Page 33 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

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Environment

Obsolescence
Consumption Society’s Need
Use for Products and
Re-Use Services

Recycling
Manufacturing
Exploration

Refining Extraction

FIGURE 1.3 The life-cycle of a product system. (UNEP/SETAC, Background paper of the
UNEP/SETAC life-cycle initiative, UNEP DTIE, Paris, 2001.)

At least two similar principles exist: responsible care and product stewardship.
Responsible care is an initiative undertaken by the U.S. Chemical Manufacturers
Association (CMA) in 1989 that commits every CMA member not only to improving
health, security and environment protection, but also to responding to concerns from
the public about their products. The product stewardship code is designed to change
health, security and environment protection into an integral part of design, manu-
facturing, distribution, use, recycling and disposal. This code reinforces sharing
information about adequate product use, storage and disposal. It has also been
designed to include the widest possible extent of the trade chain to help prevent
inadequate use likely to harm human health and the environment (SOCMA, 2000).

1.4.5 DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT
Eco-design, or design for environment (DfE), allows approaching environmental
problems associated with a given product within its phase of design. That is, it
implies considering the environmental variable as one of the many product require-
ments in addition to the conventional design goals: cost, utility, functioning, security,
etc. The purpose of DfE is to manufacture products with a lower global environ-
mental load associated with their life-cycle (material/component parts acquisi-
tion/purchase, production, distribution, use and end of life). Implementation of the
environmental variable in the manufacturing process of the product must be under-
taken without sacrifice of the remaining product properties and combining price and
quality in a sound manner (Fiksel, 1997).

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