Use of Ecobalances in an Innovation Project for New Packaging
Client: household appliance manufacturer
New laws, labels, and increased customer awareness are boosting demand for eco-friendly products and services. The ecobalance or lifecycle assessment (LCA) is a means of assessing a product's environmental impact. It is based on an approach whereby a product's environmental impact is assessed throughout its lifecycle from when the raw materials are extracted to when the product and the production waste are disposed of. The outcome of this assessment allows the manufacturer to weigh up various concepts and make comparisons with rival products. The ecobalance also provides useful input for marketing and customer information.
Procedure:
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Ecobalance philosophy incorporated into concept design at an early stage
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Rough concepts defined
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System limit for ecobalance assessments set
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Energy consumption and EcoIndicator99 values calculated for the entire lifecycle
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Costs estimated for the various concepts
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Critical factors and potential for improvement identified
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Concepts compared from ecological and economic perspectives
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Outcome documented for marketing purposes
