Design for Environment Product Design and Development

Design for Environment

Integrating Environmental Aspects into Product Design and Development

The new ISO TR 14062 – Part 2: Contents and Practical Solutions
Ferdinand Quella 1* and Wulf-Peter Schmidt 2
1
Dr. Ferdinand Quella, Siemens AG, Corporate Product Related Environmental Protection, Munich, Germany ([email protected])
2
Dr. Wulf-Peter Schmidt, Technical Specialist Vehicle Recycling, Ford, Henry Ford Str., E/R-201, Cologne, Germany ([email protected])
________________________________________

* Corresponding author

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/ehs2003.03.006
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/ehs2003.02.005
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1065/ehs2003.03.007

Abstract. The new ISO TR 14 062 offers a manifold of examples how to integrate environmental aspects into product design and
development. With some selected examples it is demonstrated what can be done and how. In every company a consequent and logical way
from the business strategy to the organizational changes and integration of the aspects has to be derived − depending on the existing way
of business. Therefore the form of a Technical Report can only offer a list of options for selection. However, a skilled manager can easily
adopt the already existing, corresponding management system. Strategic and business thinking is nevertheless necessary for application.
Although the Technical Report offers several options there are often very limited opportunities for a specific company due to two reasons:
Firstly, integration has to be achieved into the existing company specific framework of management and product development. Secondly, in
this paper information is only provided about the addition of environmental aspects and tools for this purpose, but many other influences like
social acceptance or competition have also to be taken into consideration. In reality, product systems are very complex and inter-linked.
Tools for the description of such complex systems are existing but for a design and development engineer there is a missing link to the level
of his needs for detailing to his product.
Keywords: Product design and development; development scheme; environmental aspects; environmental tools; ISO 9001; ISO 14001;
ISO TR 14062; management systems; organization; product related environmental protection; strategy; system analysis

1 Introduction
Today, there are in most companies organization charts, the chapters 5 and 7 does not follow the way normally a
management systems or product development schemes strategy is developed. (Reason for this structure was to
and strategies. In this context, ISO TR 14062 can act as a keep product related subjects together). But recommen-
reminder or a checklist for environmental subjects. The dations are made for a company strategy, a product
user of ISO TR 14062 should be familiar with the strategy and a design strategy. This is the hierarchy for the
management components. However, not every subject is strategy development to be kept in mind reading these
as self-declaring as a simple checklist. chapters.
Many elements of ISO TR 14062 need not to be described There is no need to reflect company strategies here
here because they were only a necessary but well known because company strategies are nowadays published in
environmental 'add on' from other standards like the ISO many environmental reports. Also business and product
14 040 series (Life Cycle Assessment). As the integration strategies can be very simple. Some companies for
seems often to be very simple a concentration to those example have a green product family in addition to the
examples was made where the situation can be very standard products and want to address a special market
complex. This is the case with strategic elements where the sector. But to become really successful, the strategy must
standard at first glance provides simple recommendations. be based on market data that help to identify for which
In addition, this paper is not repeating the detailed properties the customer is willing to pay. In the same sense
contents of the Technical Report as it is publicly available. the strategy cannot be based on the change of just a few
Instead, we follow the structure and explain the ideas materials, a strategic concept must be integrated into all
behind the Technical Report using selected examples. stages of the product development.
Besides the introductory chapters like definitions, goal and
2.1 Business strategy and design strategies
potential benefits, the structure follows the subjects in
Table 1. Especially with the subject of strategy, the Business strategies can include approaches where the own,
structure seems a bit confusing and needs explanation. traditional product is broadened by links to other product
Also the role of existing management systems can be systems, or even substituted by service approaches (e.g.
offering mobility without selling the product vehicle – car
explained in more detail.
renting companies, organizing car sharing schemes, etc.).
Therefore, product in the sense of the ISO TR 14062
2 Strategy Development
means 'any goods or service' and includes also software.
As the development of strategies was not the target of the Service contains the chance to substitute hardware partly
Technical Report and only necessary inputs from the or totally with often less environmental impact. Therefore,
environmental view should be provided, the order within in an analysis of the product and its application, a

