Session: DFMLC-01-01-Life Cycle Decision Making

Paper Number: 90492

90492 - Exploring the Integration of DSM and LCA Tools to Improve Design for Sustainability 

One of the many challenges that engineering designers face today is a deficiency in practical and value-adding design methodologies that consider sustainability.  Typically, addressing environmental and social impacts, for example by applying design for sustainability (DfS) principles, is not prioritized at the same level as economic, physical, and functional needs.  Additionally, many newly-introduced DfS methodologies are fragmented and underdeveloped. Furthermore, many methods are catered towards specific niche product domains or corporate workflows, making the application of these methods across a wide range of problems and products a challenge. By investigating the tools and methods available for DfS and identifying their application and limitations, this study explores the integration of design structure matrices (DSMs) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools to improve DfS. The expectation is that an integrated DSM and LCA will allow designers to explore how a single design change may propagate through to specific changes in environmental and social impacts. The initial development of a full DSM and LCA is demonstrated through the case study of a micro-pump, showing which components, materials, and processes have the most significant sustainability impacts. The results illustrate the value in applying this approach, which may be suitable across a wide range of existing products in an effort to improve DfS.

Presenting Author: Hossein Basereh Taramsari Stevens Institute of Technology

Presenting Author Biography: Hossein Basereh Taramsari is a Ph.D. student in engineering management at Stevens Institute of Technology working on research about holistic sustainable design. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Coventry University and a master's degree from the Gdansk University of Technology with a specialization in design. He worked in the automotive and pharmaceutical industries for more than 4 years and currently his research is focusing on the development of new methods for sustainable design.

Authors:

Michael Carter Stevens Institute of Technology
Hossein Basereh Taramsari Stevens Institute of Technology
Steven Hoffenson Stevens Institute of Technology