ABSTRACT
One of the most important aspects of Design for Environment (DFE) is that it can act as a connecting bridge between production planning and development and the environmental management of the same, two functions that are usually separate. In order to fulfi ll this role, the design activity must have several ineluctable features: a product life cycle orientation; the balancing of a wide range of requirements; and a simultaneous and integrated structure of the design intervention. Only on the basis of these premises is it possible to conceive a process of product development that furthers the sustainability of its life cycle, with the ideal objective of obtaining a product whose manufacture, use, and disposal have the least possible effects on the environment. This chapter traces the general picture of how an intervention directed at environmental protection can be integrated in the product design and development process. It will also identify the most appropriate strategies and tools for an integrated design process that considers all the phases of the life cycle, analyzing and reconciling determinant factors such as producibility, requisites for use, cost, and environmental aspects.
