Definition

Eco-design is an innovative approach allowing companies to integrate environmental criteria from the product (or good or service) design phase with a view to reducing its impact throughout its life cycle (from the extraction of raw materials to the end of life).

Eco-design is a continuous improvement approach which must be adopted by a willingness at top company level and then implemented within a cross-sectional “project” team (purchasing, engineering, design, marketing, etc.). This team integrates environmental aspects in the same way as more traditionally considered aspects (economic aspects, technologies, customer expectations, etc.).


Eco-design generates innovation and results in the examination, among other things, of the choice of materials and their renewal capacity, of the impacts of manufacturing processes, modes of transport, usage or even end of life…
This effort to reduce the environmental impact of a product must be preceded by the analysis of the relevance and usage of this product so that it can be best suited to user needs.


With its impact reduction approach, eco-design can generate significant savings, for example by limiting transport costs or focusing on prevention at source (reduced use of Raw Materials), using recycled materials, etc.