Qualitative and quantitative tool development to support environmentally responsible decisions

The Centre for Design at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia has developed various quantitative and qualitative tools to support decision-making by industry and government partners in product design and policy development. The aim, in general, is to support development of attractive, functional, marketable products while enhancing their environmental performance. Depending on the product, the project scope and the client, the tools that are used can be anything from a half-day char-rette, environmental checklist, to a one-year life cycle assessment (LCA).In this paper we describe our approach and the various tools that have been developed by the research team at the Centre over recent years with the use of case studies. The paper argues that it is important for tool development to be based on solid research and information, but the key to influencing product design decisions is the translation of this information into a usable format for the users.     

生命周期设计用于产品环境要求设计初探

产品的生命周期设计是在可持续发展要求的推动下,为既能降低产品对环境的影响又能满足用户的需要而提出的。它是将综合预防污染和节约资源的战略用于产品的设计中,以开发更生态的、经济的、可持续发展的产品体系。文中着重分析了产品生命周期设计的基本框架、设计策略和设计要求,并在此基础上探讨了如何推行产品的生命周期设计。      

Designing the sustainable product-service integration: a product-service blueprint approach

As a means for providing the sustainable production and consumption, the concept of product-service system (PSS) has received increasing attention. What is at the core in the PSS is the design, since it determines the distinctive characteristics and quality of PSS. Even though some tools have been suggested for PSS design, previous tools mainly focus on identifying the relationship between actors in a conceptual level. Despite the fact that it is significant and cannot be neglected, what is more important in a practical situation is to represent the detailed flow or relationship of PSS elements, with the consideration of products and services. In response, this paper proposes a ‘‘product-service blueprint’ which is a new and systematic way to elucidate the relationship between products and services, providing the implication of how PSS can provide the sustainable production and consumption. Employing the service blueprint as a starting point, new areas, lines, and symbols are introduced to represent the distinctive features of PSS. The proposed product-service blueprint represents the product use throughout the life cycle, service flow from the management to the customer, and the relationship between products and services. Taken together, the product-service blueprint will help both managers and researchers to promote the product-service integration under the concrete framework.     

A strategic design approach to develop sustainable product service systems: examples taken from the ‘environmentally friendly innovation’ Italian prize

The product service systems’ (PSS) sustainability potential is described in the framework of the new types of stakeholder relationships and/or partnerships, producing new convergence of economic interests, and a potential concomitant systemic resources optimization.In this perspective, it is argued that the design competencies should move towards those of the ‘strategic design’, thus introducing the concept of ‘strategic design for sustainability’: the design of an innovation strategy, shifting the business focus from designing (and selling) physical products only, to designing (and selling) a system of products and services which are jointly capable of fulfilling specific client demands, while re-orienting current unsustainable trends in production and consumption practices.Some examples of PSS are presented and discussed using the PSS categories ‘services providing added value to the product life cycle’, ‘services providing final results to customers’, and ‘services providing enabling platforms for customers’. The cases derive from an analysis of the ‘environmental friendly innovation’ yearly endowed prize submissions. The Politecnico di Milano University together with the Bocconi University and Legambiente (an environmental NGO) promotes the initiative in Italy.     

Resources and waste management in Turin (Italy): the role of recycled aggregates in the sustainable supply mix

The ever increasing quantity of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) in Italy is presently challenging public administrators, which strive to ensure that collection and recycling are sustainably managed and need to understand whether and to what extent recycled aggregates can complement natural aggregates in a sustainable supply mix (SSM) for the construction industry. The paper presents a research aimed at analysing energy and environmental implications of the C&DW recycling chain in the administrative territory of Provincia di Torino in Northern Italy, with 2.25 million inhabitants and yearly generation of 1.8 million tons of C&DW. A combined Geographical Information System (GIS) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) model was developed using site-specific data and paying particular attention to land use, transportation and avoided landfill: crucial issues for sustainable planning and management. A GIS was used to handle data and information about 89 recycling plants, including technological features, output and physical–mechanical characteristics of recycled aggregate. The LCA methodology was used to identify and quantify energy and environmental loads, under different assumptions relevant to delivery distances, quality of recycled aggregates, local availability of natural aggregates and geographical coverage of market demand. The C&DW recycling chain was proved to be eco-efficient, as avoided impacts were found to be higher than the induced impacts for 13 out of 14 environmental indicators. It was also estimated that the transportation distance of recycled aggregate should increase 2–3 times before the induced impacts outweigh the avoided impacts.     

