JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011 - 41

Fig.2: Illustration of impact transfer 1) this figure shows the major environmental impacts in the manufacturing of the product; 2) In order to reduce these impacts, the designer chooses to modifiy the raw materials used to manufacture the product. This may have an undesirable effect, such as generating impacts on the raw material extraction phase and on their recyclability. Only a «life cycle» vision makes it possible to prevent these harmful consequences.

More information Focus on environmental evaluation tools
There are various tools for evaluating the environmental impacts of a product or service. Companies may choose the tool that is most suited to their situation and strategy from the quantitative or qualitative tools available. The LCA is an exhaustive procedure that takes account of the entire life cycle of a product, from the extraction and purchase of the raw material through to its final disposal, via the manufacturing procedures and usage and logistical (transportation, packaging) stages. Thanks to this global approach, it is possible to anticipate the environmental impacts either generated or reduced through design modifications made to the product. How reliably the impacts generated by the product can be interpreted depends significantly on the level of product definition and the detail of the data collected: too simplified a definition of the product and of its life cycle will generate an equally oversimplified vision of the impacts. It is therefore important to know the objectives of the study and to demarcate its boundaries accordingly. The LCA methodology is framed by international standards. The implementation of an LCA requires time and financial and human resources. There are a number of approaches that help to simplify the implementation of the LCA or to develop evaluation tools that are integrated in the design processes.

Streamlined Qualitative Life Cycle Assessment (ESQCV, Evaluation Simplifiée et Qualitative du Cycle de Vie) This is an approach based on the qualitative evaluation of impacts, previously broken down into several key life cycle stages and impact criteria. Its objective and scope are therefore more restrictive than those of the LCA. The company fills in a questionnaire that positions the product according to a qualitative appreciation level ("good", "average" or "poor"). This approach offers the advantage of being easy to deploy within a company, but is not as comprehensive and detailed as the LCA. Example evaluation grid (source: MEED)
Extraction of raw materials Pollution and waste (quantity, toxicity)
Depletion of natural resources (quantity used, renewable/non-renewable source, abundant/ scarce resource)

Production

Distribution

Use

Processing the used product

Noise, unpleasant odours, eyesores

No63 March 2011 / jec composites magazine

impacts on other stages. Likewise, if he were to concentrate all his efforts on reducing one particular impact, he would be unable to guarantee not to generate, through the choices he makes, impacts of some other nature. The multiple stage and multiple criteria approach therefore makes it possible to avoid these pitfalls (see illustration below). Certain advertisers take advantage of a general lack of public awareness of these aspects to focus their communication on one particular environmental benefit, while "omitting" to mention the possible transfer of impacts. Such abuses may be qualified as "greenwashing" and should be condemned (Fig.2).

How can the environment be integrated in the design process?

Transport (1)

In an eco-design approach, the first thing that needs to be done is to evaluate the environmental impacts that the existing product generates throughout its life cycle. The ecobalance of a product expresses the product's failings in terms of the impacts generated. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most comprehensive tool for quantifying environmental impacts. It provides a global picture of the environmental effects of a product, which can sometimes make it possible to debunk

Feature sustainability

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #63 - March 2011