UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA

PUSAT PENGAJIAN SISWAZAH

DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT MMFU 5013 GROUP ASSIGNMENT

NAMA PELAJAR SUFFIAN B. AYOB

: (M051110024) (M051110025) (M051110028)

AHMAD FAUZI SHAH B. ARIFFIN NOOR AZAM B. JAAFAR

FAKULTI

: FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN PEMBUATAN

NAMA PENSYARAH : DR. MOHD HAMBALI B ARIF

SEMESTER 3 SESI 2/2012

Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam

1. Introduction and background Design for the Environment (DfE) probably had its origins in 1974 with Victor Papaneks critique of designers obligations to society and the environment in his book Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change (Lewis and Gertakis, 2001). He observed that designers were too preoccupied with style and aesthetics, rather than the whole product, its function, maintainability, affordability and its social and environmental impact. In his 1995 book The Green Imperative: Ecology and Ethics in Design and Architecture, he discusses ecological product and architectural designs (Papanek, 1995). It is some example of the criticism to society about the needs of DfE in product manufacturing or process. So, what is actually DfE? DfE or Design for the Environment is a systematic way of incorporating environmental considerations into product and process design together with performance, cost, legal, health and aesthetic requirements. All these requirements shape the design of the final product or process, and the environmental considerations must fit into the design process with these other factors. There are three unique characteristics of DfE:

The entire life cycle of a product is considered DfE is applied early in the product development process (although continuous improvement of all processes is recommended) Decisions are made using principles such as "industrial ecology" and integrative "systems thinking"

DfE considers the potential environmental impacts of a product, process or service throughout its entire life cycle. A product, process or services potential environmental impacts range from the release of toxic chemicals into the environment to consumption of non-renewable resources and excessive energy use. The life cycle of a product includes the extraction of resources needed to manufacture the product, use of the product, its reuse or recycling and finally its disposal. Eco-designers design a product life cycle, not just a product. Knowledge of products life cycle will help designers prevent
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam environmental accidents and liabilities by designing products to minimize environmental impacts.

Figure 1. Design process The diagram above shows an example of an idealized, simplified design process. The designers start with a large design space which diminishes throughout the design process. The diamond shapes represent the generation of options and subsequent selection during each phase. A general product life-cycle which beginning from raw material extraction till to end of life can be condensed into the five stages shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2.Summary of Product life cycle These five stages are:

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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam
i.

Pre-manufacture - During this stage, parts and raw materials are procured for use in manufacturing products. Manufacture - All stages of production within the company, from the time the raw materials enter the facility until the product is ready for packaging. Includes chemical or thermal processing, assembly and finishing.

ii.

iii.

Packaging and Distribution - The material is packaged for both transport and purchase, routed through the appropriate distribution and transport system, and delivered to the consumer.

iv.

Use and Maintenance - The time from when the customer receives the product until the customer is ready to dispose of the product. This includes maintenance, as well as the time after partial replacements or overhauls - as long as the consumer is in possession of the product.

v.

End of Life - The product is recycled, remanufactured or removed from the lifecycle entirely by land filling or incineration. Focusing only on complying with environmental regulation compliance can be costly.

Hazardous waste management generates unnecessary costs if it can be shown that the hazardous materials creating the wastes could be eliminated from the manufacturing process. DfE takes a proactive approach to environmental considerations. Asking pertinent questions during the design phase regarding the potential environmental impact of a proposed product often reveals environmental liabilities that need to be addressed. For instance, if a product contains lead or mercury, can the use of these heavy metals be eliminated? If not, has the product been designed so that the material will be accessible or recoverable at the end of the products life? If solvents are used in the manufacture of the product, are proper recovery/disposal mechanisms in place? Could the company become liable for future disposal problems with the material?

Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam Design for Environment doesnt mean that a product is designed solely for the environment. DfE is intended to become an integral part of the product development process along with other design considerations, such as product economics, customer requirements, manufacturability and required product functions (Figure 3). These parameters could be considered as part of a general design function Design for X (DfX), where X represents relevant design issues such as those just mentioned.

Figure 3. Product design consideration DfE does not guarantee regulatory compliance, or address every environmental issue. However, the incorporation of DfE into the design program will help to minimize future environmental liabilities, improve the environmental performance of a company and its products, and prepare the manufacturer to meet existing and future government regulation. And now, why we need design for environment? Global initiatives are requiring greater product responsibility from producers. In many countries for instance in Europe, new regulations have been enacted that require producers to take more responsibility for their products by providing for the disposal or recycling of products at the end of their

Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam useful life. Labeling products with environmental performance data can help to differentiate products as well. Companies are now expected by regulators, consumers, environmental advocate groups, and industry associations to develop environmentally conscious products and processes. DfE provides a method for meeting these demands. DfE has very immediate relevance with benefits to designers, producers and consumers, including:
1) Increased export opportunities for designers and manufacturers; 2) Reduced production costs for the client by using materials efficiently, reducing

assembly time, etc;

3) Market growth in countries and regions where consumerism is environmentally

oriented;
4) The ability to supply products into markets where policy and regulatory

requirements demand high levels of environmental performance and compliance;

5) Straightforward and cost effective disassembly, reuse and recycling for end-of-life

products;
6) The ability to exploit DfE and environmental drivers as a catalyst for overall

product innovation;
7) Enhanced company image by demonstrating a commitment to sustainability and

innovation; and
8) The projection of a sustainable future through everyday products that are

environmentally affirmative. There were numbers of manufactures with successful histories upon the implementation of DfE in their production side. Apple, Xerox, HP, BMW, IBM Corporation and General Motor, were among the listed companies. The next chapter will discussed further on the DfE implementation in manufacturing companies and sectors.

Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam

2. Dfe Applications In Manufacturing Sectors In order to trace the implementation of DfE in manufacturing sectors,one need to know brief stories on DfE introduction stage ,the challenges and the strategic tactical occupied by the manufacturing players. One of the earlier investigations into DfE practices was carried out in 1996, when a team from MIT studied the pattern of adoption of DfE practices in US manufacturing firms and across industries (Lenox et al., 1996 cited in Lee et al,2005). The surprisingly survey results demonstrates that although DfE practices were widespread, varying from food to chemicals to machine tools, there was no consensus of opinion on what constituted good DfE practice. Probably,due to lack of informations and knowledges,companies used guidelines and checklists more than analytical tools which, if they did, were invariably developed inhouse. Few companies looked at the entire product life cycle; the majority focused only on manufacturing. During this stage,government regulations seemed to play a less significant role in promoting DfE than personal and professional networking. This situation leads Lenox and associates to surmise that the key to the adoption of DfE is not analytical tools but the management of innovation and organisational change. Another survey were performed in 1999/2000 of four leading electronics firms, which revealed that many firms still struggled to promote DfE practices across their product development teams. This survey found that there is greater chance of more widespread diffusion of DfE if there were technical competency centers containing company-wide information relevant to environmental design, and if these centers coordinated with product design teams. However the situation were slightly different in USA as at the same time in 1996, the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation surveyed US electronics companies to ascertain the level of maturity of DfE implementation, the tools used by and needs of the industry (Mizuki et al., 1996 cited in Lee et al, 2005). The results of the survey revealed two critical obstacles to a more widespread adoption of DfE practices in electronics companies:The first factor is the lack of current, accurate data on materials
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam and energy use, and the second factors is the materials tracking. It appeared that a universally-agreed vocabulary and metrics to measure the extent of DfE incorporation into design and manufacturing was more important than DfE tools at that time. Design teams, sensitive to product cost and time-to-market, resent shouldering the burden of environmental design alone. Regardless of the barriers and obstacles to implement DfE, Lee et.al. (2005) stated that these surveys do not imply that industry has been slow to warm up to DfE.For example,at Nokia Multimeda Terminals in Sweden, a study was carried out to improve the design of satellite receivers (Nilsson and Bjorkman, 1999). Nippon Steel Corp is developing recyclable steel products with zero waste, reduced CO2 emissions and energy consumption (Kawai, 2001). Meanwhile,he initiatives of governments have also been commendable. (Curlee et al., 2000 cited in Lee et al,2005 ) disclosed that US Government Executive Orders further mandate the adoption of environmental management systems,recycling programs, energy efficiency, and the purchase of environmentally preferred and bio-based products, among others. In European region,Dutch environmental policies over the past thirty years have engaged stakeholders in jointly defining ecological objectives, establishing legislation, and formulating implementation plans, in order to assure buy-in. In order to provide more detailed and clear informations on DfE implementation , the example of Apple DfE program is used for further discussion. 2.1. Apple and DfE implementation For 2011, Apple estimated that they were responsible for 23.1 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, in order to accurately measure a companys environmental footprint, its important to look at the impact that companys products have on the planet. For the past three years, Apple has used a comprehensive life cycle analysis to determine where our greenhouse gas emissions come from. That means adding up the emissions generated from the manufacturing, transportation, use, and recycling of
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam Apples products, as well as the emissions generated by heir facilities. Apple has learned that about 98 percent of Apples carbon footprint is directly related to their products. The remaining 2 percent is related to the facilities. The most important thing that Apple can do is to reduce their impact on the environment is to improve their products environmental performance. This reasons triggered Apple to design their product to use less material, ship with smaller packaging, be free of toxic substances, and be as energy efficient and recyclable as possible. Apple commitment have resulted their greenhouse gas emissions per dollar of revenue have decreased by 15.4 percent since 2008. In order to gain these significant results, Apple has identified several aspects in the manufacturing process and product design that should be included their DfE. Among those critical aspects are listed as per below:(a)Material use. Over the past decade, Apples designers and engineers have pioneered the development of smaller, thinner, and lighter products. As Apples products become more powerful, they require less material to produce and generate fewer carbon emissions. For example, although todays 21.5-inch iMac is more powerful and has a much larger screen than the first-generation 15-inch iMac, it is designed with 50 percent less material and generates 50 percent fewer emissions. Even the iPad became 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter in just one generation, producing 5 percent fewer carbon emissions. (b)Toxic substance removal. Designing greener products means considering the environmental impact of the materials used to make them. From the glass, plastic, and metal in Apples products to the paper and ink in the packaging, the goal is to continue leading the industry in reducing or eliminating environmentally harmful substances. One of the environmental challenges facing the industry today is the presence of toxic substances such as arsenic, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), mercury, phthalates, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in products. Although most countries still allow use of these substances, Apple has worked with their manufacturing partners to eliminate them from
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam Apples products. Not only is every product sell free of BFRs and other harmful toxins, Apple have also qualified thousands of components to be free of elemental bromine and chlorine, putting us years ahead of anyone else in the industry. In addition, every display they make whether its built into a system or available as a stand-alone features mercury-free LED backlighting and arsenic-free glass. (c)Environmentally conscious materials. In addition to eliminating toxins and designing products with highly recyclable aluminum enclosures, Apple works with environmentally conscious materials including recycled plastics, recycled paper, biopolymers, and vegetable-based inks. Apple has also found ways to reengineer secondary materials to the high standard of their designs. For example, Apples fan assemblies use advanced materials derived from repolymerized plastic bottles. And millions of speaker assemblies and internal brackets are now made from recycled PC-ABS. Their packaging designs use pulp fiber from post-consumer paper streams, and they use vegetable-based inks for the product user guides. Millions of iPhone packages are made from renewable tapioca paper foam material. And iTunes gift cards are made from 100 percent recycled paper. (d)Responsible manufacturing. Apple is committed to ensuring that working conditions in their supply chain are safe, workers are treated with respect and dignity, and manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible. (e)Smaller packaging. Apple employs teams of design and engineering experts who develop product packaging thats slim and light yet protective. Efficient packaging design not only reduces materials and waste, it also helps reduce the emissions produced during transportation. For example, the packaging for iPhone 4 is 42 percent smaller than for the original iPhone shipped in 2007. That means that 80 percent more iPhone 4 boxes fit on each shipping pallet, more pallets fit on each boat and plane, and fewer boats and planes are used resulting in fewer CO2 emissions.
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam

By reducing iPhone packaging by 42 percent from 2007 to 2011, we ship 80 percent more boxes in each airline shipping container. That saves one 747 flight for every 371,250 units we ship.* (f)Energy efficiency. A significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions Apple accounts for are produced when costumers plug in their products and start using them. Thats why Apple design their products to be as energy efficient as possible. Because Apple design both the hardware and the operating system, theyre able to make sure they work together to conserve power. Take Mac mini, for example. Through innovations both big and small, it uses as little as one-fifth the power consumed by a typical lightbulb. 4 Mac mini uses even less power than a single 13-watt CFL lightbulb, making it the most energy-efficient desktop computer in the world.