Gate to EHS: Life Cycle Management – Design for Environment, March 17th, 2003, p. 1−7 1
 ecomed publishers, D-86899 Landsberg, Germany and Ft. Worth/TX, USA • Tokyo, Japan • Mumbai, India • Seoul, Korea
Product Design and Developmentsign for Environment

business planner should check whether instead of 2.2 The complexity problem and interdependence
hardware also alternative, better environmentally In reality the products are applied in systems which are
compatible services are possible. Such a check will also more complex and cannot be described completely by the
lead to new business chances because many companies tools available at the moment. Neither by scenario
look at their traditional product alone. Here, software can techniques nor by Life Cycle Assessments. The effects, not
provide significant opportunities. As an example the only environmental, caused from such systems are much
remote control of plants or vehicles can be mentioned. more far reaching. For example by e-business the numbers
This idea to improve maintenance created new products of transports and packages are very much increased or by
like in sensor technology and in the software development. e-governance the behavior of people could change
Results are the saving of unnecessary service, i.e. costs. dramatically because of loosing the social contacts. The
Other examples where software can reduce environmental influence of the software is not evaluated and the
impacts are provided in section 2.2 . influence of the clients , etc. The opportunities of a
Design-strategies like 'design for recycling' (cf. VDI 2243) manufacturer who will be able to investigate such
are influenced by market opportunities like 'easy to complex systems and gets more detailed experience in
disassemble modules' for a better serviceability. The environmental improvements can be very high.
success of such a 'limited' strategy can be compromised if
not other rules like energy saving, etc. are included. A complex example: Looking for example at the Internet system,
Within the overall strategy development such a detailed the problems how to define the correct system and all of its
decision might not be appropriate. But in combination environmental impacts and consequences become evident: At first
glance the Internet system only consists of hardware, software and
with the special product design process and the defined a limited number of users. It is easy to calculate the energy
overall properties such a strategy can be one good solution consumption of the numbers of clients (hardware like PC), the
for the set of environmental parameters in the product number of servers and their resulting environmental impact. Also a
profile. general strategic target could easily be derived: Keep the energy
consumption of the overall system constant also if the performance
The following example is taken from VDI 2243. It is increased. (It cannot be estimated here whether such a target in
describes how such a general concept influences all stages the future can be realistic!) From the view of a manufacturer of flat
from product to material level (Table 2). screens, the strategy also will be simple because the energy
It is possible to have such an intensified look to only one consumption is about 60% of the CRT monitors. His contribution to
the target is very high and a good argument for advertising. In a
environmental aspect of a product, but usually much more similar way all other manufacturers and customers can contribute. It
aspects are relevant like energy consumption, hazardous seems to be clear that the dimension of the individual targets and
substances, resources consumption , etc. There are issues strategies can only be estimated over the application of the
with both approaches: either being very strict in following products in this system and over the whole life cycle.
one demand for e.g. recyclability without compromising
with other environmental aspects or looking at all This example shows that nearly every manufacturer can
different environmental aspects in a multi-criteria contribute and calculate roughly his contribution by
approach. designing his product according to such a system. This
One problem is that some occurring environmental example also proves that the problem of many companies
aspects can have contradictory effects: A lightweight, but can be solved at this level even if customers do not seem to
more toxic material could save more energy than a less be interested in environmental aspects. The value-added
toxic but heavier material. Looking at different possible becomes evident at the system level.
combinations of aspects it is obvious that several good To achieve improvements in a system some conditions
solutions can exist also in combination with cost seem to be necessary in contrast to the view to only a
evaluation. Possible alternatives must be compared and single product:
their overall environmental impact has to be evaluated • It has to be accepted that resources are limited and many
with (simplified) Life Cycle considerations together with participants in the system have to contribute in the same
cost estimation. Before doing a time consuming detailed direction to get an effect
LCA a selection of preferred technical solutions should be • The reduction targets must be designed to keep the system
sustainable (which can mean constant) and the cost reduction
derived with the introduction of the aspects into a Quality evident. Only a very innovative product or service can
Function Deployment scheme. This scheme always achieve a high level target
includes the other product requirements like functionality • A system planning using scenarios can achieve the long-term
or costs. In the end, we should never forget that a societal and consumer acceptance.
manufacturer has to plan and design for consumers Effective improvements are very sensitive to the specific
accepting the product or service! base conditions and the acceptance and suitability of
the proposed measures cannot be described by a general
Looking at the examples of vehicle catalytic converter there is the standard.
trade-off of consuming precious metals (resource depletion, high
energy consumption by mining) versus significantly reducing vehicle 3 Integration into Management Systems
tailpipe emissions versus slightly increasing fuel consumption. Usually the product development scheme is already
Reducing the necessary amount of precious metals and improving integrated in ISO 9001, whereas environmental politics ,
the efficiency of the catalytic converter can solve technically the
trade-off. etc. are usually included in ISO 14001. In many
Trade-offs between environmental and cost aspects can be companies there is only one handbook with both systems,
addressed by looking at the environmental efficiency (what also the two management systems are harmonized since
alternative provides the highest environmental improvement for the the year 2000. There are also initiatives to include
lowest cost). worker's health and safety management system into a

