Integrating Sustainability in Product Development Projects

Sustainable initiatives are increasingly demanded in current production. Methods and tools to take into account environmental impacts in the design of products and services have been evolving in the last decades. In this work, a methodology based on the life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) approach is proposed to integrate all sustainability dimensions (environmental, economic and social) in projects of product development. The objective is to provide a practical scheme for companies, which could assist them in their shift towards sustainability. Methodology consists of three different phases: inventory analysis, sustainability assessment and redesign process. In addition, a number of engineering metrics and indicators are used to quantify sustainability issues and to compare different design alternatives. In order to put in practice this methodology the development project of a mobile orthopaedic crane is addressed in this work. Data associated to its manufacturing process are obtained and a product redesign with sustainable criteria is proposed.