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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam Apples A5 chip in iPhone 4S and iPad 2, and the A4 chip in iPhone 4, iPod touch, and Apple TV are further examples of energy-efficient design. Apple engineers created the A5 and A4 chips to be extremely powerful yet remarkably energy efficient. With them, Apple devices can perform complex jobs without sacrificing battery life. (g)Product recyclability. Apples approach to recycling begins in the design stage, where they create compact, efficient products that require less material to produce. And the materials Apple do use including arsenic-free glass, high-grade aluminum, and strong polycarbonate are reclaimed by recyclers for use in new products. Even the product packaging uses recyclable materials wherever possible. (h)Longer-lasting products. Apple designs products that last. The built-in battery in Apple MacBook Pro lineup is a perfect example. Other notebook batteries can be charged only 200 to 300 times. The MacBook Pro battery can be charged up to 1000 times.And because this battery lasts up to five years, MacBook Pro uses just one battery in about the same time a typical notebook uses three. That saves customer money, produces less waste, and increases the lifespan of customer MacBook Pro. (i)Responsible recycling. All e-waste collected by Apple-controlled voluntary and regulatory programs worldwide is processed in the region in which it was collected. Nothing is shipped overseas for recycling or disposal. Apples recyclers must comply with all applicable health and safety laws, and Apple does not allow the use of prison labor at any stage of the recycling process. Nor do Apple allow the disposal of hazardous electronic waste in solid-waste landfills or incinerators. (j)Apple recycling programs. Once an Apple product reaches the end of its useful life, Apple will help their customer recycle it responsibly. Apple has instituted recycling programs in cities and college campuses in 95 percent of the countries where their products are sold, diverting more than 115,504 metric tons of equipment from landfills since 1994. Apples goal in
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam 2010 was to achieve a worldwide recycling rate of 70 percent. In 2011, Apple global recycling once again exceeded their 70 percent goal, and Apple is confident that they will maintain this level through 2015. To sum all the efforts performed by Apple to reduce environmental impact on their product, the time line is provided to concluded and wrap the whole story: Year Apples Green Actions Apple introduces the Mac App Store in 123 countries, providing customers with one- click access to Mac software, including OS X Lion. Digital downloads dramatically reduce the environmental impact of delivering software by eliminating the packaging, transportation, and recycling costs of shipping software in boxes. 2011 In addition, Apple eliminated restore DVDs previously included in Mac product packaging. Apple ships iPad 2, featuring the powerful yet power-efficient dualcore A5 system- on-a-chip. iPad 2 is up to twice as fast as the original iPad, while still delivering up to 10 hours of battery life* all in a design that's 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than its predecessor. All Apple products exceed the strict ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. All products are at least twice as energy efficient as the ENERGY STAR specification, and Mac mini is up to six times more energy efficient. 2010 Apple introduces new iTunes cards using 100 percent recyclable paper. All displays offered by Apple use mercury-free LED backlight technology with arsenic-free display glass. Apple introduces the Apple Battery Charger for rechargeable batteries. Using rechargeable batteries instead of disposable alkaline batteries reduces the battery waste by 78 percent and the carbon footprint by 63 percent over a four-year period.*
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam PVC-free cables ship with all iPod, iPhone, and iPad devices worldwide. PVC-free cables ship with all notebook, Apple TV, Mac mini, iMac, and 27-inch LED Cinema Display products in the U.S. and in other countries where agency approvals are granted. Apple introduces the new Mac mini, the worlds most energyefficient desktop computer. It can operate on just 10 watts of electricity, which is less power than a single energy-efficient CFL lightbulb. Apples facilities in Cork, Ireland; Austin, Texas; and Sacramento, California, convert to using 100 percent renewable energy. Apple reveals complete life cycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions, setting a new standard of full environmental disclosure. While other companies report on a fraction of their emissions, Apple is the only company in the industry that considers the environmental footprint of each of its products. 2009 The new Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro meet the ENERGY STAR 5.0 specification. All products ship BFR-free and with mercury-free LED-backlit displays and arsenic-free display glass. Apple introduces a new built-in battery with the MacBook Pro family that lasts nearly three times longer than typical notebook batteries. Apple achieves a recycling rate of 66.4 percent (as a percentage of weight from 2003 sales). 2008 Apple introduces the unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro, made with recyclable aluminum and glass enclosures with arsenic- and mercury-free displays
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and

