When starting out on the implementation of ecodesign activities within a company it is important to identify the internal and external drivers and barriers for ecodesign that exist.
Understanding the internal and external drivers (legislative compliance, strategy, customers' and stakeholders' requirements, etc.) will enable you to focus the ecodesign activities on the key areas that will deliver business benefits for the company.
Understanding the internal and external barriers (resistance to change, lack of commitment from top management, lack of governmental support, etc.) will allow you to take action early in the implementation process to overcome these barriers, before they become a roadblock to progress.
You will find a lot of good advice and experience, personally referred by experienced specialists in three short video clips. The advice is summarized in a "key points" list and also links to appropriate further reference. Have a very good start!
Quick guidance
1. Where to start ecodesign implementation? It is always a good idea to start by understanding the current maturity of your company on ecodesign implementation - this will help the identification of improvement opportunities and their prioritization. Keep in mind that there is a learning process to be followed!
2. Have you identified the drivers for ecodesign implementation? The identification of internal and external drivers for ecodesign implementation is a key point to initiate a change process towards ecodesign implementation.
3. Have you identified the barriers for ecodesign implementation? Identifying the barriers in advance is important to support the identification of critical issues and to manage the risks within the implementation.
3. Have you identified the needs of internal and external stakeholders? The identification of the needs of internal and external stakeholders is important to support the definition of the goals for ecodesign implementation.
4. Have you defined clear goals for the ecodesign programme? The actions to be taken are defined, based on the selected goals for ecodesign implementation. What is important in your company context?
Learn more
Check out best practices on the right side of the page:
- Key points
- 3 videos from industrial experts
- Knowledge-sharing in our LinkedIn Group
References
- iMPU survey results: check companies' experience in Getting Started
- Challenges for ecodesign implementation: joint research carried out by several researchers involving a set of manufacturing companies
- Ecodesign Maturity Model - Managerial framework with a step-by-step approach that supports systematic ecodesign implementation and management.
- ISO 14006:2011 - Guidelines for implementing Eco design in Environmental Management Systems
- Book - ECODESIGN Implementation: a systematic guidance on integrating environmental considerations into product development
- Report - Motivations for and Barriers to Ecodesign in Industry
- Guide - Design for Sustainability: A practical approach for developing economies
- TU Delft material: introduction to applied ecodesign (1, 2 and 3) and SMEs (1, 2 and 3) - click on the numbers to download the presentations