TESPI (Tool for Environmental Sound Product Innovation) is the prototype of a software tool developed within the framework of the eLCA project. The project, (www.elca.enea.it) financed by the European Commission, is realising On line green tools and services for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). The implementation by SMEs of environmental product innovation (as fostered by the European Integrated Product Policy, IPP) needs specific adaptation to their economic model, their knowledge of production and management processes and their relationships with innovation and the environment. In particular, quality and costs are the main driving forces of innovation in European SMEs, and well known barriers exist to the adoption of an environmental approach in the product design. Starting from these considerations, the TESPI tool has been developed to support the first steps of product design taking into account both the quality and the environment. Two main issues have been considered: (i) classic Quality Function Deployment (QFD) can hardly be proposed to SMEs; (ii) the environmental aspects of the product life cycle need to be integrated with the quality approach. TESPI is a user friendly web-based tool, has a training approach and applies to modular products. Users are guided through the investigation of the quality aspects of then- product (customer's needs and requirements fulfilment) and the identification of the key environmental aspects in the product's life cycle. A simplified check list allows analysing the environmental performance of the product. Help is available for a better understanding of the analysis criteria. As a result, the significant aspects for the redesign of the product are identified.
TESPI (Tool for Environmental Sound Product Innovation): A simplified software tool to support environmentally conscious design in SMEs
Rinaldi, C.;Buttol, P.;Misceo, M.
2004-10-01
Abstract
TESPI (Tool for Environmental Sound Product Innovation) is the prototype of a software tool developed within the framework of the eLCA project. The project, (www.elca.enea.it) financed by the European Commission, is realising On line green tools and services for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). The implementation by SMEs of environmental product innovation (as fostered by the European Integrated Product Policy, IPP) needs specific adaptation to their economic model, their knowledge of production and management processes and their relationships with innovation and the environment. In particular, quality and costs are the main driving forces of innovation in European SMEs, and well known barriers exist to the adoption of an environmental approach in the product design. Starting from these considerations, the TESPI tool has been developed to support the first steps of product design taking into account both the quality and the environment. Two main issues have been considered: (i) classic Quality Function Deployment (QFD) can hardly be proposed to SMEs; (ii) the environmental aspects of the product life cycle need to be integrated with the quality approach. TESPI is a user friendly web-based tool, has a training approach and applies to modular products. Users are guided through the investigation of the quality aspects of then- product (customer's needs and requirements fulfilment) and the identification of the key environmental aspects in the product's life cycle. A simplified check list allows analysing the environmental performance of the product. Help is available for a better understanding of the analysis criteria. As a result, the significant aspects for the redesign of the product are identified.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
