A software platform to support an integrated eco-design methodology

Today the consideration of environmental issues is essential in relation to companies’ sustainability policy. The literature review reveals that ecodesign is not an easy viewpoint to integrate due to its specificities. Despite the great number of existing tools and methods, companies still encounter difficulties for implementing ecodesign in their design process.
This research work aims at providing a combined solution including a methodology supported by a software platform. The methodology guides the design team through a series of steps to realize in the design process. And, to manage ecodesign activities, we defined the structure of a software platform gathering the necessary tools for the design team: tools for the design of the product life cycle, an assessment tool for the cost and the environmental impacts, a guidance tool based on ecodesign rules and case studies, a monitoring tool for the project indicators, and databases in relation with the model of the product and its life cycle.
The results of two industrial experiments demonstrate the validity of our proposition. However, a limit of the platform has been identified during the second case study. A third experiment has therefore been realised during a workshop in an international conference to tackle this point.

Key words: Ecodesign methodology, Ecodesign platform, Integrated design, Product development, Household appliances, G.EN.ESI European project

M. Dominique MILLET - Professeur, Université de Toulon, Rapporteur
M. Lionel ROUCOULES - Professeur, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, Rapporteur
Mme Nadège TROUSSIER - Professeur, Université de Technologie de Troyes, Examinateur
M. Michele GERMANI - Professeur, Universita Politecnica delle Marche (It), Examinateur
Mme Tracy BHAMRA - Professeur, Loughborough University (UK), Examinateur
Mme Peggy ZWOLINSKI - Professeur, Université de Grenoble Alpes, Directrice de thèse

How to support the integration of eco-design activities in a design team, knowing that numerous expertises are addressed by the environmental concerns?

Define an eco-design methodology including environmental assessments and product improving process. This methodology will be supported by an engineering platform of which the use will be specified. The integration keys of the methodology and the platform will be examined.


PhD candidate: Maud DUFRÈNE
Université Grenoble-Alpes, 2011
PhD supervisor: Peggy ZWOLINSKI

Partnership : G.EN.ESI Project

• To realise the state of the art of ecodesign tools, methods and standards

• To identify roles required for the functioning of the methodology and the platform

• To identify the necessary steps of the methodology

• To define the structure of the platform and its use

• To test the implementation of the methodology and the platform: case study

A framework to integrate environmental concerns into the design process
An eco-design methodology consisting of 7 steps:

The structure of the platform where the main elements are shown on the figure below
The integration keys of the methodology and the platform

Last Update 2015.02.23