Design Of Sustainable Product Life Cycles

Life cycle design is understood as "to develop" (to plan, to calculate, to define, to draw) a holistic concept for the entire life cycle of a product". Life cycle design means a one time planning during the concept phase of a product in which the pathway of a product over the entire life cycle is determined. So e.g. the planning of possible services for a product during its utilization phase, the way of material recycling, how and which parts can be reused, how the logistics for recycling will be organised or how the product can be used afterwards. So it is a conceptual pre-design of all later activities over the life cycle. By this understanding the book delivers a really holistic approach because before a product is physically made a life-long concept and utilization scenarios with closed material and information cycles have to be developed. This promotes a real "thinking in product (life) cycles". The book addresses professionals as well as researchers and students in the field of product life cycle management. Different methods in the field of product design, operation and recycling will be presented and finally merge to an integrated method of product life cycle design. Readers will benefit from the holistic approach which enables them to design successful products by the implementation of closed loop product life cycles.

This volume is a technical and operative contribution to the United Nations "Decade on Education for Sustainable Development" (2005-2014), aiding the development of a new generation of designers, responsible and able in the task of designing environmentally sustainable products. The book provides a comprehensive framework and a practical tool to support the design process. This is an important text for those interested in the product development processes.

This book offers a comprehensive review of sustainability and product design, providing useful information on the relevant regulations and standards for industries to meet increasing market demands for eco-products, while reducing their impact on the environment. The examples and methods presented allow readers to gain insights into sustainable products. The authors also explain how to develop products with sustainability features by applying tools and methods for sustainable design and manufacture. These tools/methods include • Regulations/directives related to sustainable product development • Popular lifecycle analysis software packages • Environmental and social lifecycle impact assessment methods • Lifecycle inventory databases • Eco-point and eco-accounting infrastructure • ICT and traceability technologies for sustainable product development • Sustainable design and manufacture • Integrated approach for sustainable product development A description of each sustainability tool is accompanied by easy-to-understand guidelines as well as sustainable product development methods. Five different case studies are also presented to illustrate how to apply the tools and methods into the development of real sustainable products. In view of the increasing pressure on industries to meet the, sometimes conflicting, demands of the market and environment, this book is a valuable resource for engineers and managers in manufacturing companies wishing to update their knowledge of sustainable product development. It is also suitable for researchers and consultants who are involved or interested in sustainable product development, as well as for students studying sustainable development, production, and engineering management.

In recent years the increased awareness of environmental issues has led to the development of new approaches to product design, known as Design for Environment and Life Cycle Design. Although still considered emerging and in some cases radical, their principles will become, by necessity, the wave of the future in design. A thorough exploration of t

Globalization and increased competition are forcing companies to review and improve their production processes to be more sustainable. However, a clear vision and environmental culture are lacking because, even today, companies are motivated to act to improve the environment essentially by compliance with government regulations and the opportunity to achieve profit growth. This book presents practices, challenges, and opportunities for the digital and sustainable transformation of business as we know it.

This book provides insight into the Life Cycle Management (LCM) concept and the progress in its implementation. LCM is a management concept applied in industrial and service sectors to improve products and services, while enhancing the overall sustainability performance of business and its value chains. In this regard, LCM is an opportunity to differentiate through sustainability performance on the market place, working with all departments of a company such as research and development, procurement and marketing, and to enhance the collaboration with stakeholders along a company’s value chain. LCM is used beyond short-term business success and aims at long-term achievements by minimizing environmental and socio-economic burden, while maximizing economic and social value.

This edited volume presents the research results of the Collaborative Research Center 1026 “Sustainable manufacturing - shaping global value creation”. The book aims at providing a reference guide of sustainable manufacturing for researchers, describing methodologies for development of sustainable manufacturing solutions. The volume is structured in four chapters covering the following topics: sustainable manufacturing technology, sustainable product development, sustainable value creation networks and systematic change towards sustainable manufacturing. The target audience comprises both researchers and practitioners in the field of sustainable manufacturing, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

This open access book provides insight into the implementation of Life Cycle approaches along the entire business value chain, supporting environmental, social and economic sustainability related to the development of industrial technologies, products, services and policies; and the development and management of smart agricultural systems, smart mobility systems, urban infrastructures and energy for the built environment. The book is based on papers presented at the 8th International Life Cycle Management Conference that took place from September 3-6, 2017 in Luxembourg, and which was organized by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the University of Luxembourg in the framework of the LCM Conference Series.

Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (ELCA) that was developed about three decades ago demands a broadening of its scope to include lifecycle costing and social aspects of life cycle assessment as well, drawing on the three-pillar or ‘triple bottom line’ model of sustainability, which is the result of the development of the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). LCSA refers to the evaluation of all environmental, social and economic negative impacts and benefits in decision-making processes towards more sustainable products throughout their life cycle. Combination of environmental and social life cycle assessments along with life cycle costing leads to life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA). This book highlights various aspects of life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA).