Development of a sustainable product lifecycle in manufacturing firms: a case study

This study discusses a methodology for integrating Design for Environment (DfE) and life cycle assessment (LCA) techniques both into new product development and into the process of redesigning a set of existing products. The article explains the reasons for developing DfE in general, and pays particular attention to a specific, chosen product, a class of electrical distribution boards, to illustrate the concept. The main process steps in the development of the DfE are outlined, and the development of a LCA that satisfies the requirements of the ISO 14040 standard is illustrated. A major benefit of the DfE methodology proposed in this work is the possibility to use LCA data both during new product development and when modifying old products, with the aim of continuously reducing the overall environmental impact of products during their life cycle. This improvement cycle begins with the attempt to find new design solutions (for assembly and set-up in the case of electrical distribution boards), continues with the calculation of the enviromental break even point (BEP) and with the assessment of the BEP for the expenses incurred by the client. On the basis of these calculations and bearing in mind the technical specifications required by the clients and the work environment in which the product will be used, the designers will be able to make the most efficient choices from both the environmental and the economic point of view.