Identifying and Prioritizing Ecodesign Key Factors for the Automotive Industry

One of the key causes that most contribute to the environmental degradation that threatens the planet is the increasing production and consumption of goods and services. Some of the factors that contribute to that are: (a) the lifestyle of some societies; (b) the development of emerging countries; (c) the ageing of population in developed countries; (d) the inequalities among regions of the planet; and (e) the ever smaller life cycle of products (Maxwell et al., 2006). The balance between environmental “cost” and functional “income” is essential for sustainable development, resulting that environmental issues must now be merged into “classical” product development processes (Luttropp & Lagerstedt, 2006). Concepts such as ecodesign, cleaner production, design for (the) environment, recycling projects and development of sustainable products promote a re-design at techniques, like conceptualization, design and manufacturing of goods (Byggeth et al., 2007). Ecodesign is a concept that integrates multifaceted aspects of design and environmental considerations aiming to create sustainable solutions that satisfy human needs and desires. The product is a part of life-style and design, as well as ecodesign, relate to more than the rational function of a product or service (Karlsson & Luttropp, 2006). There are several motivations for implementing ecodesign besides the environmental aspects, e.g. cost savings, competitive advantage, image of the company, quality improvement, legal requirements. Large companies consider the implementation of ecodesign as a way to preserve the environment as well the competitiveness and the image of the organization. Nevertheless, small and medium enterprises still need to be convinced of the advantages and possibilities of ecodesign (Vercalsteren, 2001). A priori, SMES rarely integrate the analysis of environmental restrictions to their field of knowledge (Pochat et al., 2007). Another difficulty presented for companies in general, and SMES in particular, refers to the ecodesign tools. Most require application by experts (Pochat et al., 2007; Rao, 2004). Moreover, many tools for ecodesign fail because they do not focus on the design, but seek retrospective analysis based on existing products (Lofthouse, 2006). Indeed, ecodesign, as a process, must be integrated into the design and management processes of the company. Not only appropriated tools for ecodesign are needed, but also tools that can help designers to link then to their conventional tools (Pochat et al., 2007). A lot of different requirements for