Ecodesign - ecological design

The Ecodesign is the methodology of the industrial products design, taking into account the environment during the process of development of the product, like an additional factor to those that traditionally are used for taking decisions: aesthetic design, cost, quality etc.

Goals of the Ecodesign

The goal of the ecodesing is double. On one hand consist on reducing the environmental impact of the product during their cycle of life. On the other hand, getting a benefit in return for the involved stakeholders and the final user of the product.

Why to apply the Ecodesing?

The factors for the application of the ecodesing in the definition phase and design of the product can be different:

External reasons

• To fulfil the current and future legislation
• To give answer to the market and the demand of customerss
• To improve the image of the company
• To obtain a competitive advantage to be ahead to the competition

Internal reasons

• To increase the quality of the product
• To improve a productive process
• To obtain a reduction of costs
• To increase the power of innovation of the company

Methodologies of Ecodesing

The projects of Ecodesing require an organizational vision where all the actors of the project collaborate and carry out their work simultaneously.

This focus needs of some specifics tools and a special phase of planning designed for such aim. Next, the phases that compose two of the ecodesing methodologies more used are presented:

PILOT methodology (original source)

Ecodesign The phases of the PILOT metodology.

PROMISE Methodology

Methodology created in the 1994 by the Technological University of Delft that was taken as base for the manual of Ecodesing of the UNEP in 1997 (ECODESIGN: to promising approach to sustainable production and consumption).

Ecodesign strategies

The LIDS wheel

Based on the LiDS Wheel, the different strategies are classified in the following groups:

1. Selection of materials of low impact.
2. Reduction of the quantity of used material.
3. Selection of environmentally efficient production techniques.
4. Selection of environmentally efficient distribution techniques.
5. Reduction of the environmental impact in the use stage.
6. Optimization of the Cycle of Life.
7. Optimization of the End of Life phase.
8. To optimize the function (new product ideas).

LIDS Wheel
Table 3: The LiDS Wheel, Van Hemel – 1995.

Strategies of PILOT

Similar to the LiDS Wheel, PILOT proposes specific strategies for each phase of the life cycle of the product. For that, first of all it is necessary to analyze in which phases the most important negative impacts take place.

Once carried out this analysis, the product is classified according to the following skills:

• Type A: Intensive raw material
• Type B: Intensive production
• Type C: Intensive transportation
• Type D: Intensive use
• Type E: Intensive disposition

For example, a washer is a “type D” product. It produces its biggest negative impact during the phase of USE of the product. PILOT will offer specific strategies to reduce the consumption centred mainly in its use phase.

Levels of Ecodesing

Although the ecodesing is able to innovate the systems or the products of a company radically, it can also propose simpler solutions, with short term results.

Depending on the target establish by the company, four levels of application of the ecodesing can be distinguished, and therefore four types of different results:

• Level 1 - Improves of the product: progressive and incremental improvement.
• Level 2 – Redraw/redesign of the product: New product on the base of other existent.
• Level 3 - New product in concept and definition: Radical innovation of the product.
• Level 4 - Definition of a new system. Radical innovation of the system.