The framework of information sharing in end-of-life for sustainable product development

Abstract

Driven by the international pressure, various legislations such the WEEE and RoHS by the EU and the deteriorating environmental conditions, sustainable product development will take the centre stage for manufacturers in particularly the electrical and electronic manufacturers. One of the factors that is impeding sustainable product development currently is the deficiency of knowledge and lack of total management for the product life cycle from cradle to grave. In this paper, the objective is to develop a conceptual framework for managing the end-of-life information and design information in assistance of designing product with better environmental performance from a system perspective. The end-of-life stage which is formally being incorporated in an earlier work for Integrated Manufacturing and Product Service System (IMPSS) to close the product life cycle management loop will be formalized and structured for easier information sharing with design stage. Ontology will be employed for implementing the concept. © 2006 IEEE.