Product designers and manufacturers in the South West could increase their turnover as well as ensuring compliance with upcoming energy-saving legislation by revisiting design.
Resource efficiency programme Envirowise is urging companies to take a design-aware approach, assessing the environmental impact of a product across its entire existence - from the use of raw materials, manufacture, retail and use to end-of-life, a process known as life-cycle assessment.
Importantly, taking immediate action can help companies secure significant commercial opportunities, as well as prepare for forthcoming legislation1 which seeks to improve the environmental performance of energy-using products throughout their entire life cycle.
Paul Gilbert, Envirowise Regional Manager for the South West, explains: "Research by the Design Council has shown that for every £100 a design alert business spends on design, turnover increases by £225 - giving a real commercial incentive for taking action.2
"Many UK businesses will also be required to 'design-in' resource efficiency measures at every stage of the product life-cycle when the EU's Energy Using Products (EuP) Directive comes into force. Therefore those involved in the manufacture of electrical products could get ahead by tackling changes to product specifications now."
The EuP legislation will affect all energy-using products that sell more than 200,000 units a year, across a number of categories including domestic appliances, consumer electronics, lighting and office equipment.
To work towards these new targets, Envirowise recommends that businesses consider the following:
- Adopt Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) as a framework to review all phases of the product life-cycle and identify action to minimise energy use wherever possible.
- Ensure all areas are taken into account, from the extraction of natural resources to manufacture, assembly, marketing, distribution, sale, use and eventual disposal as waste.
- Talk to customers and suppliers to find out how they plan to address environmental issues. Is there an opportunity to work together to identify more sustainable and competitive solutions?
- Visit www.envirowise.gov.uk/cleanerdesign to access free advice and tools for achieving sustainable design.
Envirowise has published a number of useful good practice guides - available free at www.envirowise.gov.uk - to help producers work towards cleaner design.
They include GG296: Cleaner Product Design: A Practical Approach which explains how a company could implement cleaner design.
A series of product design workshops will also take place this year. For further information call the Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585 794 or visit www.envirowise.gov.uk
ENDS
1) Energy Using Products Directive http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/eco_design/index_en.htm
2) Research by the Design Council has shown that for every £100 a design alert business spends on design, turnover increases by £225 www.designfactfinder.co.uk
Issues on behalf of Envirowise by Trimedia Harrison Cowley
Media Contacts: Louise Harris or Peter Stillwell on 0117 929 2311 or louise.harris@trimediahc.com
About Envirowise
Envirowise is a Government-funded programme dedicated to putting the sustainable use of resources at the heart of UK business practice.
Since 1994 Envirowise has helped UK businesses save over £1bn by enabling them to significantly reduce their environmental footprints.
Envirowise offers businesses of all sizes and sectors a wide range of free, independent and practical advice designed to genuinely improve their processes, profitability and competitiveness. Services include:
- The Advice Line on 0800 585794
- An encyclopaedic website (www.envirowise.gov.uk) of valuable and relevant information
- On-site visits* conducted by a nationwide team of expert advisors
- Over 200 events each year, from Product Design Workshops to major exhibitions
* Please note that different services are available in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales – please contact our Advice Line on 0800 585 794 for more information on whether you are eligible for a site visit.