Design your products to reduce their environmental impact!Why do Ecodesign? Crucially ecodesign can make a direct difference to the bottom line through reducing costs, increasing innovation, attracting investment, improving brand position and enhancing business communications.
As a strategic design management process, ecodesign can also help companies proactively comply with environmental legislation.
The following product and service related legislation is relevant to Welsh industry:
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive Energy-using Products Directive (EuP) End-of-Life Vehicle Directive (ELV) Landfill DirectiveEco-design principlesThere are ten core environmental considerations at the heart of eco-design:
using materials with less environmental impact
using fewer materials overall in the manufacture of products
using fewer resources during the manufacturing process
producing less pollution and waste
reducing the environmental impacts from distributing products
ensuring that products use fewer resources when they are used by end customers
ensuring that products cause less waste and pollution when in use
optimising the function of products and ensuring longer service life
reducing the environmental impact of disposal
making reuse and recycling easier
Ecodesign ApproachesLife Cycle Thinking means considering the full life cycle impacts of a product, packaging or service. This includes material extraction, manufacture, distribution, retail, use and end-of-life. Completing a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can make a comparison between different design options allowing the least damaging option to be selected.
Design for Disassembly considers the easy separation of different types of material from a product once its useful life has come to an end, to allow for effective recycling.
Reduce the negative impact of a product on the environment, for example by removing hazardous chemicals or materials, without compromising the design.
Re-Design the product or product system, for example by re-designing the product to take advantage of more sustainable materials and cleaner production methods.
Re-Define a product or service into a solution that makes commercial sense whilst being sustainable, for example considering whether a car is the best solution to move from A to B.
