Design for Environment : A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

Guidelines for designing products and their manufacturing processes to improve financial performance while benefiting the global environment Drawing upon the experiences of dozens of major U.S. corporations, Design for Environment provides a unifying framework, based on sound management principles by which companies can simultaneously improve financial performance and benefit the global environment. At the heart of this approach is the concept of "eco-efficiency," a measurable characteristic of products and processes that quantifies how companies generate more value with less adverse environmental impact. The book emphasizes a life-cycle approach, which considers the costs and benefits associated with material acquisition, transportation, production, product use, and recovery for recycling or remanufacture. Design for Environment includes examples of leading companies that have put DFE into practice across a range of industries, including electronics, automotive, consumer, and chemical. For the benefit of more senior managers, the book also provides a sweeping overview of the cultural, political, and economic changes that are transforming the role of environmental management in the business world.