Définition

Eco-design or Design for Environment (DfE) corresponds to the integration of the environment in the product design or redefinition options.
To integrate the environment means to wonder about the environmental consequences of the taken choice, in terms of resources consumption, polluting emissions, but also recovery potential or recycling.
These consequences must be envisaged at the product life level, for some design options can strongly influence from an environmental point of view the use or end-of-life stage (recycling ability, valorisation of energy, etc…)

The eco-design stage is the most crucial step where to improve the environmental performance of a product.

What For?

Design for Environment is taylor-made for companies that want to manufacture products with improved environmental profiles by integrating environmental constraints early in the design phase. This ensures the efficient use of natural resources and minimisation of environmental impacts, as well as consistent implementation of the company’s environmental policy. Additionally, such a design approach balances the requirements of product-based regulations and standards, such as Ecolabels, with the fulfilment of customer needs.

Sometimes, you are monitoring an upcoming regulation that will compel you into changing some elements of the design of your products. Even in the case the regulation is not yet voted and applied, most of your contacts, clients, professional networks from your suppliers and distributors, or subsidiary, will expect you to design a product that will anticipate the next regulatory requirements. This can generate severe problems while making accept your old processes whereas your interlocutors are updated to a most suitable process.

For instance lets imagine a regulation aims at organizing the environmental communication on a family of products. It proposes to establish an inventory of the energy and resources consumption, water air and soil emissions of the studied product during its end of life. If your activity is concerned, it can impair seriously its competitiveness, or in the worst scenario of a strong regulation, your product can be removed from the market.
What means do you have at your disposal to anticipate this, and the generated cost of a complete or partial redefinition of your products?

The methodology used for eco-designing a product is based on Life Cycle Assessment.