Design for

Environment

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Environmental Impacts

Global Warming Resource depletion Solid waste

Water pollution Air pollution Land degradation

www.buildbabybuild.com www.flickr.com Ben Rad www.wonkroom.thinkprogress.org

www.co.rockingham.nc.us commons.wikimedia.org www.adb.org

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Environmental Impacts

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Environmental Objectives

• Protect the biosphere (minimize pollutants)

• Sustainable use of resources
• Reduction and disposal of waste
• Wise use of energy (energy conservation)
• Risk reduction (health risk)
• Damage compensation
• Annual audits etc

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BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
 Design for Environment (DFE)
• Design for Environment (DFE) is a method to minimize or eliminate
environmental impacts of a product over its life cycle and make it
more sustainable.

• Effective DFE practice maintains or improves product quality and

cost while reducing environmental impacts.

• DFE expands the traditional manufacturer ’ s focus on the

production and distribution of its products to a closed-loop life
cycle.

• It also implies selection of suitable material for various

environment (to enhance component life)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

‘Conditions’ for Sustainability

• Consider the earth as a closed system with limited solar input

and natural bio cycles.
• Solar energy and other renewable fuels are sustainable
energy sources.
• Resource usage must balance to the rate the earth creates
each resource (even the rate at which the earth creates fossil
fuels).
• Toxic wastes, heavy metals, radiation, and other ‘molecular
garbage’ must be eliminated because they are not part of the
bio-cycle.

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Product Life Cycle

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BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
Design for Environment (DFE)
Post-industrial
Recycling

Extraction
Materials Production
Resources
Post-consumer
Remanufacturing
Recycling

Natural “Bio” Industrial

Life Cycle “Product”
Natural Life Cycle
Distribution
Decay Recovery
Reuse
Disposal

Deposit Use

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design for Environment (DFE)
Non-renewable
Resources Post-industrial
Recycling

Renewable Materials Production

Resources Resources
Post-consumer Remanufacturing
Recycling
Natural Product
Natural “Biological” “Industrial”
Decay
Life Cycle Recovery Life Cycle Distribution
Toxics
Reuse
Organics
Inorganics
Deposit
Use

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design for Environment (DFE)
Post-industrial
Recycling

Extraction
Materials Production
Resources
Post-consumer
Remanufacturing
Recycling

Natural “Bio” Industrial

Life Cycle “Product”
Natural Life Cycle
Distribution
Decay Recovery
Reuse
Disposal

Deposit Use

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Design for Environment (DFE)

Concept System-Level Detail Testing and Production

Planning Development Design Design Refinement Ramp-Up

DFE Goals DFE and Material Assess Impacts Improve

and Team Guidelines and Refine Designs DFE Process

DFE can be integrated into the

standard product development process.

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design for Environment (DFE)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design for Environment (DFE)

Basic approach to DFE implementation and when followed properly,

results in products with less damage to the environment
Two Categories:
1. Life cycle assessment (LCA) guidelines (waste minimization,
recovery and reuse, energy conservation, material conservation,
chronic risk reduction and accident prevention)
2. Design guidelines (product structure, material selection,
labeling and fastening)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Life cycle assessment (LCA) guidelines

What is cradle to cradle design?

What is cradle to grave design?
What is cradle to gate design? Product system
boundaries
What is gate to grave design?
What is gate to gate design?

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

LCA guidelines

“LCA is a compilation of the inputs and outputs and

evaluation of potential environmental impacts of a product
throughout its life cycle”

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 LCA Stages

Goal definition
• Purpose of the LCA

Life Cycle Inventory Analysis

• System details
• System boundary (C-C, C-G, G-G etc.)
• What is the function and functional unit?
• What data is needed?
• What assumptions are made?

Life Cycle Impact Assessment

• What are the environmental, social, and economic affects?

Improvement Assessment/Interpretation
• What conclusions are drawn from the study?

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

1.Goal Definition

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

2.Life cycle inventory (system boundary)
System boundary : Cradle to grave design

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

2.Life cycle inventory (system details)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

2.Life cycle inventory (functional unit)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

2.Life cycle inventory (inventory build up)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

2.Life cycle inventory (Data needed)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

2.Life cycle inventory (Assumptions made)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

3.Life cycle impacts

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 MET Matrix in LCA
• A MET (Materials, Energy, and Toxicity) Matrix is an analysis
tool used to evaluate various environmental impacts of a
product over its life cycle.

• The tool takes the form of a matrix with descriptive text in each
of its cells using input-output model.

• The other dimension looks at the life cycle of the product

through its production, use, and disposal phase.

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

MET Matrix in LCA
Fill in a MET matrix:

Materials
This column is intended for notes on environmental problems concerning the
input and output of material

Energy use
In this column energy consumption during all stages of the life cycle should
be listed. Includes energy consumption for the product manufacturing, and
of transportation, operation, maintenance and recovery as well

Toxic emissions
The last column is dedicated to the identification of toxic emissions to land,
water and the air in the five life cycle stages

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

MET Matrix in LCA

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design for Environment (DFE)

Basic approach to DFE implementation and when followed properly,

results in products with less damage to the environment
Two Categories:
1. Life cycle assessment (LCA) guidelines (waste minimization,
recovery and reuse, energy conservation, material conservation,
chronic risk reduction and accident prevention)
2. Design guidelines (product structure, material selection,
labeling and fastening)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design guidelines

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design guidelines

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design guidelines

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design guidelines

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design guidelines

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design guidelines

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design guidelines

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design guidelines

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design for Environment (DFE)

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

Design for Environment (DFE)

In 1993 Patagonia became the first

company to use post-consumer
recycled materials in their products.

Patagonia Capilene fabric garments

contain 54% recycled polyester
content and are 100% recyclable
through Patagonia’s take-back
system.

www.patagonia.com

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus

 Design for Environment (DFE)
Dunlop Wellington boots are made from
polyurethane, PVC, and rubber (2000)

Dunlop developed a line of recycled boots.

Dunlop takes back used Wellingtons from

customers. Old boots are re-ground and re-
manufactured into new boots.

Source: www.biothinking.com
BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus
 Design for Environment (DFE)

Herman Millers Environmental Goals

Perfect Vision 2020
• Zero landfill
• Zero hazardous waste generation
• Zero air emissions (VOC)
• Zero process water use
• 100% green electrical energy use
• 100% of sales from DFE products
• Company buildings constructed to a minimum LEED Silver
certification

BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus