WSP launches new online green product design tool | 31st Aug 2010

The way we design, make and unmake products is a major contributor to environmental impacts and issues.

 

Over 80% of product-related environmental impacts are typically locked-in during the design phase of a product. Waste, toxics, global warming and water scarcity impacts can be significantly minimised through intelligent design, lifecycle thinking and eco-innovation.

 

Product designers, their clients, brand-owners and producers need the ability to create rapid, easy to manage product baselines from which they can deliver improved environmental outcomes.

 

WSP Environment & Energy (WSP) - a global environment and sustainability consulting firm - formed a multidisciplinary team of software engineers, web-designers and environmental specialists to work closely with product designers, sustainability professionals, manufacturers and design educators to address life cycle thinking for product developers. The result is Product Ecology^TM - an online environmental assessment tool purpose built for designers and related professionals.

 

John Gertsakis, Senior Sustainability Associate with WSP, believes that designers and manufacturers are ready for pragmatic DIY (do it yourself) tools as opposed to high cost consultants:

 

"Industrial designers and product engineers have a growing appetite for web-based tools that are driven by good science and trustworthy environmental data. And while environmental software is not new, there is a major gap in affordable tools that are suited to designers."

 

"Product Ecology^TM is focussed on mainstreaming EcoDesign and life cycle thinking, so we've created a uncomplicated online tool to transform designers into pragmatic environmental champions. More than anything we want product development professionals to realise their sustainability strategies" said Gertsakis.

 

Product Ecology^TM has four key features:

• Lifecycle Designer - analyses impacts from materials, production and transport through to end-of-life.
• ecoCompare^TM - compares CO2 emissions, waste and water impacts of materials and processes.
• EcoDesign Quickstarts - checklists and sustainable design strategies.
• Compliance Navigator - reviews product designs against specific regulations and standards.

 

 

Product Ecology^TM is underpinned by the Ecoinvent database, which has been developed over many years by the Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories. Product Ecology^TM is globally applicable and has been developed for a diverse range of users, from individual design practitioners, engineers, and educators, through to environmental consultants, OEMs and brands. Users are able to quickly and accurately generate visually striking reports, accessible as PDFs for distribution to clients, colleagues and project partners.

 

"I have been involved in the design industry as a product design consultant for over 25 years and for the past 10 years as a manufacturer of technology products for the world market.  Finally, with the Product Ecology^TM software, our design team has simple, easy to use environmental assessment and compliance tools. Quite simply, this web based technology will ensure that our clients and our products are meeting community expectations and environmental requirements" said Gerry Mussett, CEO of Sprocket Technologies in Melbourne, Australia.

 

Test drive Product Ecology^TM at: www.productecologyonline.com

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