Business benefits from applied EcoDesign

This work describes the application of EcoDesign (environmentally conscious design) within the electronics manufacturing company Philips and how the process has matured from a case-by-case basis driven by single persons to becoming a standard part of the product creation process of most of Philips´ business units. Since it was first introduced, the ecodesign process has gone through many changes, not only to deal with influences from the outside world such as regulation and voluntary industrial agreements, but also, and more important, to allow alignment with existing business procedures and business direction. The scope of the process has widened beyond the product to now include the supply chain, the end of life, and consumer behavior as well. This also means a much closer cooperation with stakeholders beyond the product developer; it also involves the purchasing department, market research, and dialogue with the recycling industry. One of the key processes supporting the ecodesign process is environmental product benchmarking, comparing the Philips product with its direct commercial competitors. As has been the case with the ecodesign process, the benchmarking activity has also matured over time, allowing more product benchmarks while improving the quality of the results. The results are now visible in examples of green marketing and communication as the Philips Consumer Electronics Internet site now displays examples of Green Flagship products. Furthermore, the benchmarking activity is now also used to provide valuable information on original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products and to monitor how competition is backing up claims related to their products´ environmental performance. It is not surprising that in its recently revealed new environmental program, Philips again shows commitment to keeping a focus on applying ecodesign and more environmental product benchmarking.