The ecoinvent database system: a comprehensive web-based LCA database

The paper describes the general structure of the ecoinvent database developed by the Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories. The database accommodates more than 2500 background processes often required in LCA case studies.Quality guidelines, established in order to ensure coherent data acquisition and reporting across the various institutes involved, are described. These include aspects such as the reporting of pollutants (e.g., heavy metals), or the nomenclature of processes and elementary flows.The data (exchange) format is also described. Processes are documented with the help of meta-information and flow data (including both unit process raw data and aggregated LCI results). The structure of the data format corresponds to the ISO/TS 14048 data documentation format. Data exchange between project partner institutes and between the database and its customers (database users) is based on XML-technology. Matrix inversion is used to calculate the cumulative LCA data using efficient algorithms and making use of the fact that LCA matrices are usually sparse.     

Comparing LCA results out of competing products: developing reference ranges from a product family approach

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has proven useful in comparing the environmental impact of alternatives, life-cycle phases or parts in a product. To date, benchmarking a new product with previous environmental information entails a degree of subjectivity. This paper presents LCP-families, a concept to develop reference ranges for environmental impact of a new product. A new product can be catalogued as environmentally better or worse than a percentage of its competitors, depending on what position it occupies in its LCP-family. Three case studies of packaging products are carried out to show the applicability and usefulness of the concepts presented.     

An industry perspective of the completeness and relevance of a social assessment framework for project and technology management in the manufacturing sector

A framework has been introduced before to assess the sustainability performances of projects and technology developments in the process industry. The research summarised in this paper verified the completeness of the social dimension of that framework to evaluate operational initiatives. Furthermore, the relevance of the social dimension to the process industry has been validated. The perspectives of decision-makers in industry, i.e. a top-down approach, determined both the completeness and relevance. It was found that, to a limited extent, a smaller set of social assessment criteria might be defined for project and technology Life Cycle Management purposes. Also, it was concluded that quantitative social indicators are not practical in the process industry at present. Rather, checklists and guidelines should be applied during project and technology management, although this requires further investigation. Moreover, the perspectives of other stakeholders in technological systems should also be considered, from a bottom-up approach.     

Uncertainty analysis in life cycle inventory. Application to the production of electricity with French coal power plants

Uncertainty assessment in LCAs is an important aspect for decision-makers to judge the significance of differences in product or process options.Stochastic models (e.g., Monte Carlo) are tools used in Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) to compute the uncertainty of cumulative emissions and resource requirements. However, one main problem when applying such models is the large number of unit processes that make up a product system. In this paper a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches in uncertainty assessment is proposed for an efficient assessment of uncertainty. The qualitative assessment of data quality relies on data quality indicators, whereas the quantitative assessment uses Monte Carlo simulation.The effort to select accurate probability functions concentrates on data with a significant contribution to the cumulative results¹ and/or with a high uncertainty. The probability function of selected data is estimated using different techniques, depending on the amount of information available.Some results are presented by applying the method on selected French coal-based electricity.     

