Sustainable Design Using Integrated TRIZ and Eco-Checklist With Function Impact Matrix

Design is one of the most important stages in product development. Product design has witnessed significant changes during the last few decades in the objective from meeting basic functions to customization. Sustainability is a new concept for assessing product design leading to the low level of adverse impact on environments. This paper examines different methods in sustainable design. A new method, known as integrated TRIZ and Eco-checklist with Function Impact Matrix, is proposed to improve the existing methods. Design of a novel wheelchair is used as an example to apply the proposed method from conceptual design to final design to meet sustainable design outlines. Environmental footprints of product components, including air acidification, energy consumption and carbon footprint, are evaluated in the material selection and manufacturing process.Copyright © 2012 by ASME