Integrating the ecodesign concept in small and  medium-sized enterprises, Experiences in the Flemish region  of Belgium

An Vercalsteren

doi:10.1108/EUM0000000005706

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Environmental Management and Health

ISSN: 0956-6163
Currently published as: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal

Online from: 1990

Subject Area: Managing Quality

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Integrating the ecodesign concept in small and medium-sized enterprises, Experiences in the Flemish region of Belgium

Document Information:
Title:	Integrating the ecodesign concept in small and medium-sized enterprises, Experiences in the Flemish region of Belgium
Author(s):	An Vercalsteren, (Vito (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), Belgium)
Citation:	An Vercalsteren, (2001) "Integrating the ecodesign concept in small and medium-sized enterprises, Experiences in the Flemish region of Belgium", Environmental Management and Health, Vol. 12 Iss: 4, pp.347 - 355
Keywords:	Belgium, Environmental impact, Small- to medium-sized enterprises, Work design
Article type:	Viewpoint
DOI:	10.1108/EUM0000000005706 (Permanent URL)
Publisher:	MCB UP Ltd
Abstract:	In Belgium, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not very aware of the possibility of integrating the life cycle concept in the development of products. “Ecodesign” is more a topic of interest for larger companies. In this context, the Flemish Government, more specifically the Public Waste Agency of the Flemish Region (OVAM), launched a demonstration project, which aimed to check whether SMEs are capable of taking account of the environmental aspects of their products over the entire life cycle and creating more environment-friendly products. The results of this project in the participating companies were fairly positive. However, the project also showed that there are several factors that influence the failure or success of ecodesign in a company. To screen the ecodesign potential of a company, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (Vito) developed a tool, called the “Quick Scan”. Another conclusion of the demonstration project was that a very important success factor for an ecodesign project is the tool the company applies to analyse the environmental impacts of the product over the entire life cycle. Anticipating this problem, Vito developed a selection scheme that allows a company to select the most appropriate tool for the environmental analysis of their products, based on a number of criteria.