdepartment initiated a trade-inprogramme for LaserJets with adual goal.
An obvious goal was to increasethe sale of new LaserJets; anadditional driver was to increasethe supply of spare parts to theservice organisation and to lowerservice costs. HP will also buyback equipment that they areinterested in for service parts.
Plastics recycling
Finding solutions for the plastics
waste stream from scrappedproducts is a priority for HP,
with preference given to recy-cling. At the same time, HP prod-uct groups are looking towardsmeeting the expectations of anincreasingly environmentally-sensitive customer base.
Merging these two objectives,HP is working with its suppliers,
its recycling facilities, and itsprinter division to qualifyrecycled content plastic in HP
ANALYSIS
24 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN JULY 1997
In the past,
the Hardware
Recycling
Organisation
programme
was passive;
they waited
for equipment
to come to
them. This is
changing into
a more activeprogramme that
deliberately
pulls products
from markets
into the HPrecycling
system.
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products, thereby creating amarket for the output generatedby the recycling facilities andimproving the environmental
profile of its products.In July 1995, HP introduced itsfirst recycled-content product tothe US market, the DeskJet 850CInkJet printer. The printer outercover contains up to 25%recycled-content acylonitrilebutadiene styrene (ABS) plastic,a combination of post-consumerand post-process wastes. This
was a major milestone for HPsproduct stewardship programme;the company was able to demon-strate and qualify 25% recycled-content in a cosmetic applica-tion.
Meeting extremely tight colourcontrols for this light colouredpart was the biggest technicalchallenge to overcome in the
project. As a result, in 1995 morethan 1.1 million pounds of recy-cled plastic was used in theDeskJet 850 printer series. Whenthe recycled-content is incorpo-rated into the entire 850C plat-form, HP estimates a diversion of6 million pounds of plastic fromthe waste stream annually.
Access to a consistent supply ofrecycled resin, in terms of qual-ity, quantity, and cost, is a majorissue. When HP embarked onthis project, recycled plastic resinfor this application was not evencommercially available. HPsresearch and development staff,design engineers and procure-ment managers worked closely
with resin manufacturers andinjection moulders to co-develop
and qualify a usable recycledproduct and identify a reliableand steady source of pre-consumer and post-consumer
scrap.
Other HP product lines areexploring the use of recycled-content in plastic parts, although
uncertainty in recycled-resinsupply makes designers hesitantto specify recycled-content innew products and undergo costlyand time consuming qualificationand certification processes.
With a projected increase indemand for recycled resin, oneof the significant challengesahead for manufacturers such as
HP, the information technologyindustry in general and its resinsuppliers, is building up thesupply of recycled resin. Forexample, HP has difficulty gettingtheir printers back fromcustomers due to their long lifeand secondary market value.Building an effective plasticsrecycling infrastructure will
require coordinated effortsamong manufacturers, recyclers,and resin suppliers to ensureproduct designs that facilitateplastics recycling, effectiveproduct recovery channels, andimprovement in plastics identifi-cation, sorting and recyclingtechnologies.
Toner cartridge recycling
Over the life of a printer, acustomer may go through 50 ormore print cartridges, amountingto a waste stream of cartridgesand packaging that can exceedthat of the printer itself.
To facilitate recycling theseconsumables, HP offers UScustomers a programme forreturning toner cartridges for
recycling. For LaserJet tonercartridges, customers are able toreturn used cartridges in theoriginal packaging using a pre-
paid United Parcel Sevice (UPS)label that is provided with theproduct inserts.
Since the programmes inception
in 1991, approximately 13 millioncartridges have been recycled,at no cost to the customer.Cartridges are disassembled andover 98% of the cartridge by
weight is recycled or used in themanufacture of new cartridges.As an example, the following isa breakdown for one cartridgemodel:
37% reuse of parts, such asscrews, springs, clips, magneticroller, and corona assembly
38% parts re-moulded for use innew cartridges, including plastichousings
24% materials are recycled(eg. some plastic parts andelectronic assemblies) and soldto alternative markets for use
in new products; and 1% sentfor landfill disposal, includingseals, foams, and adhesivelabels (McGavis, 1994).
Product Life Cycle
M anagement (PLCM)
at Nortel
Nortel approaches its PLCMprogramme strategically.Consistent with corporateobjectives, the PLCM programmeaims to create customer value.
Customer value takes manyshapes. Customer value is created
when the lifetime costs of prod-uct ownership are loweredthrough increased energy effi-ciency, longer life products, orless toxic products; or through
value added recycling servicesof products at the end of life,for example.
ANALYSIS
25JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
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PLCM also strengthens strategic
alliances with suppliers, which
are of growing importance to
Nortels overall business strategy.
Nortel re-oriented its corporate
function to guide and stimulate
PLCM efforts and to philosophi-
cally change how the company
approaches its environmental
responsibilities. Instead of acting
only as a steward of regulatory
action, through the PLCM
programme Nortel
Environmental Affairs has
become a proactive busi-ness development unit.
