How to do eco-design? There are specialized engineering diplomas for this type of training. On the web, you can find a lot of information about these training courses. But it is not just a specialist matter and it remains a theme open to various professions. Anyone with expertise in sustainable development or life cycle analysis can aspire to implement an eco-design approach. The central part of such an approach is to have an efficient eco-design software. In case of the Green Exam this is important now.
An example of putting eco-design into practice in broad outline can be as follows:
- Global vision and organizational structure compatible with eco-design
- Product development taking into account ecological and economic issues
- Creation of optimized variants of the product or service to select the one that has the least impact on the environment
- Life cycle analysis to integrate the product as much as possible into the circular economy
- Cost control and optimization thanks to eco-design
- Certification for placing on the market with environmental labeling
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An example of eco-design
For this simple example, we will take the example of food packaging. We can apply the following eco-design approaches:
- Use of recycled and recyclable materials
- Development of a deposit system
- Control of printing: vegetable inks, avoidance of solid colors and metallic inks, etc.
- Lean design to avoid “selling air” and optimizing space
- Reusable or compostable packaging
By following these good practices, we obtain an optimized and eco-designed food packaging, which can be upgraded and partly reused thanks to the various players in the circular economy.
Example of eco-designed smartphone
The challenges
The challenges of eco-design are clear to everyone: it is first of all a question of reducing the ecological impact of our economy on the planet, with the aim of preserving it. In short, this is to reduce the environmental impact of his business while ensuring its economic profitability. In case of Green Associate Exam these are the essential matters.
If the objectives seem obvious, the benefits of an eco-design approach for companies are paradoxically much less known. Indeed, at first glance and from the point of view of the entrepreneur, it can be perceived as additional constraints to apply to its production process.
In most cases, using eco-design software not only reduces its environmental impact, but also forces innovation while reducing the production costs of the product. According to a study for environmental companies, such an approach was profitable in 96% of cases.
The advantages of eco-design
This can be easily explained. An eco-design approach can lead to a simplification of the product, and therefore to reduce its production cost, both in terms of its manufacture and its design. Optimizing the product can also lead to a reduction in the size of the product and therefore a reduction in transport costs. The choice of durable materials with reduced impact can also lead to a reduction in the material cost, which lowers the cost of the raw material.
In addition, an eco-design approach often brings the opportunity to facilitate an energy optimization process for the manufacturing site (s). All of these real and direct savings add to the opportunity to reach new markets that are increasingly demanding products with high ecological added value. The profitability of an eco-design approach is then ensured at all levels of the value chain of the product developed.
