Electronics Weekly puts its questions to an industry figure: Jenni Rosser, a cleaner design specialist with Envirowise

What is meant by the term 'cleaner design'?
Cleaner design is a sustainable approach to design which involves taking into account the environmental impact of a product or packaging across its entire existence - from the use of raw materials, manufacture, retail and use to end-of-life. By considering the 'life-cycle' of a product or packaging, businesses can reduce environmental impacts, and determine the areas for cost savings.

Do designers need to be aware of environmental issues?
Firstly, there are several pieces of environmental legislation that have already come into effect - namely the Waste Electronic & Electrical Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directives. There is also the potential to achieve real commercial benefits by identifying more sustainable techniques to minimise the use of materials.

Does RoHS and WEEE legislation make a clean design approach more important?
Increasingly businesses are approaching Envirowise for help in developing more sustainable designs, and one of the key drivers for this has been the introduction of new environmental legislation. On top of this, there is further legislation on the horizon which seeks to improve the environmental performance of energy-using products. The EU's Energy Using Products (EuP) Directive may require some manufacturers of electrical products to identify which part of a products life-cycle has the most impact on the environment and then 'design-in' efficiency measures.

What are the most important changes that electronics manufacturers need to consider?
In order to identify the most important changes, manufacturers should look at a product's life-cycle and identify which stages have the most impact on the environment. For a product like a mobile phone, one of its biggest impacts may be the disposal at the end of its life. The most important design changes for the phone may therefore include minimising raw material use and 'design for dissassembly' (DfD) to allow for easier recycling.

What advice and support is available and how much does it cost?
Envirowise offers a range of confidential advice free of charge to businesses on cleaner design including an advice line, good-practice guides and product and packaging design workshops. Companies may also be eligible for an on-site 'design track' visit from a specialist design adviser. Those that have received an on-site visit from an Envirowise design specialist have identified cost savings that range from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

See also: Electronics Weekly's WEEE Directive In Full Force, a roundup of content related to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations, and a RoHS special, on the European Directive regarding 'Restriction of Hazardous Substances'.