[ Design for Environment ] [ Life Cycle Assessment ] [ Industrial Ecology ] [ Materials Flow Analysis ] Design for Environment (DFE) is the consideration of pollution prevention and resource conservation within the design process. General citations concerning the DFE are available [see citations below]. DFE starts with the development of environmental goals within an example set of environmental policy, needs, and concern categories. Goals should be large in scope: considering the full life cycle of performance, cost, and environmental implications. Table 1 lists example facility, local, regional, and global environmental goals. Table 1 Example Environmental Goals [1] Categories Example Environmental Goals Facility Use and waste of regulated materials Reduce or eliminate the use and waste of toxic materials throughout the life cycle. Reduce or eliminate the use and waste of flammable and explosive materials throughout the life cycle. Reduce or eliminate the need to store and discharge hazardous materials throughout the life cycle. Meet or exceed all regulatory goal. Energy consumption Reduce the consumption of energy throughout the life cycle. Local Contribution to photochemical smog Reduce or eliminate the use and waste of chemicals linked to smog formation throughout the life cycle. Contribution to water pollution Reduce or eliminate discharge to surface water and disposal potentially linked to water pollution throughout the life cycle. Contribution to toxic materials in the environment Reduce or eliminate the use and waste of process toxics throughout the life cycle. Reduce or eliminate toxic emissions from products and systems. Contribution to landfill space Reduce or eliminate solid waste generation throughout the life cycle. Contribution to oil spills Reduce the use of oil throughout the life cycle. Regional Contribution to surface water chemistry changes Reduce or eliminate the purchase of materials from processes or facilities with acidic or alkaline water discharges throughout the life cycle. Contribution to soil degradation Minimize or eliminate activities that disperse heavy metals or persistent, bioaccumulative toxic materials into the atmosphere. Minimize soil disturbance and overuse. Contribution to precipitation acidity Minimize or eliminate activities, such as fuel combustion, that disperse oxides of sulfur and nitrogen. Contribution to visibility problems Improve logistics (products, systems, and packaging) to minimize transportation goal throughout the life cycle. Global Contribution to climate change Reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals linked to global warming and ozone depletion throughout the life cycle. Reduce or eliminate the contribution to climate change throughout the life cycle. Contribution to loss of habitat and reductions in biodiversity Do not create a need for new industrial facilities anywhere in the life cycle. Reduce or eliminate the use of materials from virgin forests and protected regions throughout the life cycle. Conservation of resources Maximize the use of recovered materials and energy throughout the life cycle. Maximize recovery of components and materials throughout the life cycle. Reduce or eliminate from use scarce materials throughout the life cycle. Maximize the use of non-fossil fuel energy sources throughout the life cycle. To meet these environmental goals, DFE strategies include source reduction, material recovery, and when these fail, the use of treatable as opposed to untreatable materials. During design, these strategies can be introduced through:   material selection/ changes,  equipment selection/ changes improved purchasing choices,  improved operating practices,  improved recovery and disposition practices, and  improved logistics.  A useful technique to incorporate environmental considerations is to identify desirable types of technologies to be incorporated into designs. Table 2 provides example technology types linked to DFE strategies. Table 2 Identifying Desired Technologies [1] Technology Category Desired Technology Types DFE  Strategy Source Reduction Recovery Treatable Materials non regulated/ contributory* x       non-energy intensive x       non-water intensive x       recoverable   x     treatable as waste     x Equipment material efficient x       energy efficient x       material recovery   x     energy recovery   x     treatable wastes     x *For example, not contributing to global warming, smog formation, etc. The application of technology within a design should be linked to DFE goal. As shown in Table 3, a goal-impact-technology network can assist in DFE. Table 3 Requirement-Impact-Technology Networks [1] Requirement Impact Undesirable Technologies Desirable Technologies Minimize or eliminate the use and waste of toxic materials throughout the life cycle. illness or death heavy metals toxic acids PBTs etc. non-toxic materials Maximize the recovery of materials throughout the life cycle. resource depletion thermosets unrecoverable solvents unrecoverable metals etc. thermoplastics recoverable solvents recoverable metals etc. Reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals linked to global warming throughout the life cycle. global warming energy inefficient equipment CFCs HCFCs VOCs etc. energy efficient equipment materials of low energy content etc. Desired and other technologies combine into design concepts.  The configuration status refers to how these technologies are combined. As shown in Table 4, the configuration status is intended to help the designer understand how complicated it will be to: recover components and materials and maintain and upgrade products and equipment. Table 4 Technology Configuration Status [1] Configuration Status Technology Category Description simplified materials The number of different materials and components have been minimized.   equipment The number of production or maintenance steps have been minimized. accessible materials Recoverable materials can be accessed during maintenance and during decommissioning. equipment Equipment use, support, and maintenance is facilitated by accessibility of equipment parts. modular equipment Equipment is made up of parts that can be upgraded or replaced when warn or damaged. joining status materials Incompatible materials are not permanently joined (welded or otherwise physically or chemically adhered). Citations Cooper, J.S., B. Vigon, Life Cycle Engineering Guidelines, Prepared for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Prepared by Battelle Memorial Institute, Contract No. CR822956, 1999. Fiksel, J. Design for Environment: Creating Eco-Efficient Products and Processes," McGraw Hill, 1996. Keoleian, G.A., D. Menerey, "Sustainable Development by Design: Review of Life Cycle Design and Related Approaches," Air and Waste, Vol. 44, 644-668, May 1994. Billatos, S.B., N.A. Basaly, Green Technology and Design for the Environment, Taylor & Francis Publishers, 1997. US Environmental Protection Agency. Life Cycle Assessment: Inventory Principles and Guidelines, EPA/600/R-92/245, 1993. Keoleian, G., Life Cycle Design Framework and Demonstration Projects: Profiles of AT&T and AlliedSignal, EPA/600/R-95/107, 1995. Graedel, T., B. Allenby, Design for Environment, Prentice Hall, 1996. For more information, contact Associate Professor Joyce Smith Cooper at cooper@me.washington.edu .