Product Ecodesign
More than 80% of the environmental performance and footprint of a product is determined at the design phase.
Stewardship Solutions can assist your company to design products that follow ecodesign principles. The main design stages include:
- Material selection
- Product design
- Communication – ecolabelling
- Distribution
- Impacts during use
- End of life
There are a number of methods to analyse the environmental profile of a product. These range from mapping out the product’s lifecycle to complex life cycle analyses (LCA). Both methods identify all the inputs and outputs throughout the specific stages of the product’s “life”. All the components, how they are packaged and transported, from the distribution centres to the consumer, and what happens to the product at the end of its life need to be considered. This helps to identify any important issues that need to be addressed in the ecodesign process.
Companies that use ecodesign (design for the environment) principles find there are a number of benefits:
Innovation
Good design for the environment drives innovation
Enhanced reputation
With shareholders, customers, investors and employees from using environmentally responsible design
Customer expectations
Ability to meet or exceed customer expectations for price, performance and quality
Efficiency
By using raw materials and energy more efficiently during manufacture, consumption is reduced and costs, including waste disposal costs, are lowered.
Environmental footprint
Many customers include ecodesign features in tender requests because a “greener” product can increase market share
Employee benefits
From reduced emissions in the workplace and improved morale from use of ecodesign principles
Product use
The environmental footprint of the product is reduced throughout its lifecycle.
