DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT

The following factors explain the level of Setu’s environmental

performance:

Environmentally friendly materials: The Setu multipurpose chair consists

of environmentally safe and nontoxic materials materials such as 41 percent
(by weight) aluminum, 41 percent polypropylene, and 18 percent steel.
Recycled content: The Setu is made of 44 percent recycled materials (by
weight, comprising 23 percent postconsumer and 21 percent postindustrial
recycled content).

Recyclability: The Setu is 92 percent recyclable (by weight) at the end of its
useful life. Steel and aluminum components are 100 percent recyclable.
Polypropylene components are identified with a recycling code whenever
possible to aid in returning these materials to the recycling stream.

Clean energy: Setu is manufactured on a production line that utilizes 100

percent green power(half from wind turbines and half from captured landfill
off-gassing).

Emissions: No harmful air or water emissions are released during Setu’s

production.

Returnable and recyclable packaging: Setu components are received by

Herman Miller from a network of nearby suppliers in molded tote trays that are
returned to the suppliers for reuse. Outgoing packaging materials include
corrugated cardboard and a polyethylene plastic bag, both materials capable
of repeated cycling.

Design for Environment (DFE) provides organizations with a practical

method to minimize environmental impacts in an effort to create a more
sustainable society. Just as effective design for manufacturing (DFM) practice
has been shown to maintain or improve product quality while reducing costs,
practitioners of DFE have also found that effective DFE practice can maintain
or improve product quality and cost while reducing environmental impacts.

TWO LIFE CYCLES

Life cycle thinking is the basis of DFE. This helps to expand the traditional
manufacturer’s concern with the production and distribution of its products to
comprise a closed-loop system relating the product life cycle to the natural life
cycle, both of which are illustrated in Exhibit 12-3.
1. ) The Product Life Cycle
The product life cycle begins with the extraction and processing of raw
materials from natural resources, followed by production, distribution, and use
of product. Finally, at the end of the product’s useful life there are several
recovery options - remanufacturing or reuse of components, recycling of
materials, or disposal through incineration or deposit in a landfill.

2.) The Natural Life Cycle

The natural life cycle represents the growth and decay of organic materials in
a continuous loop.

Three challenges of product design to reach sustainability.

1.Eliminate use of nonrenewable natural resources (including nonrenewable

sources of energy).
2.Eliminate disposal of synthetic and inorganic materials that do not decay
quickly.
3.Eliminate creation of toxic wastes that are not part of natural life cycles.

Environmental Impact

Every product may have a number of environmental impacts over its life cycle.
The following list explains some of the environmental impacts deriving from
the manufacturing sector (adapted from Lewis and Gertsakis, 2001).

Global warming: Scientific data and models show that the temperature of the
earth is gradually increasing as a result of the accumulation of greenhouse
gases, particulates, and water vapor in the upper atmosphere. This effect
appears to be accelerating as a result of emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane (CH4), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), black carbon particles, and
nitrogen oxides (Nox) from industrial processes and products.

Resource depletion: Many of the raw materials used for production, such as
iron ore, gas, oil, and coal, are nonrenewable and supplies are limited.

Solid waste: Products may generate solid waste throughout their life cycle.
Some of this waste is recycles, but most is disposed in incinerators or
landfills. Incinerators generate air pollution and toxic ash (which goes to
landfills). Landfills may also create concentrations of toxic substances,
generate methane gas (CH4), and release groundwater pollutants.

Water pollution: The most common sources of water pollution are

discharges from industrial processes, which may include heavy metals,
fertilizers, solvents, oils, synthetic substances, acids, and suspended solids.
Waterborne pollutants may affect groundwater, drinking water, and fragile
ecosystems.

Air pollution: Sources of air pollution include emissions from factories,

power-generating plants, incinerators, residential and commercial buildings,
and motor vehicles. Typical pollutants include CO2, NOx, sulfur dioxide
(SO2), ozone (03), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Land degradation: Land degradation concerns the adverse effects that raw
material extraction and production, such as mining, farming, and forestry,
have on the environment. The effects include reduced soil fertility, soil
erosion, salinity of land and water, and deforestation.