The goal is to improve
the environmental
performance of the corpo-
ration through changes in
all stages of the product
life cycle design, supply
management, manufactur-
ing, marketing, distribu-
tion, and product disposal.In its PLCM programme, Nortel
Environmental Affairs work in
two primary areas Product
Technology and Business Process
Solutions which respond to
internal operations opportunities
as well as the marketplace. In
Product Technology, activities
focus on research and develop-
ment of cutting-edge, environ-mentally superior technologies
and high leverage product solu-
tions. In Business Process
Solutions, the activities focus on
developing innovative ways of
supplying and managing opera-
tions to achieve resource effi-
ciency in the supply chain.
Below is a sample of some new
directions.
Supply management and
chemical use reduction
Nortel is embarking on an innov-
ative business strategy with its
chemical suppliers designed to
reduce chemical use and lower
costs. The hallmark of the
strategy is a change in the once
competitive nature of the manu-
facturer/supplier relationship.
Traditionally, suppliers are
financially motivated to sell
more product to Nortel. Under a
new shared savings relationship
being tested at Corkstown,
Canada, Nortel and its chemical
supplier will work together to
minimise chemical use.
In its long-term contract, Nortel
purchases the services of the
supplier for a fixed fee, rather
than purchasing the chemicals
themselves. In this way, Nortel
removes the financial incentive
of the supplier to sell more
chemicals. In this new relation-
ship, the supplier is responsible
not only for supplying the
needed chemicals, but also for
providing services such as
chemical process expertise and
chemical management, storage
and disposal. As a result, the
supplier has the incentive to help
Nortel minimise chemical use by
introducing innovations, search-
ing for alternatives to hazardous
chemicals, suggesting more effi-
cient chemical processes, and
delivering only the quantity of
chemicals needed.
Such a supply management
relationship allows Nortel to
concentrate on what
it knows best
network solutions in
the telecommunica-tions industry while
leaving the chemicals
to the experts. The
ultimate goal is to
reduce chemical use
and costs, and increase
quality in products and
processes due to the
leveraging of outside
expertise.
Extending product life
through design
A modular philosophy was
adopted for Nortels new Vista
telephone models, called Power
Touch in the US. The new model
allows the customer to upgrade
the unit without buying a new
one and scrapping the old one.
The principle driver behind thedesign was to create user value
by leveraging the customers
initial investment through a
flexible and upgradeable design.
The new model is designed in
two parts a standard base with
basic telephony features and an
upgradeable slide-in module that
can add features such as caller
ID, call waiting, a larger screen
ANALYSIS
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size or a better graphics display.
The base holds its design for a
longer period of time, while the
module can be replaced to
provide the latest features at halfthe cost of replacing the tele-
phone. This new design
minimises product obsolescence
and reduces the volume of prod-
uct headed for recycling or
disposal.
Lead-free interconnection
technology
Nortel introduced the worlds
first lead-free telephone to themarket in 1996, demonstrating a
lead-free interconnection tech-
nology for printed circuit boards.
The breakthrough technology
follows several years of industry-
wide research and development
and is recognised as a significant
step toward Nortels objective to
reduce hazardous waste genera-
tion and the use of persistenttoxic substances in product. As
part of its research and develop-
ment efforts which began in 1992,
Nortel in conjunction with
suppliers and customers evalu-
ated 200 alternative alloys for
performance and cost, as well as
environmental impact.
Nortel uses about 140 tons of
lead in solder per year, approxi-
mately 80% of which is incorpo-
rated in products which may be
disposed of in landfills. The
remaining 20% is process waste
which is usually recycled. The
new alloy applied by Nortel uses
99.3% tin and 0.7% copper to
provide lead-free interconnec-
tion comparable in quality to the
standard industry solder contain-
ing 37% lead. To date, the new
lead-free interconnection tech-
nology has been applied in the
assembly of printed circuit
boards in a test group of two
types of Meridian office tele-phones. Test results are encour-
aging as the corporation prepares
to expand testing of this new
technology on a wider range of
Nortel products.
Lead-free interconnection tech-
nology has several important
benefits for Nortel. It will
improve hazardous waste
management and reduce specialhandling and process monitoring
costs.
The new innovation also antici-
pates increasing pressure from
governments in some European
countries to control the disposal
of electronic waste containing
lead. This new technology will
reduce the environmental impact
of product disposal, resultingfrom lead leaching into soil and
water from landfills. Elimination
of this toxic heavy metal also
reduces employee risk and asso-
ciated monitoring costs.
New packaging concepts
to reduce waste
For Nortel, packaging was an
obvious and early target for
waste reduction, as legislationworldwide focused attention on
this waste stream and disposal
costs skyrocketed. A packaging
council made up of key functions
in Nortel was formed in 1995
to promote returnable and recy-
clable packaging, and to assist
Nortel sites in achieving the
corporate target for reduction
of non-hazardous solid waste.
