Sustainability Language

Life Cycle Assessment & Product Footprinting

Eco-design

The systematic integration of environmental aspects into product design and development to reduce adverse impacts across the whole life cycle (ISO 14006).

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Definition

Eco-design (ecodesign) is defined by ISO 14006:2020 as a systematic approach that considers environmental aspects in design and development with the aim of reducing adverse environmental impacts throughout a product's life cycle. It applies life-cycle thinking from raw-material extraction to end of life, addressing material selection, energy and water use in production and use, durability, reparability and recyclability. The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR, in force July 2024) makes ecodesign requirements legally binding for most physical goods.

References

ISO

definition and life-cycle thinking

Overview

What it means

Environmental performance specified as a design parameter, decided when roughly 80 per cent of a product's impacts are still open.

How it is used

Companies integrate ecodesign into management systems (ISO 14001/14006); regulators use it to set product-specific requirements on energy, durability and recycled content.

Why it matters

Ecodesign is where circular-economy ambitions become engineering reality, and where EU product policy is now anchored.

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