Danish experience with the EDIP tool for environmental design of industrial products

Since its publicatior7 it7 1996. rhe Datii.\/i tr7erliod at7d too/s f[jr Eti~~irotitt7et7trr/ Design o f Ind7rsrritr/ Produrrs (EDIP) have beet7 used it7 cor77panies it7 Det7n7ark at7d abroad. atid esperiet7c.e has beet7 gaitled \\it/7 a \,arier\, o f p r o d u c t categories Sl(L./l as: elecrrotiics. elec~rott7ecl7at7ical producrs. f7rrt7irirr-c. fitodsrufi.~. packagit7g. rextiles. buildit7~ equipt77et7r et7(lrSqx .sJ,sfet77.\. a n d railtiax sysret77s. Tl7e experietlce sl7rtr\,s, rl7at large environmetital improvemetit poretirials can be ,ftiut7d in all producr categories. As (7 broad average. 30-W% e n v i r o n m e n t a l ittiprovement qf products haI,e beet7 itnplemen~ed oL,er ,ferc, years 1~~ cott7panies ,\,orkit7g bc.irl7 t h e EDIP tools. Tl7e p a p e r preset7rs e.yatt7plcs front pumps, refriperamrs. high pressure cleatietx. audio/v ideo producrs . book shelves at7d t77oulded cardboard. A quesfionnuire inr,esrigarion ctf rile esperience wirl7 L C A a n d eco-desigt7 within the Dat7isi7 p i o n e e r companies in rtte area rc,as made in Novet77ber 1997. A total of 39 companies, kno+r,tt to have rt,orked more ot less with L C A ut7d eco-desigt7, bvere cot7racred. at7d 26 companies r?olunreered fo participate. Tt7e irrvesfigariot7 c o v e r e d fron7 small (8 et77plo!ees) to large (> 7OOO employees) companies havit7g fro)77 vet? little fo several y e a r s o f experietlce b\*itt7 L C A atid eco-desigt7. Thtj a t t i tude towards U7e disciplit7es nsere ntnit7lx posiri\,e.70% of the companies claitt7. rhar U7e LCA bvork has resulted in new priorities it7 product developt77enr. More than 70% of the compat7ies stated, char the!, would continue include LCA it7 therr product de\,elopn7ettr it7 the future. About 80% I$ t/7esr comput7ie.s use fl7e EDlP method and tools.