APPLYING A SOLID MODELER TO BRING SUSTAINABILITY THEMES BEFORE SME REPRESENTATIVES

Sustainability themes are gradually gaining importance among companies and industrial designers in the region of Western Balkans. Nevertheless, sustainability principles are yet to be acquired by many working professionals, and many engineering training programs should be enriched by environmental science related courses. There is a constant need for new approaches and tools that are convenient for refreshment courses and trainings. Appraisal of Environmental impact of a product relies on adequate software tools that allow for initial screening, and with graphic user interface that fits users’ capabilities. There are several software packages and databases designed for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), but rather few of them are integrated with Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems in a consistent manner. Spreading the life cycle approach among young engineers and working professionals would require user friendly software tools suitable for promoting environmental friendliness. This paper brings about impressions on training-friendly features of a LCA-enriched CAD modeler and its suitability for explaining fundamentals of sustainability to representatives of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME).