Design for Environment (DfE) is a general concept that refers to a variety of design approaches that attempt to reduce the overall environmental impact of a product, process or service, where environmental impacts are considered across its life cycle. There are three main concepts that fall under the Design for Environment umbrella: ^[1]

• Design for environmental processing and manufacturing: This ensures that raw material [Resource extraction|extraction] (mining, drilling, etc.), processing (processing reusable materials, metal melting, etc.), manufacturing are done using materials and processes which are not dangerous to the environment or the employees working on said processes. This includes the minimization of waste and hazardous by-products, air pollution, energy expenditure, among others.
• Design for environmental packaging: This ensures that the materials used in packaging are environmentally friendly, which can be achieved through the reuse of shipping products, elimination of unnecessary paper and packaging products, efficient use of materials and space, use of [Recycling|recycled] and/or recycleable materials.
• Design for disposal or reuse: The [End-of-life (product)|end-of-life] of a product is very important, because some products emit dangerous chemicals into the air, ground and water after they are disposed of in a landfill. Planning for the reuse or refurbishing of a product will change the types of materials that would be used, how they could later be disassembled and reused, and the environmental impacts such materials have.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is employed to forecast the impacts of different (production) alternatives of the product in question, thus being able to choose the environmentally most friendly. A life cycle analysis can serve as a very effective tool when determining the environmental impact of a product or process. Proper LCAs can help a designer compare several different products according to several categories, such as energy, toxicity, acidification, [Carbon dioxide|CO2 emissions], ozone depletion, resource depletion, and many others. By comparing different products, a designer can make decisions about which environmental hazard he/she should focus on in order to make the product more environmentally friendly.^[2]

Different software tools have been developed to assist designers in finding optimized products (or processes/services). Design for Environment includes several subsidiary approaches, such as Design for Disassembly (to facilitate recycling) and source reduction.

Contents 1 Design for the Environment Program 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Design for the Environment Program

Design for the Environment is a United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) program that works to prevent pollution, and the risk pollution presents to humans and the environment.^[3] The EPA DfE program provides information regarding safer electronics, safer flame retardants, safer chemical formulations, as well as best environmental processes.^[4]

[edit] See also

Biodiversity Conservation movement Design Impact Measures Ecodesign Sustainable design Environmental design Environmental movement

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Natural environment Nature Sustainability Sustainable Building Alliance

Sustainable development portal Environment portal

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The European Commission's Directory of LCA services, tools and databases in support of Ecodesign
• The European Commission's LCA database ELCD (free of charge)
• Design for Environment - Department Life Cycle Engineering - LBP - University of Stuttgart
• Life Cycle Engineering - LBP - University of Stuttgart
• GaBi Software - The Software for Environmental Product and Process Optimisation
• PE International - Product sustainability
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - DfE Program
• Sustainable Building Alliance

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