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Environmental classification of products in a context of ecodesign in small and medium enterprises
- Publication Year :
- 2017
- Publisher :
- Opole: Opole University, Faculty of Economics, 2017.
-
Abstract
- More and more often a life cycle thinking is considered as a valuable element of environmental management. Product-based environmental management systems often refer to ecodesign, which can be used in various aspects of product management. Due to their own specificity, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often encounter difficulties when conducting ecodesign activities. The paper presents a simplified approach based on the life cycle-based environmental classification of products intended for using in SMEs as a starting point for eco-design. A main goal of the paper is to propose such classification and discuss its role in improving the environmental performance of products. The presented analysis included 50 products classified according to the chosen criteria. As the first step, a cluster analysis has been performed and a distinction between passive and active products has been made. A main conclusion was that the information received from the cluster analysis may be insufficient to be a sole basis for ecodesign. A second classification has been performed basing on the selected environmental impact indicators (GWP100a and CED) calculated for three life cycle stages: a production, an use and a final disposal. The final products' classification reflects the differences in environmental hotspots between products and can be used for supporting the SMEs in implementation of life cycle-based eco-design processes.
- Subjects :
- ecodesign
business.industry
Computer science
020209 energy
Environmental classification
Context (language use)
02 engineering and technology
010501 environmental sciences
Small business
Q55
01 natural sciences
Q56
products classification
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
ddc:330
Small and medium-sized enterprises
business
Industrial organization
Ecodesign
small and medium enterprises
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
cluster analysis
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....7cc46cdac0dc9afdb84fb6ab83c26c07