1. Ecodesign, a tool for innovation

In addition to the public's concern to preserve the human species and its environment, manufacturers must take eco-design into account for purely regulatory reasons (for example, the limit on lead content and three other heavy metals – European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 2004/12/EC), and also to satisfy the demands of their customers who are concerned about respecting the environment for their image. This is why government and local authority buyers include environmental criteria in their invitations to tender, why the public procurement code mentions environmental protection aspects, and why, last but not least, there is a latent consumer demand for responsible practices on the part of manufacturers.

However, in our view, considering eco-design as a constraint, particularly because of regulatory pressure, is a negative and reductive vision of the concept....