Eco-design is practiced by large companies, SMEs and very small businesses, professional organizations, technical centers. These organizations implement it by themselves or with the help of specialized consultants. The practice of eco-design is closely linked to life cycle analysis and requires a good understanding of its concepts beforehand. But it is possible to do eco-design without carrying out a life cycle analysis study. Eco-design is also the basis of various public and private tools, such as eco-labels and greening purchasing policies. These all are discussed in the Green Exam now.
The promotion of eco-design
In here, it is essentially Green Bench which helps individuals to develop eco-design approaches for the environmental exams, as part of individual or collective operations. They also finance research and development programs and provides tools and methods such as the product assessment (a free tool). In addition, it launches by itself or co-finances studies of life cycle analysis in very varied fields: biofuels, distribution circuits, packaging, waste treatment channels. In addition, many organizations play an important role in promoting eco-design: the network of chambers of commerce and industry, competitiveness clusters, technical centers and various associations.
The eco-product award for sustainable development
The eco-product award for sustainable development is part of the business and environment awards, organized each year by the ministry. These French prizes have existed for 25 years, as have the prizes that extend them to the European level, the “European business awards for the environment”, organized by the European Commission. For the Green Associate Exam this is important to study.
The European directive on the eco-design of energy-related products
The regulations on the energy efficiency of products and equipment are established at European level in application of two framework directives. The first relates to the eco-design of products and makes it possible to set by regulation minimum performance requirements for products placed on the market, and thus to ban the least effective products. The second relates to the energy labeling of products. About twenty families of products have already been subject to such regulations: lighting, household appliances, televisions, air conditioners, electric motors, vacuum cleaners, computers.
Designing LEED buildings offers:
- A return on investment which can be less than 36 months
- A goodwill on the market of 8% on resale
- An occupancy rate above average,
- Productivity per employee 5% higher.
The offers its services to implement LEED certification:
choice of LEED approach, initial coordination of the project between the various actors, establishment of documentation for LEED certification as required by the Canadian Green Building Council, but essential for the proper layout of the project, in particular the plans for site erosion control, basic or improved building commissioning, organization of site waste management.
In addition, (provincial) legislation will evolve to take into account the reduction of GHG emissions from buildings and allow builders to be able to negotiate carbon credits. In addition to the fact that the amount of carbon credit will improve the return on investment of LEED buildings, it will also change the strategy for setting up LEED by taking into account its impact on climate change. The dual expertise in LEED buildings and in carbon quantification gives promoters an undeniable advantage to enable them to make LEED strategy decisions.
