Software tools

Online

• ECODESIGN Tutorials A short introduction into the practical use of the ECODESIGN Assistant and the PILOT (only in German)
• ECODESIGN PILOT Product Investigation, Learning and Optimization Tool for sustainable product development
• EEG PILOT The ECODESIGN PILOT for electric and electronic products is a software tool, which helps product developers to find suitable strategies and measures in order to improve its product in such a way that it corresponds to the requirements of the WEEE and the RoHS directive.
• ECODESIGN Assistant Software tool for finding product improvement strategies
• IdeMat Online Database The database contains a selection of all the data in the IdeMat database. Only information about materials is available, not of processes or components.

Software, download, information,...

• A Designer`s Guide The DesignGuide to Eco-Conscious Design of electrical and electronic equipment, targeted at all those involved in design and development process.
• ECO-it ECO-it allows you to describe a complex product and its life cycle. Just enter the materials and processes that are used. ECO-it immediately calculates the environmental load, and shows you which parts of the product contribute most. Based on this information you can target your creativity to reduce the environmental load of the product. A free downloadable demo version with the database and some examples can be downloaded!
• EcoScan To analyze a product in EcoScan you use a Product Life Cycle form (PLC form). By filling in the sheets production, usage, and disposal you specify the product. In this way you analyze the main stages of a product life cycle. The filling in of these sheets is merely a question of dragging and dropping data from ready-made databases onto the form. And if you choose the automatic disposal mode EcoScan makes it even more easy. In that case the disposal sheet is automatically filled in. Free demo available.
• EDGE Version 3.1 of Environmental Design Guide for Engineers (EDGE) is a project-related software tool that provides more than 200 opportunities to incorporate pollution prevention into projects during the design phase. Each opportunity is supported by examples, pictures, and references to help you evaluate the applicability and potential benefits to your project. Built-in filters narrow the focus to only the opportunities that apply, based on project size and design stage.
• GaBi 4 The software system GaBi 4 is a tool for building up life-cycle-balances and provides solutions for different problems regarding cost, environment, social and technical criteria. GaBi 4 gives support with handling with a large amount of data and within modelling of the product life cycle. In addition the software helps optimizing processes and managing the external representation in these fields.
• LCAiT The user saves time in generating and solving the material balance. Enables sensitivity analysis by allowing the user to generate many alternative solutions in a fraction of the time it would take to do the same thing manually. Documentation Faciliates structured documentation of the life-cycle. Reference texts can be added to all data fields. Has a user friendly interface under MS Windows. Builds a flowchart using process and transport cards that are connected by using simple click and draw. By clicking a card a dialogue opens by which the parameters can be changed. One process tree can be imported to another LCA file allowing for modular design. The results from one LCA can be imported into a card in another LCA. This opens the possibility to build aggregated LCAs. Shows results as bar charts. Easy to read and modify. Can be exported to MS Excel and similar softwares for further analysis or to your wordprocessor
• Regis 2.2 ECOPRO is a German program running on Windows. While ECOPRO allows for the systematic construction of product life cycles, it enables you to define specific system boundaries.
• SimaPro SimaPro is a full-featured LCA software tool. Complex products with complex life cycles can be compared and analysed. The process databases and the impact assessment databases can be edited and expanded without limitation. The ability to trace the origin of any result has been implemented in a very flexible and powerful way. Special features are: multiple impact assessment methods, multiple process databases, automatic unit conversion. Furthermore, there are powerful tools to analyse take-back and disassembly of products, as well as complex waste treatment and recycling scenario. Free demo!
• TEAM Life-Cycle Assessment software package from the Ecobilan Group. TEAM allows the user to build and use a large database and to model any system representing the operations associated with products, processes and activities.
• UMBERTO UMBERTO is a versatile and flexible software tool for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and ecobalancing based on the unique method of material flow networks (MFNs). Comprehensive database with predefined transition moduls (raw materials, materials, handling processes, waste processing, etc.).

• Eco-Indicator The Eco-indicator is primarily a tool for the designer. It allows the designer to make his own LCA with the help of 100 pre-defined LCAs for commonly used materials and processes. The designer can use the Eco-indicator in two ways: To get the questions right (what are the primary causes of the environmental burden of a product) and to get the answers right (which design alternative has the lowest environmental burden) The methodology is an extension of the SETAC LCA LCA methodology, it uses a normalisation and an evaluation stage. Product Ecology Consultants (PR) provides a list with already existing Eco-indicators.
• IDEMAT - Idemat is a computer database for designers, developed by the section for Environmental Product Development of the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at the Delft University of Technology. It provides technical information about materials and processes in words, numbers and graphics, and puts emphasis on environmental information. The program has been developed to be used by students of technically oriented academic disciplines like Industrial Design Engineering, Civil Engineering, Material Science and Aerospace Engineering. The computer program is available in two editions: a student version and a company version.
• IVAM LCA Data A database in SimaPro 7 format to be used for environmental life cycle assessment (LCA).

• AUDIT AUDIT is a (modular-structure) program for environmental management and controlling to analyze and simulate complex systems. As a comprehensive program for material flow balances, AUDIT can be applied to all processes and material flows within the company.
• Design for Manufacture and Assembly DFMA software (Boothroyd Dewhurst, Inc.) is a combination of two complementary tools: Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacture (DFM).
• International Dismantling Information System The IDIS software was developed in order to optimize and make recycling of End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) easier and is designed to lay out data and manuals concerning end-of-life vehicles.