Methodology of Eco-Design and Software Development for Sustainable Product Design

Abstract

In the face of the growing social recognition of environmental awareness and emerging regulations in countries where targets include the reduction of the CO2 footprint in the industrial sector, several companies are facing the challenge of introducing environmental impacts as new key design criteria. To successfully launch new products with optimized environmental impact, it is crucial to apply Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) during the design phase. However, the design process of any product is a process where materials, production processes, concepts, and various design factors are constantly changing, which requires an agile LCA calculation for its effective inclusion during the iterative design process. This paper presents an eco-design methodology, based on the adaptation of the LCA method to the changing design environment, through the adaptation of LCA stages to the design process, the customization of environmental databases to the product of the company, and the development of a software tool for its application during the earlier design phases. This methodology assists designers to save efforts during the calculation process, with different integration levels of environmental data, according to LCA phases established by ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The effectiveness of this methodology will be shown with a real case study.