For printed copies of this or other pollution prevention publications distributed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pollution Prevention, please call the Office of Pollution Prevention at 614/644-3469. A printed copy of the Office of Pollution Prevention publications distribution list, "Pollution Prevention Information Available from Ohio EPA", may also be ordered by calling 614/644-3469. Design for the Environment, U.S. EPA The Design for the Environment Program Cleaner Technologies for a Safer Future U.S. Environmental Protection Agency What is Design for the Environment? Preventing pollution--reducing or eliminating the creation of pollutants-- is the most effective and efficient way to protect the environment. Design for the Environment (DfE) encompasses efforts to design products and processes in ways that eliminate or minimize creation of associated pollution. DfE makes good business sense because it lowers the cost of hazardous waste disposal and reduces the expenses associated with regulation compliance. DfE also helps society avoid the high costs of coping with the environmental and health problems resulting from pollution. Making available information on the comparative risks of alternative chemicals, processes, and technologies is at the heart of accomplishing DfE. What is EPA's Design for the Environment Program? EPA's DfE Program operates out of the agency's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), making available a wealth of chemical risk information. It is a voluntary cooperative program which promotes the use of safer chemicals, processes, and technologies in the earliest design stages. The DfE Program assists industry in making informed, environmentally responsible design choices by providing standardized analytical tools for industry application and providing information on the comparative risk and performance of chemicals and processes. By helping to translate pollution prevention into meaningful terms for professional groups, the DfE Program contributes to building the institutional structure in corporations to support pollution prevention. DfE Program activities fall into two broad categories: (l) the voluntary DfE Program which encourages specific industries to incorporate pollution prevention into their designs and (2) long term projects that translate pollution prevention into terms that make sense to professions such as chemistry, chemical engineering, marketing, accounting, and insurance. What are the Design for the Environment Industry Projects? Several projects are underway that promote the understanding and utilization of DfE tools and principles. A brief description of each follows. A number of other industries have expressed interest in working with the EPA's Design for the Environment Program (DfE). - The Dry Cleaning Project. The EPA is conducting an assessment of alternatives for dry cleaning processes. Industry groups are active participants. Comparative risk, performance, and cost information of pollution prevention and control techniques, including alternative solvents and technologies will be collected. The Substitutes Assessment information will be conveyed through specialized outreach in order to reach the small, decentralized users which characterize the dry cleaning industry. - The Printing Industry Project. The Printing Project has brought together printers, printing trade associations, and chemical and equipment suppliers with EPA representatives to identify functional groups (i.e., inks, press washes) in the five printing processes and systematically identify the trade-off issues associated with alternatives. These assessments will focus on comparative risks and performance of alternative chemicals and printing technologies. - Life Cycle Analysis of a Computer Workstation. The electronics industry is conducting a lifecycle assessment of a computer workstation. The assessment will identify pollution prevention opportunities that can be incorporated into the design phase of computer production. DfE analytical tools are helping to inform the design process. What are the Design for the Environment (DfE) Long Term Projects? OPPT has launched several projects to incorporate pollution prevention criteria in the framework of analysis that professionals in areas such as chemical engineering, marketing, accounting and insurance utilize. Brief descriptions of each follow. - Chemical Design Project. The traditional approach to designing synthetic chemicals has been to produce the greatest yield at the least cost. Many designs that produce high yields, however, also generate toxic by-products or use high-risk substances. To shift design priorities, the EPA has established the Chemical Design Project, a grant program to fund basic research at universities to develop alternative approaches that consider pollution prevention, not just yield, in the design and manufacture of chemicals. The grants provide a model for other grant-funding agencies and institutions. - Pollution Prevention Center The EPA has funded a pollution prevention center at the University of Michigan. With the cooperation of other Universities, the center is developing curricula that incorporate Design for the Environment (DfE) principles, rather than pollution-control techniques, for college and university courses in engineering, business, and natural resources. - Full Cost Accounting Methodology Development. The benefits of pollution prevention in the design of products and processes are often difficult to measure and quantify. Work is underway to develop analytic accounting techniques which record direct and indirect savings generated by pollution prevention. Model Environmental Cost Accounting Systems will be disseminated to potential users of the techniques. - Insurance Initiatives. The EPA is working with insurance underwriters and risk managers to develop analytical techniques which incorporate pollution prevention as a factor that prevents various types of losses before they occur. How can industry benefit from the Design for the Environment Program? The Design for the Environment Program (DfE) provides standardized analytical tools to industry and lets companies adapt the tools to their needs. Industries characterized by large companies use the tools and EPA information on risk and performance to evaluate substitutes. The EPA assists industries characterized by small businesses in analyzing alternatives and providing outreach. What are the Design for the Environment Analytical Tools? - Use Cluster Identification. An industry begins by identifying "use clusters". A "use cluster" is a set of chemicals, processes, and technologies that can substitute for one another in order to perform a specific function. - Use Cluster Scoring System. The Use Cluster Scoring System is EPA's way of sharing it's expertise in chemical risk with industry partners. This streamlined scoring system incorporates such factors as human and ecological risks, exposure, EPA Program office interest, and pollution prevention opportunities. It is a first cut for companies who are looking to see which chemical alternatives may compare favorably as substitutes when they design their products and processes. The Use Cluster Scoring System can also prioritize and direct research into more favorable alternatives. - Cleaner Technology Substitutes Assessment (CTSA). A Substitutes Assessment is conducted for prioritized use clusters. The Substitutes Assessment compares the trade-off issues associated with alternatives including risk, releases, performance, cost, energy impacts, resource conservation, and pollution prevention opportunities. A completed Substitutes Assessment provides all the information that a company needs to decide between alternatives. - Cleaner Technology Inventory. Information collected with these tools will be reported to PIES for inclusion in the Cleaner Technology Inventory. The inventory will help industry to (l) identify safer substitutes for use in existing industry operations (2) identify opportunities for incorporating pollution prevention principles into the development of new chemicals and technologies, and (3) assist other companies and industries who wish to conduct Substitutes Assessments. How do I receive additional information about the DfE Projects? To order more information about the individual Design for the Environment (DfF) projects, send requests to the EPA's Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse; PPIC, 7600-A Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043; fax (703) 82l-4800, phone (703) 82l-4800. How can I get involved? For more information about how your company can participate, contact Jean E. (Libby) Parker (TS-779), Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, U.S. EPA, 401 M Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20460, fax (202) 260-098l; phone (202)260-0667.