A new generation of designers: perspectives for education and training in the field of sustainable design. Experiences and projects at the Politecnico di Milano University

This paper is a contribution to the debate on the redefinition of needs and perspectives of university level education in the field of sustainable design. It discusses the role of design research in relation to the production of new educational forms, methods and tools for a new generation of designers (and designer educators) enabling them to more effectively confront the transition towards a sustainable society. The paper is based on two premises; Firstly: in today’s climate there is a need for a general redefinition of education, as a result of the influence of new technological opportunities and changed socio-cultural conditions. Secondly: the design activity itself needs to be redefined in order to positively and effectively contribute to the radical change required by the transition towards a sustainable society. Industrial designer, educators and other design practitioners are all searching for ways to enhance their environmental capabilities and to produce sustainable designs. The academic discipline of design education in Italy (at the higher educational level) has responded by broadening its scope to produce more ‘environmentally skilled’ designers sensitive to issues of sustainable production and consumption. The Interdepartmental Research Centre in Innovation for Environmental Sustainability (CIR.IS) of the Politecnico di Milano University has developed an innovative and highly flexible response to these new design education needs. A set of interrelated projects—co-ordinated by the author—is outlined in the following paragraphs. These projects are funded by the Italian Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA). A university network (RAPI.RETE) has been established and a group of innovative and technologically advanced tools (ECO.CATHEDRA, ECO.OFFICINA, ECO.DISCO and DPS.MANUAL) are being developed to support teachers and students in the educational content and processes. The tools are now going to be distributed (free of charge) in Italian Universities and, both the ANPA and the CIR.IS have given their consent for their translation/adaptation into other languages (without charge).     

Adopting and applying eco-design techniques: a practitioners perspective

This paper discusses the findings of a small scale research project which explored the possibility of adopting eco-design techniques. The paper focuses on identifying how eco-design techniques can be determined as being compatible with new product development processes. Via the development of a five stage ‘applicability framework’, this study demonstrates how a compatible suite of tools can be identified for application to product development processes. Testing and validation of this ‘applicability framework’, which was used to identify three key eco-design techniques; namely checklists, guidelines, and a material, energy and toxicity (MET) matrix, is shown to have taken place in relation to the development of a lightweight chemical detector product. It is established that checklists, guidelines and the MET matrix can be used both on a specific product, and also more generally in the design process. In particular, the MET matrix is shown as being used to successfully identify key environmental aspects of the product during its lifetime. The paper concludes by arguing that eco-design techniques may not have been more widely adopted by businesses because such methods are not necessarily generic and immediately applicable, but instead require some form of process-specific customisation prior to use, which can in turn act as a barrier to adoption. It is also highlighted that the shear diversity of pressures that come to bear during the product development process can also act as a barrier to adoption, and that the full integration of eco-design techniques will have to encompass approaches which overcome such pressures.     

Proposal for new quantitative eco-design indicators: a first case study

Eco-design is a valuable approach in order to reduce the environmental impact associated with a product system, by introducing environmental considerations early on in its design. Different strategies are possible for the implementation of eco-design, depending on the intended goals as well as the characteristics of the products. The present work proposes a series of eco-design indicators and tests to what extent the application of these simple indicators provides a reliable indication of the reduction of environmental impact, as measured by commonly employed Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) indicators. The product chosen for the case study was a water source heat pump. Two of the newly-developed indicators were applied and compared to LCIA indicators, focussing on design for disassembly and for recycling. A good and robust correlation was found, providing support to the thesis that these simple eco-design indicators can be used as a proxy to quickly and effectively gauge the environmental improvements introduced in a product system at the design stage.     

The Environmental Performance Strategy Map: an integrated LCA approach to support the strategic decision-making process

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a well-known tool for analyzing environmental impacts on a wide perspective with reference to a product system and the related environmental and economic impacts. The need for a novel approach that complements environmental and financial considerations is addressed in this study with the introduction of a new graphical representation: the Environmental Performance Strategy Map. This graphical map allows one to combine the main environmental indicators (footprints) with the additional dimension of cost. The paper defines the Sustainable Environmental Performance Indicator as a single measure for sustainability of a given option. Comparison of different options for strategic decision-making purposes can be enhanced and facilitated by the use of this indicator.     