ANALYSIS
27JULY 1997 THE JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DESIGN
For Nortel,
packaging
was an
obvious and
early target
for waste
reduction,
as legislation
worldwide
focused
attention
on this wastestream and
disposal costs
skyrocketed.
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As a result, packaging changes arespringing up throughout Nortel,leading to significant cost savingsand a 10 to 15% reduction in
packaging volume. For example,standardisation and re-design ofdistribution packaging savesapproximately $5 million annu-ally. These savings were achievedby standardising, and thus reduc-ing the number of packagingconfigurations. The resultantreduction in the number of boxconfigurations led to a greaterreuse of boxes, the need for lessstorage space and sorting, andfewer boxes purchased.
Shipping switching products inassembled mode, rather thanpackaging and shipping compo-nents separately for on-siteassembly, saves an additional $5million annually. This plugs inplace shipping method (eg. linecards pre-intalled) requires lesspackaging, and reduces installa-tion time.
Nortel designed a new clam-shell packaging system forshipping circuit boards thateliminates cardboard and foam
waste, and is reusable. Thepackaging is also designed toimprove handling and storagefor customers. The clear plastic
allows customers to scan productbar codes without opening thepackaging and risking damage tothe product. The nesting andstacking feature of the clamshellalso saves space on the produc-tion floor.
Asset recycling
Nortel operates three recyclingfacilities in North America andone in the United Kingdom with
a mission:
to provide entrepreneurial solutions
and services for the valued recovery
of materials and surplus assets
while demonstrating environmentalleadership.
To accomplish this mission, thereclamation operation providesNortel divisions and customers
with a full range of asset disposaland recycling services, fromequipment test and refurbish toresale of useable components torecovery of precious and non-
precious metals and plastics.Nortels reclamation operationsdate back to the 1970s, whenthey opened a facility in Barrie,Ontario to provide an equipmentrecycling service to Bell Canada,a major customer.
Today, Nortels reclamationoperations in the US and Canadaprocess over 50 million pounds
of equipment annually, includingcentral office switches, privatebranch exchanges, cable andcomponents from excess andobsolete inventory.
About 50% of the equipmentprocessed is Nortels own equip-ment and excess and obsoleteinventory. Trade ins andremoval from customer sites
account for the other 50%,although Nortel is actively tryingto expand services to commercialcustomers and suppliers. In theUnited Kingdom, for example,Nortel negotiated with BritishTelecom (BT) to begin takingback some older varieties of PBXequipment for reuse and recycle.In addition, Nortel is working
with other European distributorsto develop tailored product takeback services to suit distributor
and market conditions.
Over 90% of the equipmentprocessed at the facilities (by
weight) is recovered for reuse orrecycling. Product and compo-nent reuse and resale (for exam-ple, circuit boards, memorychips, line cards) account forapproximately 50% of revenues,playing a greater role today thanin the past.
Conclusions
The examples highlighted inthese case histories are just someof the initiatives undertaken bythese three companies. Similaractivities are underway at XeroxCorporation, IBM, LucentTechnologies (formerly AT&T),Digital Equipment and DellComputer, to name a few.
Common programme elements
among these companies are afocus on product Design forEnvironment, supplier manage-ment, and improved assetmanagement and recycling. Forthe most part, the initiatives ofthese companies are driven bybusiness opportunities and exter-nal pressures, rather than areliance on systematic, scientifi-cally-based assessment of prod-
uct systems such as Life CycleAssessments (LCA).
There are good business reasonsfor undertaking product life cyclemanagement (PLCM) or productstewardship initiatives. Indeed,the companies taking part in thisresearch emphasised that if itdoesnt make economic sense,it is not going to happen. The
examples highlighted in this casedemonstrate the convergenceof environmental and business
ANALYSIS
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performance objectives, for
example:
Upgradeable designs can slow
product obsolescence, increase
customer loyalty, lower costof product ownership, and
improve product serviceability.
Designing products with reuse
and recycling in mind can lead
to lower manufacturing costs
and improved manufacturability
due to parts consolidation and
reduction in material variety,
for example.
Extending product life throughasset management strategies
may improve the service
function, lower disposal costs,
create new revenue streams,
and introduce products to
new markets.
This is just the beginning of
product stewardship in the elec-
tronics industry. The companies
highlighted in this study are inthe early stages of programme
implementation. We can fully
expect continued progress as
more and more companies and
Business Units within these
companies realise the economic
advantages of life cycle manage-
ment programmes and begin to
focus their creativity and
competitive spirit on eco-
efficiency throughout the prod-
uct life cycle. In addition, the
application of ISO 14000 princi-
ples should help companies focus
on continuous