BFR-

and

PVC-free

internal

Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam components. MacBook Air is the first Mac to use mercury-free backlight technology with arsenic-free LCD display glass. iPhone 3G ships with PVC-free handset, headphones, and USB cables; BFR-free printed circuit boards; and a mercury- and arsenic-free display. 2002 Apple achieves a recycling rate of 41.9 percent (as a percentage of weight from 2002 sales). First products with bromine-free printed circuit board laminates are introduced. 2007 First MacBook Pro with mercury-free LED-backlit display is announced. Apple expands its employee commuter program to include fuelefficient biodiesel commuter coaches. Apple is the first computer manufacturer to entirely replace CRT displays with material-efficient and energy-efficient LCDs. The Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is implemented. Investigation into BFR-free and PVC-free cable enclosures and printed circuit boards begins. Phaseout of substances included in the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive is initiated. Supplier survey initiative on substance use is initiated. Product take-back solutions are implemented in the U.S. and Japan. Apples global Regulated Substances Specification is rolled out. Apple signs the European Union Code of Conduct on Power Supplies, which encourages manufacturers to design power supplies that minimize energy consumption in off mode. Apple becomes a founding member of U.S. Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), which introduces energy efficiency 2001 requirements for the off mode of computer products. Apple computers and displays first meet applicable ENERGY
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2006 2005

2004

2003

Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam STAR requirements. Apple starts voluntary phaseout of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in all plastic enclosure parts greater than 25 grams. Apple begins purchasing 100 percent of the electricity for their Austin facility from renewable sources by participating in Austins 2000 Green Choice Power Program. All Apple manufacturing sites are ISO 14001 certified worldwide, signifying that Apple has a structured environmental management system (EMS) in place to manage the environmental impact of their 1999 operations. Apple Product Environmental Specifications (APES) files are introduced. Lead and cadmium in cables are restricted. The first Apple products are tested for conformity to TCO (Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees) standards. The first Apple manufacturing site (Sacramento, California) becomes ISO 14001 certified. PVC in packaging materials is phased out. The first voluntary Apple product take-back program is initiated in Germany, with gradual expansion to other regions. Phaseout of nickel-cadmium batteries begins. Apple becomes a founding member of the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR program, developed to identify and promote energy-efficient 1992 computers and monitors. Phaseout of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in Apple manufacturing begins, as stipulated in the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer. Phaseout of lead in batteries begins in advance of the 1996 European battery directive. Apples environmental policy is released and implemented.

1997 1996 1995 1994

1991 1990

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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam 3. DFE Tools and Process (Methodology) The Design for Environment (DFE) methodology plays a very important role when associated to sustainable production models, considering the product development as an integrated system where every decision influences the whole process and results in different impacts on the environment. There were 4 concern areas that should be included as the critical consideration items during DfE process: Environmental Performance Metrics Environmental Design Practices Environmental Analysis Methods Environmental Information Infrastructure

A characteristic crucial to the effective implementation of DfE tools is its usability by designers. Tools constitute a crucial means of communication between environmental experts and designers and ensure that the relevant ecological information and data concerning the product is transferred and well interpreted during development. When developing products, designers have to consider the consequences of their decisions in a number of fields ranging from economy, reliability and ease of change to the environmental impact. In most engineering environments, designers need to be encouraged to integrate environmental aspects by the availability of suitable tools. In short the main requirements should include: - A simple and easy to use method - Availability of appropriate data
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam - Simple results, easy to communicate - Traceable conclusions Above all, any tools or information deployed as part of DfE should be fully integrated in existing design process, procedures and manuals. Environment should become a new key parameter to consider in decision-making, alongside technical performance, safety and cost. A distinction can be made between analysis tools and improvements: analysis tools are used to identify the environmental impact of a product throughout the life cycle, whereas improvements tools facilitate and assist designers to improve the environmental performance of their product. It is clear that the suitability of the tools will vary according to the product design stage, and, in particular, to the decision contexts in each of these stages. There are many methods or tools that can inspire companies to develop innovative environmental attributes in products. It is important to choose a design tool that will be effective within the culture of the manufacturing company and its existing product development process. There is no one right way to integrate DfE into product design. DfE tools can range from a series of basic questions that are used by design teams to evaluate products to computer programs that calculate environmental impact data. What they all have in common is evaluation of the entire life of the product. Among the most common DfE tools and methodologies occupied are listed as per below: Use of Checklists The most basic DfE tool is a series of questions or a checklist that is included in a product design procedures manual.The product design team is required to answer these questions as a team, early on in the product design process.The questions serve both as a means to compare a newer version of a product to an older one and as a means for inspiring designers to think creatively about new potential product features. Checklist questions generally have yes or no answers with respective values of 1 and 0.The total sum of the answers to the questions is used to measure the environmental impact of the product.Checklists can be combined with open-ended questions, flow charts, or matrices .They can also be used as an initial tool, then followed by use of a
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam computer software tool that provides quantitative data about environmental impacts of materials. Use of Open-Ended Questions The purpose of including open-ended questions when integrating environmental attributes into products is to facilitate design changes.These questions can take the design team beyond deciding if and where there are environmental impacts to what improvements can be made. An example of an openended DfE question is, How can we design this product so that it will be easy to disassembly?. This type of question draws upon the ingenuity of the design team members to come up with innovative design changes. Use of Flow Charts Flow charts offer a visual, decisive method of analyzing a products design features in relation to the environment. By using flow charts, a product design team can easily progress through key decision making points. For example, in one of the flow charts that is part of Medtronic Inc.s Environmental Product Evaluation Plan, the first question is Are chemicals really needed? If a product and its manufacturing process do not require chemicals, the evaluation is complete. If chemicals are needed, the design team must complete this flow chart and a related flow chart, and fill out justification paperwork. The result is a built-in incentive to minimize the use of chemicals in the design of products, since fewer chemicals means less paperwork and justification. This can prevent the accrual of costs over many years, due to unnecessary use and disposal of chemicals. Use of Matrices The results of checklist questions can be entered into matrices, which can help a designer identify the weaknesses and strengths of environmental attributes in products. For example, if the matrix shows a relatively negative total score for both distribution/packaging and solid residue, the design team may want to focus on reusable transport packaging. In contrast, if product use and maintenance are relatively positive,

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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam the design team may want to recognize this success and put less effort into such areas as energy efficiency. A semi-quantitative LCA matrix-based methodology is the tool serves to capture key environmental aspects for materials and processes used in the design of structural parts and assemblies on a life-cycle basis, without the need for extensive quantitative data. The matrix-based format also facilitates a quick comparison of evaluations between technologies.

Life Cycle Analysis Software If the scope of the system includes the product, a life cycle assessment methodology should be developed and applied to the companys range of product to identify key impacts. During a true life cycle analysis, or LCA, an inventory of all the major environmental inputs and outputs associated with a product during its lifetime are measured. This inventory is then evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively to identify the most significant aspects. The advantage of using an LCA tool is that environmental impacts are assessed as accurately as possible. Designers should use geographically appropriate databases when using LCA.

