Towards a product life cycle design tool

Market pressures and regulations are increasingly driving businesses to consider environmental issues during product development, promoting the idea of design for environment (DfE). A number of different approaches to DfE have emerged as this concept takes hold, which cover the spectrum from life cycle assessment (LCA) to guidelines for design to design for disassembly. Conducting a full LCA is very difficult for those who are not familiar with the method, such as design teams charged with the development of complex products (e.g., electronic devices or cars). Other approaches to DfE address specific concerns but have limitations in scope and applicability. To fully address the concept of DfE, most companies require an integrated approach that provides life cycle data for their products and addresses regulatory and consumer concerns. This paper presents how each of these different DfE approaches falls short with respect to the requirements of a product design team. It presents how these methodologies can be combined to provide a robust life cycle design tool, and outlines how it would meet the needs of a typical design team