Eco-Design Value Alignment: Keys to Success

Abstract

This article analyzes the eco-design challenges in the 21st century. In a world of globalization and outsourcing, environmental legislation became a main driver for doing eco-design. Eco-innovation and green money are concepts to create marketing advantages and differentiation from their competitors, transforming a legislative handicap into financial benefits and societal recognition. This paper introduces Life cycle Environmental Value Chain Analysis (LC-EVCA) and Environmental Worth Analysis (EWA) to identify the stake-holders implementing environmental improvement programs and the value relationships among them. Life cycle information and societal concerns are the keys to success for the eco-design value alignment. Philips environmental programs and a brief example illustrate how eco-design can be integrated into product development, and how both customer (society) and producers find themselves in a win-win situation.