Page 407 - Design for Environment A Guide to Sustainable Product Development

382 Gl o ssar y

Polymers Complex, chain-like molecules produced by uniting simpler
molecules called monomers through chemical bonding. Polymers may be
persistent and bioaccumulative, though not necessarily toxic.
Post-consumer waste Waste materials generated by a business or consumer
that have served their intended end uses, and can be separated for the
purposes of collection, recycling and disposition.
Post-industrial waste Waste materials generated in a manufacturing
process and can be recycled back into the process or used for another
purpose.
Precautionary principle A principle advanced at the 1992 UN Summit,
stating that scientific uncertainty should not be a basis for postponing
cost-effective measures to prevent serious or irreversible environmental
degradation.
Product differentiation A competitive business strategy that seeks to offer
products with distinctive features in order to differentiate them from those
of competitors.
Product life cycle (1) A series of stages in the physical life of a product,
including resource extraction, procurement, transportation, manufacturing,
product use, service, and end-of-life disposition or recovery. (2) A series of
stages in the commercial life of a product, including research and develop-
ment, design, introduction, growth, extension, phase-out, and discontinuance.
Product stewardship Consideration of health, safety and environmental
protection as an integral part of designing, manufacturing, marketing,
distributing, using, recycling and disposing of products.
Product take-back A program, either voluntary or regulated, whereby
manufacturers take responsibility for recovering obsolete products at the
end of their useful lives, and seek to re-use or recycle their components.
Rebound effect A phenomenon that occurs when increased efficiency
lowers the cost of consuming an economic good or service (e.g., gasoline),
resulting in greater consumption of that or other goods and services.

Recycled content Percentage of recycled material incorporated into a
product or raw material. Generally, the higher the recycled content, the
lower the life-cycle energy use and environmental impacts.
Renewable resource An energy or material resource (e.g., wood) that can be
renewed or regenerated by natural ecological cycles or sound management
practices within a short time relative to a human life span.
Requirements management A process for assuring that product require-
ments are met, consisting of three main functions that are performed
iteratively: requirements analysis, requirements tracking, and requirements
verification
Resilience The capacity of a system, such as an enterprise, a community,
or an ecosystem, to survive, adapt and flourish in the face of turbulent
change.