The objective of this EArly-concept Research Grant (EAGER) project is to collect a comprehensive set of fundamental sustainable design principles that will, for the first time, combine existing international sustainable design standards and analytical quantitative models for sustainable design decisions, in order to advance sustainable design theory. With this information, an extensive database of sustainability knowledge will be developed from which novel quantitative metrics can be derived that connect design attributes to sustainability impact. The end result will address sustainable manufacturing and product development needs.
If successful, this work will give researchers and product developers essential insight into the sustainability of early phase engineering designs by means of a transparent, cohesive system analysis that can be used during the early design phase, leading to a greater dissemination of environmentally friendly design and the availability of more sustainable products in the marketplace. The work will enable designers to better understand sustainable design in both quantitative and qualitative terms, determine ways to manufacture increasingly sustainable products, and communicate sustainability across the supply chain in a standardized way. Giving developers the tools to measure the sustainability of a potential product from the early design phase will facilitate the development of countless new sustainable products, reducing the global environmental impact of product manufacturing, use, and disposal.
