Page 105 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

84 Cha pte r Six

Life-Cycle Thinking
DFE Principle 1. Embed life-cycle thinking into the product
development process.
When considering the environmental implications of product and process
design, think beyond the cost, technology, and functional performance of the
design and consider the broader consequences at each stage of the value
chain. This fundamental principle, life-cycle thinking, has motivated
the development of life-cycle assessment and the related analysis
methods described in Chapter 9. The physical product life cycle,
depicted in Figure 6.1, involves five major stages: Source, Make,
Deliver, Support, Recycle. These stages are consistent with logistics
models broadly used in the supply chain management community
[1]. The five stages encompass all of the business activities necessary
to serve the market responsibly; note that some of these activities
may fall outside the boundary of the enterprise:

1. Source—acquire the raw materials, components, energy, and
services required to manufacture the product.
2. Make—manufacture and/or assemble the product, inspect,
package, and stockpile or prepare the product for delivery.
3. Deliver—transport the product via distribution channels to
warehouses, wholesalers, and/or retail customers.
4. Support—provide services to customers or users of the prod-
uct, including supplies, repair, replacement, maintenance, or
upgrading.
5. Recycle—recover used, obsolete, or defective products and ex -
tract residual value through reuse, refurbishment, or recycling.

FIGURE 6.1 Each life-cycle stage consumes natural resources, generates
environmental impacts, and creates costs or benefi ts for stakeholders.