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Abstract:
From 1991 to 1996 the EDIP-methodology (Environmental Design of Industrial
Products) was developed. One experience from the EDIP-project is that
environmental assessment of products must give simple and operational
conclusions, which can be acknowledged in the product development and
by other decision makers throughout the product life cycle. The EDIP-project
has demonstrated that it is possible to identify "the ten most important
environmental hot spots". The documentation achieved by the environmental
assessment shows where the most serious environmental impacts in the product
life cycle occur, and uncover where the improvement potentials are in
the product. The environmental knowledge obtained in this context will
be valid for a number of years, and both the producer and other interested
parties can use this information for setting priorities in their future
plan-ning. However, it can be very time consuming to perform an environmental
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and it would be an advantage if a number
of similar products - product families - could be handled in one and the
same LCA as a whole.
The project has presently developed a method for selecting and forming
product families, based on environ-mental and economical importance as
well as the existence of several producers. Using this method, five families
have been selected, namely mobile phones, vacuum cleaners, industrial
valves with electronic controls, lighting and ventilation. Collaboration
with 5 industrial companies has subsequently been established and environmental
assessments (LCA) including diagnosis (the pointing out of hot spots)
have been performed.
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