2. Life cycle assessment, an ecodesign tool – definitions and concepts

2.1 Ecodesign: a few definitions

The production of goods and services is now subject to increased constraints. It's no longer enough to meet technical specifications within budget; it's now imperative to integrate respect for people and the environment. This means reducing consumption of fossil resources, limiting greenhouse gas emissions and complying with environmental constraints, which in turn means minimizing environmental impact.

Taking into account all environmental impacts throughout the manufacturing process, and not just measuring carbon footprints or CO ₂ emissions, requires the integration of ecodesign into traditional design processes, as well as the innovation process. The latter is thus undergoing...