Does the potential of the use of LCA match the design team needs?

Today, most people involved in the industrial engineering community (consultants, manufacturers, researchers and institutional actors) assert that Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most successful tool to assess environmental considerations in the product design process. This assertion is addressed in this article through a simultaneous check of the potential of this tool and the environmental needs of the design team. After a comparison of this potential to these needs, the following assertions may be made: (1) LCA is not an adequate tool for the designer, because its utility in the design process is limited to an analysis of existing products or well defined products at the final stages of the design process, and (2) LCA is not useful in creating a learning dynamic (awareness) within the company, because it does not improve the legitimacy or the credibility of environmental considerations. Moreover, it may generate confusion within the design team while restricting the capacity for innovation within the company. This paper concludes that, in the product design field, the LCA tool should be considered as a specialized tool handled by a specific player (the environmental actor) and should be dedicated to the strategic evaluation of new concepts.     

Reviewing the carbon footprint analysis of hotels: Life Cycle Energy Analysis (LCEA) as a holistic method for carbon impact appraisal of tourist accommodation

This study discusses the potential for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to be utilized for the environmental assessment of tourism accommodation facilities, and their contribution to global carbon footprint. To demonstrate the viability of employing LCA in the hotel sector, its simplified derivative, Life Cycle Energy Analysis (LCEA), is applied to two tourism accommodation facilities in Poole, Dorset (UK) to quantify their CO₂ emissions. The results indicate that the reviewed hotels are less energy and carbon-intense than the tourism accommodation establishments reported in the literature. This may indirectly imply the continuous progress of hotel’s energy efficiency over time. The implications of the current energy use practices in the reviewed hotels are discussed and suggestions are made on how to further improve the energy performance and therefore cut the carbon footprint. Recommendations for hotel management and policy-making are developed to reduce the energy and carbon intensity of the hotel industry. A method for energy and carbon footprint analysis of outsourced laundries and breakfast services is also proposed.     

A basic study with feasibility of applying clean development mechanism to the transport projects

In the transport sector, few projects applied Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) or Joint Implementation (JI) projects. This study will examine the feasibility of applying CDM to the transport sector from viewpoints of validation of processes and funding. A number of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects, as well as traffic management project within existing transport infrastructures, can be implemented as CDM projects. New transport infrastructure projects can be validated by transportdemand forecasting and traffic simulation methods, though application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technologies. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Elucidating complex design and management tradeoffs through life cycle design: air intake manifold demonstration project

The life cycle design (LCD) framework for enhancing design analysis and decision making is demonstrated through a collaborative effort between the University of Michigan, a cross functional team at Ford, and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The LCD framework was used to evaluate three air intake manifold designs: a sand cast aluminum, brazed aluminum tubular, and nylon composite. Life cycle inventory, life cycle cost and product/process performance analyses highlighted significant tradeoffs among alternative manifolds, with respect to system design requirements. The life cycle inventory indicated that the sand-cast aluminum manifold consumed the most life cycle energy (1798 MJ) compared to the tubular brazed aluminum (1131 MJ) and nylon composite (928 MJ) manifolds. The cast aluminum manifold generated the least life cycle solid waste of 218 kg per manifold, whereas the brazed aluminum tubular and nylon composite manifolds generated comparable quantities of 418 kg and 391 kg, respectively. Material production accounted for 70% of the total life cycle solid waste for the brazed tubular manifold, while auto shredder residue was responsible for half the total waste for the nylon composite design. The life cycle cost analysis estimated Ford manufacturing costs, customer gasoline costs, and end-of-life management costs. The nylon composite manifold had the highest estimated manufacturing costs but the least use phase gasoline costs. Significant end-of-life management revenues from aluminum recycling would accrue to Ford under automobile take back legislation. A total of 20 performance requirements were used to evaluate each design alternative.     

