Application of fuzzy logic for the integration of environmental criteria in ecodesign

The ecodesign of a product implies that different potential environmental problems of diverse nature must be considered, apart from the general design criteria (i.e., technical, functional, ergonomic, aesthetic or economical). In this sense, an ecodesign tool integrating the criteria provided by three environmental evaluation methodologies, namely Ecological Footprint (EF), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA), has been constructed on the basis of fuzzy logic reasoning and features. This idea enabled the decision making at process and product level taking into account the values of the different indicators at a time. The relative importance of each of them has been established through the definition of membership functions as inputs to the fuzzy inference reasoning procedure in the case of a specific product. As a result, a Fuzzy EcoDesign Index (FEcoDI) was obtained. A well known case study was used to test the tool. Different packaging materials for a beverage bottle were considered to identify the most environmentally friendly option. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.