Several ways to respond

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Several ways to respond
Corporate responses to the pressure regarding
the environment

• The engineers approach life cycle assessments
  (LCA)
• The designers approach eco-design
• The management approach life cycle management
  (LCM)

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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• LCA studies include the environmental aspects and
  potential impacts throughout the products' life
  (i.e. cradle-to grave) from raw material
  acquisition through production, use and disposal.
  The general categories of environmental impacts
  that need to be considered include resource use,
  human health, and ecological consequences.
• The life of a product is usually divided into the
  following life-cycle stages

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Simplified assessment methods

• Four main areas of interest when talking
  Electrical Electronic Equipment (based on
  detailed LCA)
• Use of materials
• Environmental impacts from mining and refining of
  raw materials, use of non-renewable resources
• Energy use
• acid rain, CO2 and Nox emission, use of
  oil/coal/natural gas, waste (eg. Radioactive
  waste)
• Use and content of chemical substances
• eco- and human toxicity (carcingenic,
  reproductive disorders, allergenic, neurotoxic
• Disposal of waste/incineration
• leaking of environmentally hazardous substances,
  loss of resources

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3 indicators to measure the impacts

• Energy parameter the draw on the global energy
  reserve. It is an aggregation of the total life
  cycle energy consumption measured as primary
  energy in MJ. If energy is recovered during
  recycling, this can be subtracted in the
  E-parameter budget.
• Resource parameter the total resource draw on
  virgin resources from the use of materials in a
  specific product. Calculation of the Resource
  Parameter The resource consumption (of e.g.
  copper) is divided by the known global reserves
  (of copper) per person. PR (person-reserves)
  becomes therefore the unit for the R parameter
• Chemical substances according to UPM
• U Unwanted (Highly toxic)P Problematic
  (Moderately toxic)M Manageable (Relatively low
  toxicity or no observed toxicity)No data (little
  or no knowledge)

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Simplified Environmental Assessment
Energy-parameter
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Simplified Environmental Assessment
Resource-parameter
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Simplified Environmental Assessment Chemical
Substances
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Definitions of eco-design

• A systematic manner which aims at including
  environmental aspects in the product planning,
  development and design process at the earliest
  possible opportunity
• (Tischner et al. , 2000)
• A systematic approach for environmentally
  conscious product design that takes into account
  the limited time available in day to day
  decisions in a company (Philips, 1998)
• Qualitative approach

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Eco-design - and other terms

• Synonyms
• Design for (the) Environment
• Green Design
• Life Cycle Thinking (LCT)
• Life Cycle Design
• Environmental sound product innovations
• Eco-efficient producer services (EEPS)

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Eco-design 6 examples
answering service on your mobile phone (no mini
tapes)
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Product Development
(Behrendt et al., 1997)
Information about the product
Design alternatives
Possibility to influence the design
Product strategy
Conceptual Design
Detailed Design
Slide by Mikkel Thrane
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Application of tools
(Inspired by Behrendt et al., 1997 Philips,
1998)
Slide by Mikkel Thrane
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Fast five method Philips
(Inspired by Behrendt et al., 1997 Philips,
1998)
Assess Improve

• Qualitative approach, questions with yes/no
  entries
• Compared with a reference product (the old
  version) is the product...
• 1. Demanding less energy ? (throughout the life
  cycle)
• 2. More recyclable ?
• 3. Containing less hazardous substances ?
• 4. More durable and repairable ?
• 5. Is it an alternative way to provide service ?
• Suited for brainstorming - new product concepts

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Rules of thumb 6xR
(Inspired by Novotex - Green Cotton)
Assess Improve

• Re-think Re think the product and its functions
• Re-duce Reduce the energy consumption and
  ressource consumption in the whole life cycle
• Re-place Replace harzadous substances with more
  environmentally sound alternatives
• Re-cycle Use those materials which can be reused
  or recycled
• Re-use Design in such a way that the product or
  parts of it can be reused
• Re-pair Design a product that is easy to repair

Slide by Mikkel Thrane
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Env. principles Life-cycle design
(Inspired by Behrendt et al., 1997 Philips,
1998)
Assess Improve

• P 1) Achieving environmental efficiency / optimal
  function
• P 2) Saving resources
• P 3) Use of renewable and sufficiently available
  resources
• P 4) Increasing product durability
• P 5) Design for product reuse
• P 6) Design for material recycling
• P 7) Design for disassembly
• P 8) Minimising harmful substances
• P 9) Environmental friendly production
• P 10) Minimising environmental impact of product
  in use
• P 11) Using environmentally friendly packaging
• P 12) Environmentally friendly disposal of non
  recyclable materials
• P 13) Implementing environmentally friendly
  logistics

Slide by Mikkel Thrane
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Trade-offs
(UNEP, 1996)

• The selection of one environmental issue can
  create or add to another environmental problem -
  or contradict with other product system
  requirements

Slide by Mikkel Thrane
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Life Cycle Management defined

• Management of the company decisions that have
  environmental consequences at any point of the
  products life cycle
• (Garcia-Sanchez, Wenzel Christensen and
  Jørgensen, 2004)

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The leaders

• Those companies practising Life Cycle Management
  are now regarded among the environmentally
  leading companies. They operate proactively,
  meaning ahead of legislative demands, and
  interactively, meaning engaging in different
  networks and influencing the behaviour of other
  actors.

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Life Cycle Management as 12 x CO

• Considering the Life Cycle of the products
• Core of business operations and decision making
  (not an add-on function from the environmental
  department)
• Cost reflecting (linking to economic efficiency
  and life cycle costing green products that do
  not sell are a waste)
• Comprehensive and complex (most departments in
  the company will be involved)
• Commitment from top-level management is therefore
  necessary
• Competence is crucial
• Continous efforts
• Compliance (meeting legislative requirements is
  not enough)
• Consumer oriented and involving (regarding the
  values and environmental priorities)
• Communication (along the product chain including
  user and waste stages)
• Collaboration and co-ordination (to lower the
  impacts and provide transparent information)
• Context (product and company specific context
  must be considered no general model)

(Riisgaard, 2004)
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Communication and collaboration
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Communication and collaboration in product chain
Collaboration in the product chain (inspired by
Remmen,2002)
Primary
Producers
Retailers
producers
Material- and service flow
Communication collaboration
Value- and money flow
Suppliers
Distributors
Consumers
Slide by Mikkel Thrane
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Moving towards the core of business

• The integrated product aspect links LCM to the
  core activity of business to produce and sell
  products and services
• This is a clear distinction from ordinary
  environmental management which is more focussed
  on the side effects of the business core

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Studying Environmental management in electronics
Other sectors (plastics, packing, chemicals)
Corporate policy
Electronics in Malaysia
Motorola
Minolta
Certifying body SIRIM
(Proposal for EUE directive)
EU legislation
RoHS Directive
WEEE Directive
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Research Questions

• Do the companies have environmental management
• Are the companies aware of the drivers for Life
  Cycle Management?
• Are they actually implementing LCM?
• What tools are they using?
• (Comparative perspective with Denmark)

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The Findings so far

• Yes, The major players have EMS (corporate
  policy, customer pressure)
• These companies are very much aware of EU
  regulation
• To some extent they apply LCM (policy level,
  declarations)
• Tools lists of banned substances, environmental
  product declaration, green purchasing

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The Wider Perspectives of the Changes ?
Green demand in other sectors
EPR regulation in other sectors
Mass Production
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15 min. Break Time for tasting packaging?
Please take a copy of the exercise sheet - Only
one per group! We will go around in the
canteen Slides will be put on the course homepage