Research Publications

Life cycle design is a proactive approach for integrating pollution prevention and resource conservation strategies into the development of more ecologically and economically sustainable product sy...

The life cycle design framework developed at the University of Michigan guides the integration of environmental requirements into the manufacturing, use, and end-of-life stages of a product system....

The environmental profile of goods and services that satisfy our individual and societal needs is shaped by design activities. Substantial evidence suggests that current patterns of human activity ...

This paper explores the practical application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to product system development. While life cycle assessment methods have been studied and demonstrated extensively over t...

Integrating environmental requirements into the earliest stages of design is a fundamental component of product life cycle management. Still, there is much work to be done to help industry practice th...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory and the University of Michigan are cooperating in a project to reduce environmental impacts and health risks thro...

This case study documents successful waste reduction programs at McPherson Hospital in Howell, Michigan. McPherson Hospital's source reduction and recycling practices can serve as a model for other ho...

This case study documents waste reduction by the Packard store of the People's Food Cooperative (PFC) in Ann Arbor. Process and economic analyses are done to compare sales procedures for two bulk liqu...

This case study documents solid waste reduction achieved by the conversion from disposable to reusable cloth diapers at Gretchen's House III day care center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Process, economic, ...

This case study documents waste reduction by the Packard store of the People's Food Cooperative (PFC) in Ann Arbor. Process and economic analyses are done to compare sales procedures for two bulk liqu...

This is the first of two articles presenting case studies of successful solid waste source reduction programs at five businesses. Both process and economic analyses were performed for each case stu...

This is the second of a two-part article (part one appears in J. Environmental Systems, Vol. 20(4), pp. 343-357, 1990-91) documenting five case studies of successful solid waste source reduction pr...

This case study documents solid waste reduction by Steelcase Inc. at its Grand Rapids and Kentwood complexes. Waste reduction activities analyzed include the Machine Improvement Program, remanufacturi...