Environmental design techniques for the electronics industry

Abstract

Electronic products have increased dramatically in use in the last twenty years. The level of environmental awareness has been raised by governments and consumers but confusion frequently surrounds the design of cleaner products and processes. Products have been labelled clean, earth friendly or green even though their impact on the environment maybe undocumented or unproved. Techniques are required to provide an effective means of measuring the environmental performance of a product. Issues relating to the environmental attributes of electronic products have instigated a review of product design techniques. Design for the Environment (DFE) is a method by which the environmental considerations of a product can be integrated into process and product design practices. This is a new technique which is gaining interest in the electronics industry. Techniques proposed to assist designers and methods for improving the environmental performance of a product are observed. Life Cycle Assessment is a technique used to evaluate the environmental concerns of a product throughout its life cycle. The issues of waste and waste recycling are examined form the point of view of the proposed take back regulations in Europe and the status of electronic goods recycling is reviewed. A case study using one of the design techniques to demonstrate the effectiveness is included.