2 Gate to EHS: Life Cycle Management – Design for Environment, March 17th, 2003
sign for Environment Product Design and Development

combined management system. The processes are now for tools applicable. The descriptions in the technical report
often defined, implemented and applied in one are very precise so that everyone should be able to add the
comprehensive management system instead of referring to necessary elements to the existing system. In Table 4, the
various independent handbooks and descriptions typical stages in the design and development process are
according to organizational functions; they include also described.
the product development (Rocha and Brezet 1999), It is not the intention of ISO TR 14062 to establish a
(Cramer 1997). In such an open management system a certifiable system because the elements to be integrated
discussion about the integration of additional might differ depending on the kind of business, but the
management systems or the 'correct' management system manifold of examples given are sufficient for a practical
can be avoided. It is obvious that people can only live with selection.
one solution in practice. The ISO TR 14062 describes the In Table 5, a simplified possible solution is selected
processes, the tools, and the reviews that can easily be derived from the rules in the Siemens standard SN 36 350
transferred to each of the existing systems. In Table 3, part 1. In these rules the environmental aspects like
product related environmental subjects were integrated resources consumption are not used directly but in the
into ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 where it seemed possible. way it contributes to a design activity. The indirect way is
It is obvious that ISO 9001 is more precise for an applied as it is known that e.g. the easiness of disassembly
integration of product related environmental protection. contributes to reuse/recycling while reuse/recycling to
Besides some changes in the development scheme the reduction of resources consumption. To make it easy for a
essential processes have to be defined. This can include design engineer such a translation can be made from the
either changes of existing processes (like the purchasing management in the planning of the management system.
process which becomes an environmental supply chain In the beginning of a new development, an analysis should be
management process) or the establishment of new started with the identification of possible environmental
processes like the take back process till disposal. Some impacts caused by the product from inputs like materials and
other examples for these processes are: Analysis and energy till outputs like air emissions, water effluents, waste
environmental evaluation, strategy development, innova- and others. If this information is available the correlation
tion, take back and recovery, documentation of environ- between the impacts and the aspects can be drawn. But such
mental information, etc. Most of these processes are an analysis from the very beginning is not possible with every
missing, completely or partly, in both aforementioned new development. A standard list of possible remedies seems
management systems and have to be described individ- to be a good choice.
ually. In quality management according to ISO 9001, There are many examples in the Technical Report which
processes end with the supply to the customer. ISO 14001 need not to be repeated in this article. But there is no
implementation is often focused on the production. Both example for a complex product dealing with the whole life
together fit very well! Processes missing can be quickly cycle and showing the manifold of improvements (in:
identified after the business strategy is fixed. Customer Quella 1998) further examples from all life cycle phases
satisfaction and environmental improvements have also to are demonstrated). We have selected an example which
be brought together. Instead of trying to keep the systems won the Siemens Environmental Award in the category of
divided, the link is created with the environmentally com- products in the year 2000 and is also for the engineers still
patible product design! This integration of management
a best practice example.
systems should be reflected by the integration of tools (v
Ahsen 1999).
5 Tools
4 Integration of Environmental Aspects into the Design and In this Technical Report the necessary or possible tools
Development Scheme have been provided for every design and development
By describing the integration of environmental aspects phase. Examples for application have been described.
into the development phases we focus only on the These include tools for strategy development that are
integration area (stages of the design and development often very complex and time consuming as well as tools
process) and the name of the integrated environmental for the product design that are less sophisticated.
aspect. Several solutions and decisions are reasonable and However, the focus of this paper is product design and
applied in practice. Market analysis can be done within development. Therefore those engineering tools are of
the strategy, marketing or sales phase or at the end of the interest where the linkage between the above mentioned
development. Also for the aspects several solutions are management systems is reflected. Looking at business
possible because we have to find compromises between practice, those tools are in particular helpful if suitable for
several sometimes contradictory environmental aspects. non-experts or even directly linked, combined or merged
For example energy consumption and weight of materials with existing, classical product development tools.
have to be balanced with the costs, etc. Decision making Examples include quality management tools like QFD (the
tools like a cost/benefit analysis can be applied to chose translation of customer wishes into technical properties) if
the best alternative. broadened to the environmental dimension – see also a
The planning phases are the most effective for detailed example for E-FMEA. The authors recommend to
improvements. Review steps have to be integrated. built up own guidelines and tools adopted to company
Managers who want to keep everything the same by only specific product development tools that then can be more
adding some properties will not be successful. For every easily accepted and used by development engineers. The
product the planning process has to be optimized again. application of ISO TR 14062 and the feedback from
ISO TR 14062 describes from the beginning till market applicants can help to fill in the missing information about
launch examples for inputs and outputs for each phase and useful tools.

