System supports ‘green’ product design

Hitachi Ltd and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Micro-integration have jointly developed a support system for environment-friendly product design.
The system makes it possible to estimate the environmental burden and recycling costs based on design data – such as product structure, materials used and chemical ingredients – as well as environmental data such as recycling techniques particular to each country and region.
Under the system, assumptions about the ultimate method of recycling are made automatically for the destination market. It also offers guidelines for better product design with minimum recycling costs and environmental impacts, as well as for more efficient product disposal and dismantling. The aim is to assist user companies in developing products that have lower manufacturing costs and create lighter environmental burdens.