PRODUCT& PORTFOLIO SUSTAINABILITY
Current product design practices are based on traditional cost/ profit models with a focus of achieving high quality at low cost and high profit. Environmental requirements generate additional design constraints and increasing costs. In normal product design practice, environmental awareness is done later in the product development process and is not integrated with existing activities. The integration of environmental requirements into every stage of product development leads to the development of sustainable paradigm for manufacturing.
Our range of services in the area of product sustainability
The integration of Environmentally Conscious Quality Function Deployment (ECQFD) and life cycle assessment (LCA) approaches.
ECQFD
Application of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) for environmentally conscious design in the early stage of product development.
Ecodesign consists of integrating environmental aspects into the product development process by using methods, techniques, tools and guidelines. However, many practices used to date do not consider important environmental aspects, often resulting in a product development process that is ineffective from an ecodesign perspective. We accompany you with a staff of experts and pursue three goals: 1. identify environmental and functional criteria and determine the weighting of these criteria; 2. evaluate and select QFD-based ecodesign methods using environmental and functional criteria; and 3. analyze the perception of the most appropriate QFD-based method.
LCA -LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS
LCA screening studies: An LCA screening study will provide an understanding of the key impacts or “hot spots” at different stages of the product life cycle. It provides sufficient environmental insight to identify and understand the main contributors to high impacts within the value chain, as well as those aspects that require more in-depth investigation.
Detailed LCA studies: This LCA is much more detailed and more descriptive than a screening study and aims to provide a comprehensive and complete analysis of the product under study. Most often, this type of LCA complies with ISO 14040/44 standards and may include third party review and verification.
Comparing LCA studies: According to the ISO standards, a comparative LCA is mandatory when an in-depth LCA is prepared with the aim of making public comparative statements and claiming that an organization’s product is environmentally better than that of a peer. Comparative LCAs are subject to some additional requirements to assure full intercomparability of products, and must include a critical review by an external audit body.
PORTFOLIO SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT
The objective of PSA is to help companies steer their product portfolios towards improved sustainability performance. It mainly focuses on assessing the complete product portfolio (or segments of it) in order to get an overall view of how sustainable a company’s products are.
PEF – PRODUCT ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT
A Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is a methodology by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) which is based on Life Cycle Assessment. Its goal is to provide “a common way of measuring environmental performance” for companies within in EU wishing to market their product.