A systematic methodology of material selection with environmental considerations

Abstract

Increasingly stringent regulations and widely expressed public concerns for the environment highlight the importance of making environmentally oriented decisions in product design. Traditionally, product design has been driven by marketing, economic, engineering, and manufacturing constraints. Until very recently, considerations of the impact that products have on the natural environment have not been included in design decision processes. Products affect the environment at various stages in their life cycle in many ways. Among them is the choice of materials used in the product. The key therefore is to bring environmental concerns into the material selection process. This paper presents a methodology for incorporating environmental considerations in the selection of materials at the design phase. The authors examine the environmental impacts of materials and develop a selection methodology. A case study of material selection in a housing of the electronic device is presented to illustrate their methodology for selecting materials that meet engineering and environmental requirements while maintaining the lowest cost to the manufacturer.