Ecodesign tools information system - Design and analysis

Ecodesign is being promoted as one of the solutions to today's problems of pollution and resource availability. For a long time, traditional ecodesign was the preserve of engineers who designed physical goods. For several years now, ecodesign has no longer been reserved for the design of physical products, but also for services, processes, systems and organizations.

For an eco-design approach to be successful, all the company's departments need to be involved and have the necessary tools to support the approach. It seems obvious that a designer, a buyer or a salesperson will not have the same needs in terms of eco-design (ED) tools.

One of the difficulties encountered by companies, particularly SMEs, in implementing an ecodesign approach is the multitude of EOs. A systematic review of EOs has identified 625 EOs available in English, French or German. The aim of this article is to present a taxonomy of these different tools and the construction of an information system for company employees, called "Eco-Tool-Seeker", to make it easier to find the tool or tools best suited to their needs. 22 sets of EO tools were identified, and each tool was classified in one or more sets and associated with one or more functions within the company.

In the first part, the definitions of ecodesign and EO will be explained. The genesis of the tool will then be explained. In the third part, the various attempts to classify EOs and the proposal adopted in this article will be presented. In the fourth part, the design of the guide and the construction of a first computerized version will be detailed. In the final section, "Eco-Tool-Seeker" will be analyzed, with its 625 EOs.