Gate to EHS: Life Cycle Management – Design for Environment, March 17th, 2003, p. 1−8 3
Product Design and Developmentsign for Environment

An 'Environment-FMEA' is a way to integrate environmental system. The biggest task with environmental product
considerations into existing product development and management management is to install a real supply chain management
systems. A Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) is a well known or even Life Cycle stakeholder management which means
and applied quality tool to identify potential failures in achieving the to achieve an information flow internally, up- and
targeted functions of a new design, process / machinery or concept
downstream.
/ system (Design-, Process-, Machinery-, Concept or System-
FMEA). Systematically, the following steps are conducted: Therefore, communication to many stakeholders has to be
• potential classes of failures to achieve the targeted function organized. A systematic communication is necessary for
are checked (no, partial, unintended, intermitted function), an increase of acceptance. This communication has to
• effects of the failure are described and weighted for 'severity', enable all life cycle stakeholder to improve the overall
• root causes of the failures are identified and assessed regard- environmental effectiveness and efficiency of the product
ing their 'occurrence', system. For the example of the Life Cycle Stakeholder
• existing detection methods are mentioned and valued Involvement Strategy developed by Ford the roles and
according to their ability to detect the failure before an effect responsibilities of the life cycle stakeholders are described
can take place,
in Table 4. The communication flow includes aspects like
• measures to reduce the identified risks are agreed focusing on
those that have the highest importance (e.g. severity, occur- • the International Material Data System (Substance and Material
rence), Information along the supply chain), Design for Environment
Training for own and supplier's training, supplier forums,
• a new assessment of the improved situation is done.
knowledge sharing, communicating environmental targets
In companies where FMEAs are applied to the development of all
• supporting consumers in using vehicles with even better fuel
new products, an Environment-FMEA is the natural fit of
economy than homologated (Ford Eco-Driving improves on
environmental tools. The Environment-FMEA (Schmidt 2001)
average the fuel economy by additional 25%).
follows exactly the same process with the following differences:
• communicating ways to dismantle products (for vehicles via
• not failures to achieve technical functions but failures to the International Dismantling Information System, IDIS).
achieve environmental objectives are checked,
• the definition of the severity (and detection likelihood) is
Anyway, behind all these many new tasks are many
tailored to environmental effects (and detection methods opportunities to reduce costs, sell services, new products
available for environmental considerations), or improve the competitive situation. If not today the
• the designer is encouraged to look at the life cycle to avoid a investment may pay off within some years.
problem shifting when evaluating the effects and most impor- Prevention is assumed to be highest in the hierarchy of
tant the targeted new situation.
environmental improvements. The manufacturer can
The Environment-FMEA can be conducted separately or ideally just contribute to prevention by avoiding materials with high
in the same FMEA sessions as traditional FMEAs. The format and
software for both are identical. In the case of Ford Motor Company impact for the environment, by reducing the consumption
even the training manual and FMEA support cards contain both of resources or by recycling, etc. This original task of the
types of FMEAs. Consequently, the applied quality and manufacturer and must be fulfilled. But it has to be
environmental tools are merged – following the integration of mentioned that for many products the highest
environmental considerations in one management system.
environmental impact is caused during the product use
(exemptions include for example food products). In the
4 Integration into Organization and Information Flow Technical Report the chapter of Communication from the
There are several companies who had accomplished manufacturer to the customer about environmental
projects for integrating environmental aspects into the improvements is therefore very important (see also Table 6).
design. However, due to their pilot character, these
projects often did not succeed to systematically and 5 Conclusion and Outlook
permanently integrate ecological aspects into product ISO TR 14062 is a very valuable guide for all who are
development (Rocha & Brezet 2000). One reason is that interested or involved in the design and development of
the availability of tools (see above) is not enough. Cramer environmentally compatible products. It is recommended
& Schot (1993) argue that companies have to make to transfer the general standard to the company-specific
'drastically changes to the way they address environmental management systems, tools and cultures. Nevertheless
product development and its management' to get to a real practical experience is necessary to identify its limits in
integration. Gouldson & Murphy (1998) suggest three each case. As this Technical Report is the first global one
interrelated perspectives for the integration of environ- the feedback from applicants in the different regions of the
mental aspects in the product development: a technol- world will be interesting. Every company can easily
ogical (see above), strategic (chapter 2), and an organiza- integrate many elements and thus achieve an improvement
tional view. for the environment.
Usually there are existing process owners for the different The future development of this Technical Report to a
steps of the design and development scheme. After the management system standard may not be difficult – and
integration of environmental considerations has been even necessary as shown in the paper. The problem occurs
finished the owners of the processes get and accept in the variety of opportunities to be implemented. Again,
additional tasks. This may include decisions on new or the integration shall be tailored to the existing
restructured resources. In the beginning a coordinator for management systems, in particular ISO 9000/14001. In
the overall integration can be helpful but after some time addition, the design engineer needs the freedom of choice.
of application the development of environmentally If there for example could only be written sentences like
compatible products must become the daily job of the "in this phase measures have to be taken to assure ...." the
development engineers. information would stay vague because nobody will know
Commitment of all affected management levels and what to do. In form of a TR one can explain by examples.
reinforcement is necessary as in every other management On the other hand, the detailed description of the

