Design for the Environment

Felicia Kaminsky

ESM 595F

2 November 2000

2

Outline

History and Definitions EPA Cooperative Industry Projects

Printing Garment Care

Corporate Environmental Policy Xerox Lucent

Conclusions & Discussion

3

Defining “DfE” Concept pioneered by industry US EPA Program

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics Over the past decade – created from several voluntary

initiatives Safer chemicals Comparative risk analysis Alternative technology

Voluntary, partnership program that works directly with industries and other partners to integrate health and environmental considerations in business decisions

DfE

4

Goals

New approaches to risk reduction through pollution prevention Balancing business needs and environmental

concerns Encourages front-end innovations through the

redesign of formulations and manufacturing and disposal processes

DFE

5

           

Design for the Environment

Integrated Product Development

Pollution Prevention

Environmental StewardshipTotal Quality

Management

Sustainable Development

DFE

EnterpriseIntegration

6

Scope of DfE

Occupational health and safety Consumer health and safety Ecological integrity and resource protection Pollution prevention and toxic use reduction Transportability (safety and energy use) Waste reduction and minimization Disassembly and disposability Recycle-able and remanufacture-able

DFE

7

Cooperative Industry Projects

Premise: companies do not want to pollute, but often lack information

Information needed Environmental impacts and consequences

Trade one product or process for another Aim to provide current information needed

to practice DfE

EPA DfE Cooperative Industry Projects

9

Entire industry sector Industry leaders Trade associations

Printing Printed Wiring Board Computer Display Garment and Textile

Care

EPA DfE Partnerships

Industrial/Institutional Cleaning Formulations

Auto Refinishing Adhesives in Foam

Furniture and Sleep Products

Supplier Initiative

DfE

10

Printing Projects

1992 Printing Industries of America approached DfE Screen printing

Evaluated 18 screen reclamation technologies Lithography

Assessed 40 blanket wash formulations Flexography

Comparing solvent, water, and ultraviolet ink technologies

printing

11

Flexography Project

Printing from a raised image on a printing plate made from rubber or photopolymers

Printing on paper, corrugated paperboard, or plastic consumer packages and labels

Inks – highly fluid and quick drying Contain solvents or water Selection = performance requirements

12

Flexography Project, continued Traditionally solvents

from VOCs Regulated air pollutants

Alternatives to conventional ink formulations Waterborne UV-cured Hazardous materials Disposal

DfE seeks to provide info: Technical and

environmental advantages and disadvantages

Implementation Studies – research and applied

Outreach

13

Garment and Textile Care Program

Following a 1992 roundtable on drycleaning, industry leaders paired with DfE

Technical studies Cleaner Technologies Substitutes Assessment

(CTSA) Implementation

Demonstration shops; Training Outreach

DfE as Corporate Environmental Policy

15

DfE Guidelines

Design for: recovery and reuse disassembly waste minimization energy conservation material conservation chronic risk reduction accident prevention

16

Interrelationships

17

           

Driving Forces

Design for Environment

Sustainable Development

Risk Management

Product Stewardship

Regulatory Constraints

Customer Satisfaction International

Standards

Competitive Pressures

Enterprise Integration

18

DfE at Xerox

Waste-free products and factories Minimize waste to landfill and releases to the

environment at every step of a product life cycle 1993 – began training design engineers in DFE

principles Objective to incorporate into new and existing products

Copy cartridges new copiers, printers, and multifunction products

Xerox

19

Implementation

Develop and environmental plan for each product Environmental impacts Product life cycle costs

Limit production materials Recyclable Recycled thermoplastics and metals

Recycling symbols

Xerox

20

Design for Reuse

1995 – Mark engineering drawings with remanufacturing codes

Snap-together designs Facilitate assembly and disassembly processes

Copy cartridges Asset Recovery Center

One million parts in 1993

Xerox

21

Goals (1998); Results (1994)

Decrease waste 90% Air emissions -90% Water discharges -90% Post-consumer +25% Energy efficiency +10%

Recycled >75% Air emissions -75% Use of recycled

materials

Xerox

22

DfE at Lucent

Part of Corporate Environmental Strategy “Committed to ‘design for the environment’”

Established cross-functional DfE team Product Lifecycle Team Integrated into product realization process

Aims to develop and apply DfE criteria for all operating units by 2000

Lucent

23

Lucent Program Highlights

Equipment reuse and refurbishment Repair and refurbishment of business

telephones Battery-return program Packaging Material Reclamation Center

24

Conclusions & Discussion

Public awareness – is this necessary? Fully integrated to environmental

management practices? What about small companies?

25

Additional Information

EPA DfE Homepage

<www.epa.gov/opptintr/dfe/index.html>

Design for Environment: Creating Eco-Efficient Products and Processes, Joseph Fiksel, editor