The industrial symbiosis in the product development: an approach through the DFIS

Abstract

Industrial symbiosis is characterized mainly by the reuse of waste from one company by another company as raw material. This concept has advanced in the sense that companies seek to develop this type of relationship. We believe that one of the next steps is to consider industrial symbiosis in the product development. It is in this context that enters the DFX (Design for X), as it seeks to maximize the product features with respect to the approach to which the X refers. This work aims to examine two possibilities; the first is to consider the industrial symbiosis within the Design for Environment, since it is an already existing approach that considers the environmental aspect, so industrial symbiosis would be just another factor. The second possibility is the proposal of the Design for Industrial Symbiosis (DFIS) and its systematization in an application method. Considering the industrial symbiosis in the product development would also bring financial benefits, not only environmental.