支撑资源循环可持续性评价的经济决策工具——生命周期成本分析的发展与应用

对接经济系统和环境系统是支撑循环经济决策的关键,而可持续性评价以及在传统生命周期影响评价（LCA）基础上发展起来的生命周期可持续性评价（LCSA）是重要决策支撑工具.近年来对可持续性评价的关注使得生命周期成本分析（LCC）及其在资源循环决策中的应用得以快速发展.大量研究表明LCC是有效的经济决策支撑工具.但是由于"生命周期成本分析"的其他相关称谓与LCC术语上模糊,以及成本效益分析（CBA）等相关成本评估工具在方法用途上的类似,使得在实际研究中LCC的相关概念混淆甚至错误使用的现象时有发生.针对如上研究背景,本文采用文献研究法和案例分析法,旨在厘清LCC及相关术语的概念和内涵,并为LCC以及LCSA在未来的研究提出实用性建议.首先,通过文献研究回顾了LCC的发展脉络,厘清了在人们对社会和环境问题关注下,LCC逐渐从普通的成本评估发展成为LCSA核心部分的发展路径.同时,使用Citespace对国内和国际2000-2017年LCC相关论文发表情况进行图谱分析,发现和国内相比,国际期刊的LCC相关研究已经从概念探索和企业成本控制发展到了特定领域系统的成本优化研究.进一步,引入"可持续性三支柱"的概念来阐释LCSA的经济、环境、社会三个维度以及它与LCC的关系,然后区分了LCC的类似术语的定义和成本范围,并阐述了与传统CBA方法的差别.在此基础上,以欧盟VEEP项目为案例,从定性和定量两个维度阐释了LCC的分析视角和计算过程.最后,对LCC在中国未来的研究方向提出了具体建议,包括：扩大运用领域,标准化,研究方法间的结合,以及数据库和软件工具的开发.     

Engineering designers' experience of design for environment methods and tools – Requirement definitions from an interview study

Despite an increasing number of Design for Environment (DfE) methods and tools, industrial utilization is still limited. Identifying Engineering Designers' requirements is a useful way to increase the utilization of DfE methods and tools. This paper is based on existing literature and a semi-structured interview study at an industrial equipment company. Different reasons why engineering designers utilize methods and tools are presented, as well what makes a method or tool actively utilized. Several engineering designer requirements for methods and tools are identified and described. Several identified requirements that a DfE method ought to fulfill are listed and described.     

Re-considering product design: a practical “road-map” for integration of sustainability issues

The proliferation of sustainability assessment principles, strategies, actions, and tools has created confusion about pathways forward for companies. It is unclear how existing approaches are complementary or distinct. How does a company assess current products and materials? How could designers create more sustainable products? What criteria, principles, approaches, and tools should be applied? Why? Is there a practical “road map” to guide product designers and product development managers in integrating sustainability issues into their decision-making processes?This article builds on previous frameworks for understanding the interconnections between various assessment principles, strategies, actions, and tools related to industrial ecology, human and labor rights, and corporate social responsibility [Waage S, Geiser K, Irwin F, Weissman A, Bertolucci M, Fisk P, et al. Fitting together the building blocks for sustainability: a revised model for integrating ecological, social, and financial factors into business decision-making. Journal of Cleaner Production 2005;13(12):1117–206; Robèrt K-H, Schmidt-Bleek B, Aloisi de Larderel J, Basile G, Jansen JL, Kuehr R, et al. Strategic sustainable development—selection, design and synergies of applied tools. Journal of Cleaner Production 2002;10(3):197–214; Robèrt K-H. Tools and concepts for sustainable development, how do they relate to a framework for sustainable development, and to each other? Journal of Cleaner Production 2000;8(3):243–54]. Expanding on past work, this piece suggests a “road map” for application by product designers and product development managers. A four-phase process is offered for integrating systems and sustainability perspectives into product design, manufacturing, and delivery decisions.