Biodiversity: Biodiversity concerns the variety of plant and animal species,

and is affected by land clearing for urban development, mining, and other
industrial activities.

Ozone depletion: The ozone layer protects the earth against the harmful
effects of the sun’s radiation. It is degraded by reactions with nitric acid
(created by the burning of fossil fuels) and chlorine compounds (such as
CFCs).

HISTORY OF DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT

The birth of DFE is often traced to the early 1970s. Papanek (1971)
challenged designers to face their social and environmental responsibilities
instead of only commercial interests. The World Commission on Environment
and Development's Brundtland Report (1987) first defined the term
sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet
their own needs".

In the 1990s, several influential books about environmentally friendly

design were published. Burall (1991) argued that there was no longer a
conflict between a green approach to design and business success. Fiksel
(1996; revised 2009) discussed how DFE integrates life cycle thinking into
new product and process development. As the DFE process matured, Brezet
and van Hemel (1997) provided a practical guide called Ecodesign. Also in
the 1990s the Technical University of Delft, Philips Electronics, and the Dutch
government collaborated to develop a life cycle analysis software tool
providing metrics to assess the overall environmental impact of a product.

Today’s sustainable development movement embraces the broader

concept of sustainable product design (Bhamra and Lofthouse, 2007), which
includes not only DFE but also the social and ethical implications of products.
Even though authors have used various terminology for environmentally
friendly design approaches, the terms green design, ecodesign, sustainable
design, and DFE are more or less synonymous today.

HERMAN MILLER’S JOURNEY TOWARD DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT

Many manufacturing firms have begun to embrace DFE; however, few have
done so to the extent of Herman Miller, where DFE is central to its corporate
strategy. Herman Miller strives to maintain high product quality standards
while incorporating increasingly more environmentally friendly materials,
manufacturing processes, and product function into every new design.

To advance from less harmful to truly environmentally friendly products,

McDonough and Braungart introduced DFE method that focuses on
three key areas of product design:

Material chemistry: What chemicals comprise the specified materials? Are

they safe for humans and the environment?

Disassembly: Can the products be taken apart at the end of their useful life
to recycle their materials?

Recyclability: Do the materials contain recycled content? Are the materials

readily separable into recycling categories? Can the materials be recycled at
the end of the product’s useful life

THE DESIGN FOR ENVIRONMENT PROCESS

Effective implementation of DFE includes activities throughout the product

development process. The steps of the DFE process are shown in Exhibit 12-
4. Despite the linear presentation of the steps, product development teams
will likely repeat some steps several times, making DFE an iterative process.
The following sections describe each step of the DFE process.
STEP 1: SET THE DFE AGENDA: DRIVERS, GOALS, AND TEAM
The DFE process begins as early as the product planning phase with setting
the DFE agenda. This step consist of three activities: identifying the internal
and external drivers of DFE, setting the environmental goals for the product,
and setting up the DFE team. By setting the DFE agenda, the organization
identifies a clear and actionable path toward environmentally friendly product
design.
Identify the Internal and External Drivers of DFE

Internal drivers are the DFE objectives within the organization. Typical internal
drivers of DFE are (adapted from Brezet and van Hemel, 1997).

Product quality: A focus on environmental performance may raise the

quality of the product in terms of functionality, reliability in operation, durability,
and repairability.

Public image: Communicating a high level of environmental quality of a

product can improve a company’s image.

Cost reduction: Using less material and less energy in production can result
in considerable cost savings. Generating less waste and eliminating
hazardous waste results in lower waste disposal cost.

Innovation: Sustainable thinking can lead to radical changes in product

design and may foster innovation across the whole company.

Operational Safety: By eliminating toxic materials, many DFE changes can

help improve the occupational health and safety of employees.

Employee motivation: Employees can be motivated to contribute in new and

creative ways if they are able to help reduce the environmental impacts of the
company’s products and operations.

Ethical responsibility: Interest in sustainable development among managers

and product developers may be motivated in part by a moral sense of
responsibility for conserving the environment and nature.

Consumer behavior: Wider availability of products with positive

environmental benefits may accelerate the transition to cleaner lifestyles and
demand for greener products.

