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TOOLS: Management
Assessment Measurement Design Purchasing
Reporting
See the Greatest Hits page
for a collection of publications on Design for CP, available on CDROM
Design for Cleaner Production
At the heart of CP is better design of products, processes and
services. When the design of a product is improved, the production processes and
services follow. Better design can win more customers as well as reduce pollution.
It can also create significant innovation, and organizations that want to promote
innovation should consider using green design as a starting point.
Life Cycle Assessment
The foundation of design for CP is Life Cycle Assessment. LCA
examines all aspects of a product or process from the extraction of materials from the
environment to the ultimate disposal of products and emissions. Life-Cycle.Org is a website devoted to the topic
with extensive, well-organized links to every aspect of LCA.
Life Cycle
Assessment: A guide to approaches, experiences and information sources is
an important overview report.
Environmental Technology Assessment Online is a web-based training about how to
evaluate the environmental aspects of alternative technology investments.
The United Nations has initiated a major international initiative on LCA
in cooperation with the Society for Environmental
Toxicology and Analytical Chemistry, which is one of the leading organizations
developing LCA tools.
The International
Journal of Life Cycle Assessment is the leading journal on this topic. The
website has links to international LCA organizations, article abstracts, and discussion
forums.
Comparing Environmental
Impact Data on Cleaner Technologies provides a framework for a systematic evaluation
of technologies with the use of Environmental Performance Indicators.
Cleaner
Technologies Substitutes Assessment is a highly detailed and technical guide for
evaluating environmental aspects of alternative technologies, with examples from a range
of industries.
Evaluation
of Life-Cycle Assessment Tools gives detailed reviews of LCA software tools with
comparisons and summary analysis. Very helpful for understanding the many complex issues
in technical LCA.
Economic Input-Output Life Cycle
Assessment is an online database of LCA data for more than 500 commodities. It
can be used to assist in LCA studies.
Design for Environment
Suspronet - The network on
sustainable product service systems development is a new organization with experts
from North America and Europe. It offers a newsletter, reports and organizes
conferences and workshops.
The Centre for Design at
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia, is one of the leading international
centers for sustainable design. It offers several important publications for
download and has one of the most extensive collections of links to DfE.
The EcoDesign Foundation
promotes sustainability by design. It offers an online guide to Design for
Sustainability, a well-organized and critical selection of links, and various other
resources.
The Centre for Sustainable Design
is another leading international center of excellence. It facilitates discussion and
research on eco-design and broader sustainability considerations in product and service
development.
The US
Department of Energy offers a page with extensive links to design resources. DOE
produces a number of excellent software tools for improving energy efficiency in design.
The O2 Global Network
is an international network of designers and others interested in EcoDesign. It
manages a listserv with members around the world sharing information by email.
The International Journal of
Environmentally Conscious Design & Manufacturing is one of the leading journals on
the topic. See the Periodicals page for related
journals.
Here are recommended publications on DfE for download:
Design
for Environment Toolkit is a relatively extensive and technical manual that includes
design matrix plus information on the relative environmental impacts of various materials.
Product
Innovation: The Green Advantage is a good short overview of DFE benefits, strategies
and tools. Includes case studies.
Introduction to
EcoReDesign: Improving the Environmental Performance of Manufactured Products is a
short, well-designed description of the green design process, with some worksheets and
flowcharts.
Designing Products and
Services with Sustainable Attributes presents a matrix for evaluating environmental
impacts related to product design and for improv-ing the design. Good technical tool.
Greening Your
Products describes attributes of greener products, procedures for improving design,
and procedures for greening of manufacturing processes.
Green Products by
Design: Choices for a Cleaner Environment is a very good introduction to the topic
with overviews of policies and applications, product design strategies, comparisons of
international policies, and technical resources.
Design for Environment Guide is
extensive with strategies and examples for DFE. Based on the UN PROMISE manual for DFE.
Influences
Upon Sustainable Product Development in the Developing World is a policy analysis
report that provides an introduction and framework for understanding DFE in developing
countries. Includes numerous examples of DFE from developing countries and de-scriptions
of relevant international organizations. Useful for understanding the context of DFE.
Green Design for Buildings
The Sustainable
Design program of the US Department of Energy is focused primarily on design of
facilities. It offers an excellent software program for incorporating pollution
prevention into all aspects of design, construction and operations.
EPA's Green Buildings Site has a
vast amount of information about residential and commercial buildings and property
development.
U.S. Green Building Council has established
the LEED program, a building code that promotes green design. LEED is rapidly
becoming the standard for green building design.
Greenbuilder.Com has news and links.
Environmental
Building Links is a collection of miscellaneous and unusual links.
Eco-Labeling
Consumer Labeling Initiative
is the US EPA´s major program on labeling.
Environmental
Labeling Issues, Policies, and Practices Worldwide is a primary reference that
includes definitions of types of eco-labels, examples of eco-labeling programs around the
world, and forces and trends shaping the future of eco-labeling.
Global Ecolabelling Network is a non-profit
association of ecolabelling organizations from around the world.
The Business and Sustainable Development pages for Eco-Labeling provide case
studies, links and policy discussion.
Consumers Union Guide to
Environmental Eco-labels is targeted to consumers, with information for understanding
and comparing labels, articles and other resources.
The European Eco-label
is a voluntary scheme enabling European consumers including public and private purchasers
to easily identify officially approved green products.
Federal Trade Commission
Green Guides give the rules and guidance for making environmental claims in
advertising in the USA.
Eco-Labelling:
Actual Effects of Selected Programs describes several programs and their effects after
implementation.
Products
See also the Purchasing page for lots of information
about how and where to buy more environmentally friendly products.
There are thousands of websites that advertise environmentally friendly products
and services. These are just a few of the leading ones:
Buy Green has an extensive
collection of links to sites that help people buy green products.
Ecomall claims to be "Earth's Largest
Environmental Shopping Center".
Eco-Market is a European site for green
products and services.
Co-op America publishes the National
Green Pages in paper and on-line and is dedicated to shopping for a better world. It has
many good links as well.
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