Page 159 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

138 Cha pte r Ei g h t

companies to work more pro actively on material identifica-
tion and screening.
Example: The electronics industry has developed a Joint Industry
Guide to assure that parts suppliers are not using certain restricted
materials, including asbestos, heavy metals, ozone depleting com -
pounds, and many other specific chemicals. This global, multiyear
effort has produced an online registry where suppliers can provide
their declarations.
• Water-based technologies—One common form of chemical
use avoidance is the substitution of aqueous solvents for
cleaning parts and other industrial processes. Through better
control of mechanical and hydraulic factors, aqueous cleaning
can be as cost-effective as traditional methods that use more
hazardous chlorinated solvents. Similarly, advances in water-
based paint technology have produced high-performance
paints suitable for demanding applications.
Example: Volkswagen, the German automobile manufacturer, decided
to eliminate solvent-based paints rather than try to tighten VOC
emission controls. They invested over $1 billion in water-based
paint technology at their major plants and have virtually eliminated
the use of solvents. As a result, beginning in 1992, they were able
to reduce annual VOC emissions by a factor of about 5 and have
sustained that performance over time. In addition to VOC reduction,
VW’s approach improves working conditions and enhances paint
quality. (See the description of DuPont’s water-based coating system
in Chapter 13.)

B.3 Design for Benign Waste Disposition
While zero waste is a desirable goal for any industrial system, it is
difficult to achieve in practice. Assuming that there are irreducible
waste streams, potentially including persistent, bioaccumulative,
toxic or hazardous substances, companies need to consider carefully
how these wastes will be disposed of and whether there are ways to
mitigate their ultimate impacts. A variety of waste disposition options
are available, ranging from sanitary landfills to destructive incinera-
tion. Responsible treatment and disposal of wastes is a statutory obli-
gation, but discretionary strategies can help to reduce costs, protect
the environment, and avoid potential future liabilities. One example
is in situ waste treatment, which can reduce the effective concentra-
tions or adverse impacts of wastes that have previously been dis-
charged into the environment.
Manufacturers are considered “point sources” of waste and pol-
lution, and are easier to control than other more widely dispersed
sources, including “mobile” sources such as vehicles and “non-point”
sources such as pesticide application on farms. For example, fertilizer
runoff containing nitrogen and other nutrients can cause hypoxia, or