4 Gate to EHS: Life Cycle Management – Design for Environment, March 17th, 2003
sign for Environment Product Design and Development

measures does often not make sense because one would Rocha C, Brezet H: Towards a Model for Product Oriented Environ-
lose the aforementioned opportunities. mental Management Systems (POEMS). In: 'Sustainable
Solutions'. Tischner U & Charter M. (eds) Greenleaf
Therefore, a solution for this difficulty is necessary before Publishing Ltd., UK
starting a new standardization step. Schmidt W-P (März 2001): Umwelt-Fehlermöglichkeiten- und
Einfluss-Analyse. In: DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung
References e.V. (Hrsg.) Umweltgerechte Produktentwicklung – Ein
Leitfaden für Entwicklung und Konstruktion. Beuth Verlag,
DIN ISO Fachbericht (Jan. 2003): TR 14062. Beuth Vertrieb, Berlin,
Berlin, Wien, Zürich
Germany
Ford FMEA training manual Schmidt W-P (2002): Strategies for Environmentally Sustainable
Products and Services. In: Corporate Environmental
Gouldson A, Murphy J (1998): Regulatory Relations: The Imple-
Strategy 8 (2) 118–125
mentation and Impact of Industrial Environmental
Regulation. Earthscan Publications, Ltd., UK Siemens Standard SN 36350, part 1: Environmentally compatible
product design
ISO TR 14062 (Nov. 2002): Environmental management – Integrat-
ing environmental aspects into product design and v Ahsen A (1999): Qualitäts- und Umweltschutz-Controlling-Instru-
development mente – Integrationsmöglichkeiten und Synergien am
Beispiel des Quality Function Deployment. DBW 59, 748–
Quella F (ed) (1998): Umweltverträgliche Produktgestaltung (Pla-
762
nung, Werkzeuge, Umsetzung, Beispiele), Publicis MCD
Verlag, Erlangen/München, Germany VDI 2243 (ed July 2002): VDI Verlag Düsseldorf Germany
Rocha C, Brezet H (June 1999): The Development of Product- Vester F (2002): Die Kunst vernetzt zu denken, Ideen und Werk-
oriented Environmental Management Systems (POEMS) zeuge für den Umgang mit Komplexität. dtv Verlag,
– The Dutch Experience and a Case Study; Design for München
Sustainability Program, Delft University of Technology.
Paper presented at the Workshop: Developing Received: February 7th, 2003
Competencies for Integrated Product Policy (IPP), Surrey Accepted: March 15th, 2002
Institute for Art&Design, University College, UK Online: March 17th, 2003

