Title :
Life-cycle design practices at three multinational companies
Author :
Shapiro, Karen G. ; White, Allen L.
Author_Institution :
Tellus Inst., Boston, MA, USA
Abstract :
Life-cycle design (LCD), the application of life-cycle concepts to the design phase of product development, is emerging as a valuable tool for incorporating environmental impacts and trade-offs as a criterion in product/process design. Because LCD is used as an internal decision-support tool and customized to meet firm-specific needs, its strengths, successes, and limitations remain largely undocumented. An examination of LCD practices at three firms-IBM, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Armstrong World Industries-provides insights into how these methods evolve as well as a glimpse into the dynamics of organizational innovation in relation to corporate environmental management. Four ingredients are essential to initiating or sustaining a successful LCD program: (1) a pragmatic, flexible approach that avoids “analysis paralysis;” (2) program buy-in from multiple levels in the company; (3) supplier involvement to inform material and/or process decisions; and (4) including staff from various business functions to ensure that LCD is not merely another environmental initiative
Keywords :
design for environment; product development; Armstrong World Industries; Bristol-Myers Squibb; IBM; corporate environmental management; environmental impacts; internal decision-support tool; life-cycle design practices; material decisions; multinational companies; process decisions; process design; product development design phase; program buy-in; supplier involvement; Costs; Design engineering; Environmental management; Government; Manufacturing; Process design; Product design; Product development; Production; Technological innovation;
Conference_Titel :
Electronics and the Environment, 1999. ISEE -1999. Proceedings of the 1999 IEEE International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Danvers, MA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5495-8
DOI :
10.1109/ISEE.1999.765859