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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam Full LCA analysis allows a design team to see a comprehensive picture of the environmental aspects of a product and provides detailed insights into the product. The disadvantage of full LCA methodology is that compiling the necessary data for a complex product can take a significant amount of time and resources. Full LCA can be used to augment other DfE options such as checklists or open-ended questions. An alternative to full LCA is streamlined life cycle analysis (SLCA). Many tools such as matrices use SLCA, where impacts throughout the entire life cycle of a product are considered but not quantified into an exact value. These tools rely on the value judgments of the user to weight impacts. The concept of simplified LCA matrix is flexible and allows organisations to develop a tool according to their own needs and considering their own limitations. It is clear that there are many aspects to consider including the depth and breadth of analysis, valuation, and aggregation. The validity of the method should however be judged on the following criteria: - All relevant lifecycle phases should be evaluated - All relevant environmental stressors should be evaluated - The SLCA should include LCAs four elements but these need not necessarily be approached in a quantitative manner refer to the SLCA guideline. In the recent years, a number of innovative LCA based methods have been developed involving computer models, to enhance the usefulness of the technique by incorporating new dimensions or capabilities. Analysis tools such as LCA assist the incorporation of environmental issues by showing what the environmental issues are and the priorities that need to be addressed. DfE practices that are problem solvers are necessary once environmental priorities have been identified. Due to the breadth of environmental issues, a range of improvement practices are required to offer specific advice, the best known are listed below: - Design for recycling - Design for disassembly - Design for remanufacture - Hazardous material minimisation
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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam - Design for energy efficiency - Compliance with regulations and standards 4. Discussion/Conslusion Design for the Environment (DfE) considers environmental factors while products and processes are still on the drawing board. It is an engineering design initiative that promotes environmentally sound decisions at any or all stages of its life cycle raw material acquisition, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal. Design for the environment is a systematic way of considering the entire life or life cycle of a product up front, and during design. Designers have to evenly balance the environmental aspects of a product against other factors such as its intended use, performance, safety and health, cost, marketability, quality and regulatory requirements. The concept is developing in the environmental/engineering fields and is beginning to gain public recognition. Nowadays, most of industries is beginning to consider the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle, primarily because of regulatory trends and rising treatment and disposal costs. Corporations are also recognizing the potential economic advantage of DfE. But more training, technical information, and industry-specific knowledge of DfE are needed to bring about its broad-scale implementation. Viewing from the manufacturers perspective, it shows the increasing interest from SME to Multi-National Companies to implement DfE. Besides reducing the environmental impact, the implementation of DfE also increasing the companies merit to compete across the globe. Every nation governmental is looking for the green product that can be seen as the driving factor that enhances DfE culture in the manufacturing sector. Examples shown by Apple Company towards the practice of DfE in their manufacturing area, requires greater efforts and commitment to achieve such successful status. This is a great team work effort that requires all stakeholders management, suppliers, and customers to embrace the goal of sustainable development and willing to support each other towards achieving less environmental impact production.

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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam The suitability of the tools to perform DfE will vary according to the product design stage, and, in particular, to the decision contexts in each of these stages. The analytical tool supporting DfE is Life Cycle Assessment and streamlined versions.Obviously, the uptake of DfE tools and techniques will only be possible if these can be completely integrated in existing design practices, with minimal disruption to the designers. These also need to be adapted to adequately support the achievement of the environmental objectives determined by the business. For successful implementation, potential tool users require proper understanding of the tool objectives and methods, as well as adequate environmental knowledge, in particular of the organisations policy and strategy, and legislative influences in the matter. Design for Environment shall be implementing at each level of design actors and shall not be included as a specific way to work but in a normal way to design aircraft, like safety. The training should outline the common DfE objectives for all actors in order to ensure synergy within the company. The inclusion of DfE principles in design guidelines is essential to ensure successful implementation. For many companies, environmental aspects are integrated early into product during the design stage. A collaborative team including product designers work with downstream partners in assessing impact of product design, materials use, recycling technology to develop environmentally sound products. The designers also engage with recycling trade organizations, perform site visits and audits and also use international standards in making environmentally conscious design decisions to meet its commitment of developing more environmentally-responsible products. But efforts to develop and integrate DfE into the production of products and services should not limit to the privates sector only but it can be expand or should be practiced by the public sectors as well.

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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam

5. Reference

Jeremy M. Yarwood, Patrick D. Eagan, 'Design for the environment : A competitive edge for the future Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance. S.G.Lee, X.Xu(2005) 'Design for the environment : Life cycle assessment and sustainable packaging issues,Int.J.Environmental Technology and Management, Vol 5, No 1. Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance,(n.d).Design For Environment GuideTools For Design Team. [online] Available at: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/ [Accessed on 29 November 2012] Anonymous,n.d. Dell Design for the Environment White Paper.[online] Available at : http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/corp-comm/en/Documents/design-forenvironment.pdf [Acessed on 26 November 2012] Anonymous, 2012.The Story Behind Apples Environmental Footprint. [online] Available at: http://www.apple.com/environment/[Accessed on 26 November 2012]. Airbus,n.d. Design for the Environment: Eco- Efficiency And Sustainability-G6-Issue 1. .[online] Available at : http://www.airbus.com [Acessed on 26 November 2012]

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Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing (MMFU 5013) Suffian, Fauzi, Azam

END OF ASSIGNMENT

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