External drivers of DFE typically include environmental regulations, customer

preferences, and the offerings of competitors, such as (from Brezet and van
Hemel, 1997):

Environmental legislation: Product-oriented environmental policy is rapidly

evolving, necessitating companies to understand regulations in various
regions and anticipate future legislation. Recent legislation shifts focus from
material prohibition to broader producer responsibility, including take-back
obligations.
Market demand: Companies now face customers who are more aware of
sustainability and demand environmentally friendly products. Negative
publicity and boycotts can significantly harm sales, while positive publicity can
have a positive impact.
Competition: Sustainability activities undertaken by competitors can lead to
pressure for more emphasis on DFE. Setting a high environmental standard
may create a first-mover advantage.
Trade Organizations: Trade or industrial organizations in some branches of
industry - such as packaging and automobile manufacturing - encourage
companies to take environmental action by sharing technology and and
establishing codes of conduct.
Suppliers: Suppliers influence company behavior by introducing more
sustainable materials and processes. Companies ,may choose to audit and
confirm environmental declarations of their suppliers.
Social pressures: Through their social and community contacts, managers
and employees may be asked about the responsibility that their business take
for the environment.

Set the DFE Goals

An important activity in the product planning phase is to set the environmental

goals for each product development project. Many organizations have
established a strategy that includes long-term environmental goals. These
goals define how the organization complies with environmental regulations
and how the organization reduces the environmental impacts of its products,
services, and operations.

To achieve the long-term goals, specific environmental goals may be set for
every product during the planning phase. These individual goals also allow
the organization to make progress toward the long-term strategy. Exhibit 12-5
lists examples of DFE goals, arranged according to the product life cycle. On
the basis of an understanding of which life cycle stages contribute significant
environmental impacts, goals may be developed accordingly.
Set up the DFE Team

DFE requires many participation by many functional experts on the product

development project. The typical composition of a DFE team (often a sub
team within the overall project team) consists of a DFE leader, an
environmental chemistry and materials expert, a manufacturing engineer, and
a representative from the purchasing and supply chain organization. Of
course, the DFE team composition depends on the organization and needs of
the specific project, and may also include marketing professionals, outside
consultants, suppliers, or other experts.

STEP 2: IDENTIFY POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

Within the concept development phase, DFE begins by identifying the

potential environmental impacts of the product over its life cycle. This enables
the product development team to consider environmental impacts at the
concept stage even though little or no specific data (regarding material and
energy use, emissions, and waste generation) are yet available for the actual
product and a detailed environmental impact assessment is not yet possible.
In the case of product redesign, however, relevant data may be provided by
impact analysis of some existing products.

Exhibit 12-6 shows a chart that can be used to qualitatively assess the
environmental impacts over the product life cycle. The chart is an adaption of
the LiDs Wheel(Brezet and van Hemel, 1997) and the EcoDesign Web
(Bhamra and Lofthouse, 2007). To create this chart, the team asks, “What are
the significant sources of potential environmental impact in each life cycle
stage?” Specific questions for each stage are given in Exhibit 12-7 and may
be helpful in conducting this qualitative analysis.

EXHIBIT 12-6 The qualitative life cycle assessment represents the team’s
estimate of the potential types and magnitudes of environmental impacts of
the product over its life cycle. This chart depicts the types of impacts most
relevant to office furniture products such as the Setu chair.
EXHIBIT 12-7 Typical questions for consideration of the environmental
impacts of each life cycle stage.

STEP 3: SELECT DFE GUIDELINES

Guidelines help product design teams to made early DFE decisions without
the type of detailed environmental impact analysis that is only possible after
the design is more fully specified. Relevant guidelines may be selected based
in part on the qualitative assessment of life cycle impacts (from step 2).
Selecting relevant guidelines during the concept development phase allows
the product development team to apply them throughout the product
development project.

Exhibit 12-8 shows a compilation of DFE guidelines based on a study by

Telenko et al. (2008). Each life cycle stage has its own DFE guidelines that
provide product development teams with instructions on how to reduce the
environmental impacts of a product. A more detailed list of DFE guidelines is
provided in the appendix to this chapter. Many of the guidelines relate to
selection of materials. This underscores the central role of materials in DFE.

