ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING - A STATE-OF-THE-ART SURVEY

Environmentally conscious design and manufacturing (ECD&M) is a view o f manufacturing that includes the social and technological aspects of the design, synthesis, processing, and use of products in continuous o r discrete manufacturing industries. The benefits of ECD&M include saf er and cleaner factories, worker protection, reduced future costs for disposal, reduced environment and health risks, improved product quali ty at lower cost, better public image, and higher productivity. Enviro nmentally conscious technologies and design practices will allow manuf acturers to minimize waste and to turn waste into a profitable product . This paper updates information about ECD&M and provides some general information, guidelines, and references for research and implementati on. In the meantime, more clear definitions of related terms used in t he ECD&M area are provided. A brief future trends analysis is also pro vided.