Then you might want to check out Earthshift’s new PackageSmart tool – a product the company describes as, “a simplified life cycle assessment tool for evaluating the environmental impacts of packaging.” The goal is to help packaging engineers to more easily identify and implement more sustainable packaging alternatives, and to integrate this kind of environmental assessment early in the design cycle.
As the makers of SimaPro LCA (lifecycle assessment) software, Earthshift has a wealth of experience to draw on in developing such a tool. But what is perhaps equally impressive is their commitment to making the tool “user-friendly” to the community it is intended to serve.
Key features, according the company, include:
· Comprehend Ability Quickly analyze weight changes, different materials, recycled content, take back program, shipping and distribution pathways.
· Transparency Find the source of your impacts, dig back through life cycle inventory data, and add your own data. Apply multiple metrics, including Walmart and Global Packaging Project.
· Affordability & Action ability Share your work with internal teammates or external LCA consultants with web based annual licenses.
· Consistency & Accuracy Choose your own Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and your own Life Cycle Impact Assessment Method (LCIA).
Such tools represent an important step towards making sustainable product design more accessible to the engineers and designers responsible for understanding the environmental impacts of their design decisions. An annual subscription for this web-based tool starts at $2000 for 1-5 users, with price discounts applied for larger groups. To learn more, see PackageSmart. A free two-week trial is currently available.
It’s all part of next-generation product design, a topic that is explored in greater detail in our upcoming research study, “Sustainability and the Product Lifecycle: A Report on the Opportunities, Challenges and Best Practices for Sustainable Product Design and Manufacturing.”
So - do you have what it takes to design sustainable products? Or wish you did? Tell us more. By taking this short survey, you’ll be helping to shed light on this very important – and often highly debated – topic. Whether you’re a sustainability expert or just beginning your journey – your feedback is invaluable.
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