3. Example of eco-design
LCA does not provide solutions for designing products or processes with low environmental impact, but it does provide a guide for selecting the steps to be improved. LCA is thus a tool for making choices and thus for directing research to encourage innovation. Indeed, the results of the life cycle of a given initial product ( 12 ) show that the highest impact X is linked to the raw materials production stage. It is therefore at this stage that research must be carried out to identify access routes or raw materials with lower impact, in order to develop a new, eco-designed product. It is in this research process that innovation lies, and it is in this sense that eco-design represents a real innovation tool [18].
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Example of eco-design
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Bibliography
Digital media
(non-exhaustive list)
Ecoinvent data v2.2: life cycle inventory database (August 2010) from Ecoinvent Centre (competence center of ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne, Paul Scherrer Institute, Empa and the Swiss Federal Research Station Agroscope Reckenholz-Tänikon)
TEAM™ 4.0: Ecobilan's...
Standards and norms
- Environmental management – Lifecycle analysis – Principles and framework - ISO 14040 - 2006
- Environmental management – Lifecycle analysis – Requirements and guidelines - ISO 14044 - 2006
- Environmental labels and declarations – Type III environmental declarations – Principles and operating procedures - ISO 14025 - 2006
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