Design-to-test. Design-for-manufacture. Now it’s time to start thinking seriously about designing your products for the environment, or DfE.
A European Union (EU) directive that calls for product designers to consider the environment at all phases of their designs is now on the books. It may turn out to be as big a challenge for the industry as the EU’s Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS).
The EU’s Directive 2005/32-EC on eco-design of energy-using products (known as EuP) doesn’t actually place binding requirements on specific products. But it does define conditions and criteria regarding environmentally relevent product characteristics, such as energy and material consumption.
Much of the industry is still focused on becoming RoHS-compliant by the middle of this year (Fig. 1). But industry companies also will have to start thinking about designing environmentally friendly products from scratch.
Technology Forecasters, a market research and consulting organization, says this usually means using fewer components and materials for most companies. Companies also must increase energy efficiency, eliminate hazardous substances, uses cost-saving recycled materials, and design products for recycling.
Eco-design programs similar to EuP aim to improve the energy efficiency of information technology office equipment by awarding the EU’s Energy Star label to products that fulfill certain energy efficiency requirements. This program is now worldwide. Another eco-program known as Integrated Product Policy (IPP) is looking at how to environmentally improve all products throughout the production, use, and disposal of product lifecycles, especially products with the greatest potential for environmental improvement.
Nokia volunteered to undertake a pilot project on IPP at the request of the European Commission with support from the European Information, Communication and Consumer Electronics Technology Industry Association (EICTA). Other companies already are well under way with eco-design programs.
Hewlett-Packard established its DfE program in 1992, targeting energy efficiency, materials innovation, and design for recyclability. Several HP products contain recycled material recovered from recycled HP products. HP also is using recycled materials in its product packaging.