Appendix: Table 1−6

Table 1: Structure of ISO 14062

Subject Contents
Strategic considerations like Chapter 5.1–5.4 with General, Organizational issues, Product-related issues and
Company, business/product and design strategy Communication
Chapter 7.3 Concepts
Chapter 7.4 Strategic product related objectives
Chapter 7.5 Design approaches
Management considerations Chapter 6 (General, Management role, Proactive approach, Support from existing management
systems, Multi disciplinary approach, Supply chain management)
Product considerations Chapter 7.1–7.2 (General, Product related environmental aspects and impacts)
Product design and development process Chapter 8

Table 2: Design for Recycling Concept according to VDI 2243

Levels and degree of detailing Overall structure Connections Materials

General Recycling concept Detachability Recyclability
Product level Modular construction Types and range of connections Compatibility for use
Component level Accessibility Dismantling level, dismantling time Multiplicity of materials
Material specific level Separability Dismantling time Material selection, compatibility

Gate to EHS: Life Cycle Management – Design for Environment, March 17th, 2003, p. 1−8 5
Product Design and Developmentsign for Environment

Table 3: Possibilities for the integration of product related subjects into ISO 14001 and ISO 9001, a comparison

Management Step ISO 9001 Examples for ISO 14 001 Examples for inputs in
(selected stages) environmental inputs in ISO 14001
ISO 9001
Strategy 5.2 Customer focus Environmental requirements
Input in strategy
5.3 Quality policy 4.2 Environmentally policy Input for products
Integration of environmental 4. 3 Planning Product specific aspects
product targets
5.4 Planning 4.3.1 Environmental aspects
Implementation of new
5.4.1 Quality objectives 4.3.2 Legal and other Product specific legislation
processes like take back,
requirements

5.4.2 Quality management 4.3.3 Objectives and targets Product specific targets
Information of customers,
system planning recycling, etc. 4.3.3 Environmental
Development of new products
management programmes
(better in ISO 9001 chapter 7)
Planning 7. Product realization Implementation of new
processes like take back,
7.1 Planning of product
information of customers,
realization
recycling, etc.
7.2 Customer related 4.3.2 Legal and other Procedures related to
processes requirements environmental aspects
7.2.1 Determination of Inputs from environmental 4.4.6 Operational control
requirements related to the legislation, standardization,
product customer, competition
7.2.2 Review of requirements
related to the product
Information about
7.2.3 Customer environmental properties of
communication product
Design and 7.3 Design and development
Verification
7.3.1 Design and Inputs of environmental
development planning aspects
7.3.2/3 Design and
development inputs and
outputs
7.3.4–7 Review, verification,
validation Planning of review steps
Market 7.4 Purchasing Environmental requirements 4.4.6 Operational control Requirements to suppliers
for suppliers and contractors
7.4.1 Purchasing process
7.4.2 Purchasing information
Production 7.5 Production and service Environmental aspects
provision
Disassembly, take back
7.5.3 Identification and
Product marking
traceability
Conformity to legislation
7.5.5 Preservation of product
Product Review 8. Measurement Evaluation of the
environmental properties of
the product, customer
satisfaction with
environmental properties

Table 4: Typical stages of the design and development process (stages are inter-linked)

Stages Activities during Design and Development Process

Planning Environmental analysis, benchmark, determine aspects and requirements, define targets
Conceptual Design Develop design concepts, analyse reference and alternative products
Detailed Design Apply design approach and tools
Testing/Prototype Verify compliance to specification
Production/Market Launch Communication about material, best use, take back, disposal
Product Review Evaluate experiences (market success, environmental impacts)

