Indicators for environmentally conscious product design

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to develop effective instruments which permit the choice of materials and architecture of an industrial product to be optimized, while conferring a high degree of eco-compatibility on the product's life cycle by means of different types of recycling at the end of its operating life. Having introduced the principles of life cycle analysis and outlined a design methodology which uses this instrument it was possible to analytically define some green indicators considered particularly significant. Dependent on the recovery plan envisaged at the end of the product's life, these indicators are able to quantify, the energy and emission content of the product as a function of the main design choices (materials and architecture). The indicators defined allow the architecture and the choice of materials to be optimized during the design phase, guaranteeing both a limited environmental impact for the product's entire life cycle and the recovery of resources by means of an efficient plan for recycling parts and materials at the end of the product's life.