Page 215 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

192 Cha pte r Ni ne

Because of product take-back regulations in the European Union, the
design team must be concerned with the design issues that affect
the end-of-life costs, including the product disassembly and recovery
of high-value materials and components. The team has two primary
design goals: 1. to minimize the product’s total life-cycle cost and
2. to increase the recycled material content of the product.
The design team has identified several opportunities to accom-
plish their goals. First, they will reduce the number of different mate-
rials that are used in the product. This results in several benefits:
• Reduced raw material costs associated with purchases of
higher volumes of fewer materials
• Reduced inventory requirements
• Lower material separation labor costs at end-of-life
• Increased material salvage value associated with higher vol-
umes and reduced handling and transaction costs

The design team has also identified a recycled material for the
product housing that satisfies all engineering requirements, although
it is modestly more expensive than the alternative virgin material. As
a related benefit, this new material can be again recycled, increasing
the product’s overall recyclability.
Comparing the life-cycle costs associated with the new design
with those for the original design highlights the economic benefits
(see Table 9.4). A cost saving of $30 per unit, or about 10% of total
cost, translates to millions of dollars over the life of the product.

Original New
Design Design
Costs per unit
Material inputs $100 $110
Manufacturing & assembly $150 $150

Sales & service $50 $50
Disassembly $35 $15

Salvage value ($20) ($40)
Total life-cycle cost $315 $285

Recycled content 25% 60%

TABLE 9.4 Comparison of Alternative Electronic Product Designs