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Contact:

Ana Erostarbe

GAIKER-IK4

Contact details:

erostarbe@gaiker.es

(+34) 94 6002323

2004/4/23

Environmental Benchmarking, the new ecodedesing strategy for industry

Unlike the traditional approach, the new policy marks out the product as a focal point of performance, its aim being to reduce the environmental impact of its performance throughout its life cycle. This is why, in the near future, design and manufacturing departments of companies will base their activities on the development of products with less environmental impact, that incorporate reusable elements and new electronic controls, intelligent materials, that have a longer life and a demise that will be more respectful to the environment. The question is whether these factors will impinge on the competitiveness of the product more than other variables such as, for example, the price.

In the knowledge that the application of IPP and EcoDesign strategies are to have an ostensible influence in production activity, GAIKER has developed new methodologies, techniques and tools with the aim of facilitating the integration of the latest perspectives on industrial design and favour, moreover, the birth of a new generation of products that are more respectful to the environment and with people’s health.

Thus, GAIKER’s Environmental Benchmarking of Products & Services has been designed to facilitate this integration of EcoDesign amongst customers. Its incorporation involves four stages:

· Study of the environmental impact of the product for the selection of comparison Ecoindicators, representing environmental impacts during the different phases of the product life

· Analysis of 'Best in class' similar products market

· Results of the product comparison studied with products selected as 'Best in Class'

· Design of a personalised methodology together with the necessary tools and information, to enable the integration of Environmental Benchmarking methodology into the company.

This innovative service encourages the ongoing enhancement and innovation in a company, given that the use of efforts made by others and the adaptation of that experience to its own products is an efficacious way to introduce environmental improvements.

Finally, it has to be underlined that Environmental Benchmarking is in harmony with the distinguishing features of environmental quality or Ecolabels, as well as with the 'Basque Environmental Strategy for Sustainable Development 2002-2020', being, moreover, an important step to achieving the new UNE 150.301 norm, 'Environmental management in the design and development of products and processes - EcoDesign'.