Hosted by Cadalyst magazine as part of its new On the Edge webinar series, “The Truth About Environmental Performance Software” attempted to address such questions as:
- Is sustainable design just a passing fad?
- Do the tools available today effectively support the kind of lifecycle thinking required to create innovative, profitable, earth-friendly products?
- To what extent do LCA (life cycle analysis), PLM (product lifecycle management), and environmental compliance tools and technology play a part in supporting sustainable product design and development today?
What was perhaps most compelling to me is that we all agreed that sustainable product development is here to stay - the real question is, what will it take for it to be embraced more widely? As a scientist and true practitioner of life cycle analysis, Earthshift’s Lise Laurin offered valuable insight regarding the evolution of LCA-based thinking, while Sustainable Minds’ Terry Swack emphasized the value of LCA as a diagnostic tool, useful for assisting product designers early in the design process. PTC’s Jørgen Vos offered a unique perspective, as the overseer of both the company’s new lifecycle analytics tool, as well as its more widely known InSight environmental compliance software.
Mostly, however, the discussion centered around what it would take, ultimately, to make sustainable product design more of a standard practice among manufacturers. And, here – the message is clear. In addition to education, communication between such diverse groups as engineering and design, quality, environmental health and safety, and corporate sustainability is key. How that will be accomplished – as well as the tools, technology, and best practices that can be employed to facilitate communication and achieve sustainability objectives – is part of the ongoing debate among practitioners in this area.
Some suggest that sustainability is destined to take much the same path as the quality movement did years ago; some suggest that taking even small steps towards meeting your company’s sustainable product design and development objectives, is what is required. In either case, tools and methodologies like PLM, LCA and environmental compliance are an important part of the solution, but only a part. Overall, a new way of viewing and supporting product design and development is what is truly necessary – one that takes into account both economic objectives and environmental/social impacts.
It’s all part of next-generation product design, a topic that is explored in greater detail in the related research study, “Sustainability and the Product Lifecycle: A Report on the Opportunities, Challenges and Best Practices for Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing.” So, stay tuned. We’ll be providing updates and an opportunity to participate in the research in the weeks and months ahead.
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