EcoDesign and LCA survey of current uses of environmental attributes in product and process development
Hunkeler, David ; Vanakari, Evdokia
In: The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2000, vol. 5, no. 3, p. 145-151
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- A survey of designers was carried out to determine to what extent environmental information was being used in the development of products and processes. Twenty-seven designers in five industry categories (process, manufacturing, electronics, construction and automobile) reported mean product design times varying generally from twelve to thirty months. "Ecodesign” generally focused on the manufacturing, use and disposal stages of the product life cycle with material selection, emissions, energy, and recyclability for the principal environmental information employed. Approximately one half of the designers also reported the use of a typical life cycle impact parameter in their product development, with another one-third utilizing stressors including groundwater pollution, ozone depletion and global warming. A full 85% of the designers considered environmental parameters in their work generally as the result of a corporate policy with larger firms able to influence designers to a greater extent. The willingness to combine technical and economic parameters with environmental attributes was greater for non-durable products and designs involving less than two years. Specific preferences of designers within certain product and process groups are discussed. Designers considered electronic tools, with written documentation, as the most appropriate means to implement Ecodesign. A strong minority of the design have been limited to less than two days for the consideration of environmental information, implying the need to integrate life cycle assessment with validated ecometrics, if significant advances are to be made toward sustainable development