industry and environment - DTIE

Chemicals management
The company’s Divisional Department for
Environmental Control (DESC) promoted the
Design for the Environment concept within the
company to support the development of new
products and processes in the chemical sector. As
a sustainable development strategy, DfE was initiated
by DESC with the following goals:
◆ systematic detection of potential significant
risks, which would be duly evaluated (with quantification
of their environmental/economic
impacts) in order to carry out effective decisiontaking
within the shortest time possible;
◆ development of new products and processes to
• formulate proposals for new products in
accordance with customer requirements;
• take into account the cost and performance of
optimal processes and products from the point
of view of sustainability;
• draw up competitive strategy guidelines;
• carry out technological development and
product launching at the lowest cost and within
the shortest time practicable.
Once the Design for the Environment Handbook
had been written, DfE was implemented in
several stages to determine its effectiveness and
level of acceptability.
DfE was implemented in business cases in order
to progressively incorporate environmental considerations
in the organization’s strategic decisionmaking.
The intention was to arrive at an
understanding of the new concept, rather than
merely securing agreement to the initiatives proposed
and to the development of new products
from the standpoint of sustainable development.
While the DfE culture has not yet been adopted
across the whole organization, this work was
the cornerstone of the new culture in R&D areas.
First stage: the DfE Handbook
Developing a DfE Handbook took over a year. It
involved technological monitoring, together with
selection and implementation of concepts that
could generate value added. The Handbook outlines
work to be done in the context of DfE at each
stage of the research process, giving researchers’
work an environmental perspective.
The Handbook introduces the user to topics
such as sustainable development, environmental
impacts, and the life cycles of products and
processes. Numerous references to sources of further
information are provided, and users are
encouraged to refer to them.
An analysis of projects in the laboratory and at
the pilot plant and industrial stages is provided,
demonstrating how the DfE concept can be
increasingly implemented. At each stage DfE can
be approached from various perspectives. However,
DfE implementation is always aimed at
maintaining a balance among three elements:
environmental considerations, social impacts and
product profitability. The use of indicators is
unavoidable.
Second stage: selecting a project as a
business case
A project was then chosen as a business case. This
project was at an advanced phase: research had
Design for
Environmental
Protection
Ecological
Habitat
Protection
Species Diversity
Protection
Global Climate
Protection
Air and Water
Quality Protection
Figure 1
Elements to be considered in Design for the Environment
Design for
Sustainable
Development
V
I
S
I
O
N
TOWARDS
THE FUTURE
CURRENT
Source: Stuart Hart/ Sustainable Enterprise Academy
Design for
Resource
Preservation
Design for the Environment
Soil and Forests
Preservation
Energy
Preservation
Water Resources
Conservation
Materials
Preservation
Figure 2
Business strategies
☞ PRODUCTIVE PROCESSES
MODERNIZATION
☞ ENVIRONMENTAL
TECHNOLOGIES
☞ ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS:
ISO 14000, etc.
☞ CP, DFE, ECO-EFFICIENCY, etc.
☞ LEGAL COMPLIANCE
TO THE INTERIOR
Design for
Decreasing
Chronic Risks
Prevention and
Reduction of
Pollution
Reduction of
Toxic Substances
Use
Reduction of
Chronic
Exposures
Hazardous
Wastes
Conversion
Design for
Health and Safety
Design for
Accident
Prevention
Occupational
Hygiene
and Health
Management of
Transportation
Risks
Product Safety
for Consumers
Hazardous
Materials
Reduction
reached the laboratory level. In the context of
DfE, the need to replace one raw material with
another that posed less risk was identified.
Replacement was not a simple matter. Experimentation
went on for several months. As far as
the researcher in charge of finding new alternate
materials was concerned, the most persuasive
arguments for making a change were: the longterm
view; the preference for green products on
European markets; and savings in terms of facilities
where less protection and control equipment
would be needed. Eventually, she found a feasible
new material. While she had never acknowledged
that she might agree to change materials, in the
end a new material was found that was completely
safe. Tests with respect to equalling or improving
product performance still remain to be carried
out. The work is still ongoing, but the fact that the
leading researcher was convinced of the need for
change represents a substantial achievement.
LOCATION
☞ SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
STRATEGIES
☞ UNATTENDED MARKET NEEDS
☞ RELATIONSHIP WITH
INTERESTED PARTIES
☞ TRANSPARENCY
☞ PRODUCTIVE CHAIN
MANAGEMENT
TO THE EXTERIOR
48 ◆ UNEP Industry and Environment April – September 2004