EXHIBIT 12-8 Design for environment guidelines arranged according to the

life cycle stage of a product. Guidelines used in the Setu project are identified
with an asterisk.

STEP 4: APPLY THE DFE GUIDELINES TO THE INITIAL PRODUCT

DESIGN

As the product architecture is developed during the system-level design

phase, some initial material choices are made along with some of the module
design decisions. It is beneficial, therefore, to apply the relevant DFE
guidelines at this point. In this way, the initial product design may have lower
environmental impacts.

In the detail-design phase, the exact materials specifications, detailed

geometry, and manufacturing processes are determined. Application of the
DFE guidelines in detailed design is essentially the same as in system-level
design; however, at this point many more decisions are being made and
environmental factors can be considered with greater precision. By specifying
low-impact materials and reducing energy consumption, product development
teams create more environmentally friendly products. Furthermore, the DFE
guidelines may inspire product development teams to come up with
improvement in the functionality and durability of the product, which may lead
to significant lower environmental impact.

The Setu spine geometry, shown in Exhibit 12-9, was inspired by the human
backbone. Studio 7.5 designers prototyped many iterations of the spine to
achieve proper support and recline (see Exhibit 12-10). Once the shape of the
spine was set, the team had to find materials that suited both the functional
and environmental requirements.

EXHIBIT 12-9 The Setu spine was inspired by the human backbone.
EXHIBIT 12-10 The design team prototyped many variations of Setu’s
spine and related components.

To specify materials that fit the environmental and functional requirements,

the development team used Herman Miller’s proprietary materials database.
The database, maintained together with MBDC, considers the safety and
environmental impacts of each material and classifies them into one of four
categories:
green (little to no hazard),
yellow (low to moderate hazard),
orange (incomplete data), and
red (high hazard).
Herman Miller’s aim was to use only materials that rank yellow or green for all
new products.

STEP 5: ASSESS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

The next step is to assess, to the extend possible, the environmental impacts
of the product over its entire life cycle. To do so with precision requires a
detailed understanding of how the product is to be produced, distributed, used
over its lifetime, and recycled or disposed at the end of its useful life.

Herman Miller uses their own proprietary DFE assessment tool, developed for
them by MBDC. The DFE tool consists of a spreadsheet interface and the
materials database using the color coding described earlier. The tool
considers four factors for each component in the product:
1.Material chemistry: Fraction of the materials by weight that are the safest
possible in terms of human toxicity and environmental concerns.
2.Recycled content: Fraction of the materials by weight that are
postindustrial or post-consumer recycled content.
3.Disassembly: Fraction of the materials by weight that can be readily
disassembled.
4.Recyclability: Fraction of the materials by weight that are recyclable.

Compare the Environmental Impacts to DFE Goals

This step compares the environmental impacts of the evolving design to the
DFE goals established in the planning phase. If several design options were
created in the detail-deign phase, they may now be compared to judge which
one has the lowest environmental impacts. Unless the product development
team is very experienced in DFE, the design will generally have much room
for improvement. Usually several DFE iterations are required before the team
is satisfied that the product is as good as it should be from a DFE perspective.

STEP 6: REFINE THE PRODUCT DESIGN TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

The objective of this step and subsequent DFE iterations is to reduce or

eliminate any significant environmental impacts through redesign. The
process repeats until the environmental impacts have been reduced to an
acceptable level and the environmental performance fits the DFE goals.
Redesign for ongoing improvement of DFE may also continue after production
begins.

EXHIBIT 12-11 The final design of the Setu spine (left) and aluminum
base (right).

STEP 7: REFLECT ON THE DFE PROCESS AND RESULTS

As with every aspect of the product development process, the final activity is
to ask:
-How well did we execute the DFE process?
-How can our DFE process be improved?
-What DFE improvements can be made on derivative and future products?
EXHIBIT 12-12 Herman Miller’s DFE assessment tool considers four
factors and computes the weighted overall score of 72 percent for the
Setu chair.