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Table 5: Example for the application of design rules (corresponding to aspects) and their consequences over the whole life cycle

Life cycle phase Activities Result for the Siemens Mobile Phone Base Station BS 241
Marketing, Planning, Conceptual and Integrate expectations of customers A new cooling (-33% cost) system avoiding an active cooling by air
Detailed Design Estimate impact over life cycle and new patent cooling with membrane filter ( = no heat exchanger)
Derive development targets like
- reduced energy consumption
- reduced hazardous substances
Procurement*, Production* Reduce material - New subrack: 1 part/1 material, ca. -80% cost,
Reduce weight 25% more space; former rack: 66 parts, 4 materials
- Front: pure steel with structured surface, laser inscription,
100% recycling possible
Sales and Service * Information about disposal Service call by software and remote control
Documentation for customers (= less service costs)
Use/ application* Information about long useful life Power consumption was reduced by –35% Sensitivity was increased
and product use in environmental favorable by +2dB (corresponding power reduction in cellular phones –37%)
way
Disassembly*, Disposal* Ease of disassembly Packaging (now plug & play from factory); materials only wood,
multi-use
Total product: Nearly 100% recycling possible.
* Planning happens during 'planning and development' phase

Table 6: Role of life cycle stakeholder to improve environmental performance of products and services (Schmidt 2002)

Role of industry Role of consumer Role of companies in the disposal /

(manufacturers and suppliers) (users / end-users) recycling business
Up-stream in - Influencing the environmental - Purchasing materials, technology, - Providing information to end-users
the life cycle performance processes of suppliers and design solutions that provide where to leave products at the end of
directly (e.g. Ford Motor Company is significant better environmental their life
requesting ISO 14001 certification for performance even when priced at a
all suppliers by July 2003 and is premium.
offering training), banning the usage - Feedback to manufacturers, as to
of certain targeted substances in the what (environmental) issues have
supply priority for them.
- Share knowledge, provide supplier - Rewarding companies that are
training leading in environmental performance
- Creating a green supply market by and punishing those who don't (e.g.,
demanding competitive, purchase behaviours, personal
environmentally favourable materials, investment portfolio, word of mouth)
technology, and design solutions that
provide a better environmental
performance,
- Establishing an information flow,
creating supplier forums, etc.
Own life cycle - Improving own environmental - Following recommendations on - Improving environmental
stage performance of manufacturing environmentally responsible product performance (cleaner production,
(cleaner production, waste, & energy use (e.g. Eco-Driving). waste & energy management,
management, ISO14001, etc.) - Switching off stand-by devices to ISO14001, improved yield, etc.)
- Choosing materials and design avoid unnecessary environmental - Ensuring high quality /
options (use of recycled or renewable impacts, etc. competitiveness of recycled materials
materials, use of materials that are - Looking for further usages / functions / products (same or lower price, same
supported by Design for Environment of products as well as use-cascades or higher quality compared to virgin
tools (e.g. old computer processors for materials/products)
- Educating staff and cooperating other purposes)
suppliers in environmental aspects - Intelligent combinations of products
- Innovating / improving the product, (inter modality using the different
Develop cleaner fuels, more efficient mobility and communication
product, better fit between fuel and opportunities)
product/machine
- Infrastructure and incentive alignment
between competitors (e.g. for future
fuels)
Down-stream in - Educating retail locations (e.g., - Directing products and materials to - Communicating to manufacturers
the life cycle dealers) and including environmental the appropriate collection / disposal / how to improve Design for Recycling /
aspects in contracts (e.g. Ford) recycling facilities. Dismantling
- Informing and training customers Providing high quality / competitive
about environmental aspects of the recycled materials / products
products (for example Ford's
environmental and safety label) and
environmentally-conscious use of the
products (for example Ford's Eco-
Driving, dosing recommendations to
measure out washing agents, etc.)
- Enabling and providing information
for product dismantling and recycling
/ recovery (IDIS, IMDS)
- Raising awareness among
consumers of critical environmental
issues and product impacts

Gate to EHS: Life Cycle Management – Design for Environment, March 17th, 2003, p. 1−8 7