LCA案例研究

飞利浦是最早使用Simapro,开展产品生命周期评估的企业之一;飞利浦利用生命周期管理思维开展生态设计已经有20多年,作为一个在利用可持续发展创造持续经济和社会价值的领先企业,飞利浦的经验或许值得企业借鉴。

 

生态设计和LCA并非遥不可及,联系我们吧,一起学习和开展属于你的品牌的生态设计大业!

 

我们不知道飞利浦算不算是最可持续发展的公司,从现有的排名上看显然还算不上,可是因为生态设计工作的关系,使得我们比较了解这家企业,相对于其他尚未接触和服务过的企业而言,我们从飞利浦身上学到了很多。希望通过分享本文有关飞利浦的生态产品设计工作,帮助中国的企业了解产品生态设计的思路、方法和工具,避免或少走弯路,更好地促进生态设计产品的研发和应用,贡献中国的节能减排和生态文明事业。


二 十多年前,皇家飞利浦公司信奉一种所谓生态设计的发展理念,以实现减少其产品对环境造成影响的广泛目的。该战略并不是独一无二的:其强大的竞争对手中,从 通用电气,松下电器,索尼到西门子都拥有成熟的生态策略。然而,飞利浦所获得明显回报的企业战略重点,不仅仅是其销售业绩,更是其品牌影响力。

例如,在去年(2014年),飞利浦消费电子,照明和医疗保健技术中,绿色生产产品占了其约160亿美元收入的51%,超过两年提前实现了其内部目标。去年,飞利浦为保持其发展势头不落后于其他公司,在"绿色创新"上投资了接近7亿美元。而飞利浦的对手GE过去的几年中,也在“生态想象力”项目及发展上投资了数十亿美元,截止2014年,GE在生态产品的收入已经超过了100亿美金,在未来几年里,GE还将投入100亿美金进行生态想象力产品的研发。

平心而论,飞利浦专注于绿化产品组合已很长一段时间了。如同它的一些最大竞争对手一样,早在上世纪70年代,它便开始有条不紊地在产品上驱逐出有毒的化学物质,减少其操作方式对环境的影响;在1998年,它便公布了它的第一个正式的生态愿景和企业目标。

根据一位高级可持续发展总经理所言,如今,飞利浦正在争取使其绿色产品截止到2015年占总收益的55%。同时,飞利浦可持续性发展团队中EHS高级总裁,托马斯-马里内利说:"我可以坦白的告诉你,这是一项很大的挑战,特别是作为整体市场的推动和延伸,(去探索)什么是可能的范围。"

 

绿色创新的六大支柱

在生态设计创作过程中的重点领域,包括能源效率,包装,物质,重量,回收和处理,及生命周期绩效(LCA):飞利浦与荷兰代尔夫特理工大学合作制定方法学。"我们希望我们的产品能够显优于前人的,"马里内利表示,也包括飞利浦公司的最接近的竞争对手的技术。

由生态设计催化出的改进会根据所谈论领域不同有所变化。如高度专业化的医疗组合,包括医疗设备和与它竞争激烈的通用电气,在2013年,飞利浦推出了12款新产品,主要聚焦点在能源效率。举个例子,最新的EPIQ超声波成像系统,与前代相比,其产品重量及能耗均减少了30%。新的X射线系统和病人显示器提供了类似的改进。通用电气公司已将他们20%到25%的医疗系统进行了类似的改进。

在消费者生活方式的阵容中,随着再生材料的使用和功耗的降低,飞利浦优先考虑避免物质的问题。最近的一个例子是新的24英寸和27英寸的POWERSENSOR显示器的引进,使用传感器来检测当有人在附近时,如果有人起身离开,屏幕会自动降低亮度。这有助于为LCD减少能源使用量,EPEAT(电子产品环境影响评估工具)金牌认证的显示器有着高达80%的替代品。该技术也经TCO EDGE认证,这意味着它也使用了至少65%的消费后塑料,而且产生100%可再循环利用的包装。

当 然,这种创新如显示器现在是一种关键技术,但多年来,飞利浦已经在该领域获得许多第一。尽管它在电视市场的风光不在,但它是发布不含聚氯乙烯塑料和溴化阻 燃剂电视的第一个公司。从历史上看,绿色和平组织早先批评飞利浦相对于其他制造商发展一个强大的全球循环利用和产品回收程序的速度较慢。但事实上飞利浦回 收的活动早已开始:20世纪90年代出现过第一个生产者回收程序,并在2013年该公司回收了大约31000吨(相比之下,2010年是22500吨)。

大多数读者都熟悉飞利浦在LED照明平台上广泛的商业前景,在该领域它是市场的领头羊之一,如同GE、东芝、CREE、欧司朗和照明科学集团一样。

该阵容中一个相对较新的成员是太平洋LED绿色停车场系统,包括集成的灯具,无线控制和存在检测中的应用。该公司定位是三年内找到能够替代荧光灯的而且能够支付得起的有效替代品。为此,飞利浦推出了融资模型,鼓励车库和企业投资,持续改进其技术。

马里内利说:我们正在销售使用权而不是所有权。

这句话其实是飞利浦倡导"循环经济"的一部分,其强调产品的"维护,再利用,再制造和再循环"而不是"索取,制造和处理"的理念,尤其当世界人口正在朝着2050年90亿发展时。马里内利强调说:"我们的目标是,经济增长与自然资源的使用脱钩。"

来自麦肯锡的研究估算,通过资源的再利用1万亿美元的价值可以得到恢复,否则将被白白浪费掉。

在它的产品群中,马里内利说飞利浦团队被鼓励去问:我可以升级产品吗?我可以再制造或翻新吗?我可以把它拆开然后获取部件吗?

除 了肯定会促进销售业绩外,飞利浦的生态设计理念正在帮助公司树立良好的公众形象。它是2014年度美国环境保护署的能源之星合作伙伴;和松下生态解决方案 及LG电子一道,均被命名为持续卓越的公司。更重要的是,在所有的高科技的国际品牌2014全球绿色品牌排名中,飞利浦名次升的最多,跳了九位到第14位 (它的竞争对手索尼、松下得分较高;通用公司是第23位)。在过去的两年里,飞利浦上升了17位。

飞利浦集团可持续发展总经理,亨克在一份声明中说:我们相信在商业模式,材料的再利用及设计上采用循环经济的方法,将进一步带给我们巨大的竞争优势,同时让世界变得更加可持续性。


环翼之前曾较深入地分析了比较多有关飞利浦公司以及其他公司的生态设计活动,通过这些分析比较我们获得了一些比较重要的认识,例如对一个电子公司来讲:

生态设计不仅是一项环境问题,更是一项商业问题;

生态设计不仅是一个外在的环保人士的工作,更是公司所有相关员工的重要职责所在;

生态设计不仅是对环境的一种设计,也是对经济和社会问题的一种设计(成功的条件);

生态设计不单单是生命周期评估,因为单单看生命周期评估,其并不能叫生态设计;

生态设计和生命周期评估之间的关系如同油画和颜料;

相似的阐述也是对的,如生态设计和最优化设计;生态设计和绿色供应链等等;当一个产品是处在生态设计环节时,其生态设计过程并没有完成,因为它成功的判断标准是它在市场上的成绩以及它对环境,经济和社会所创造的价值;生态设计不是一项学术性工作,它是商业的练兵场。

为实现在公司能良好地应用生态设计的目的,环翼建议以下可行的方法(该建议得益于飞利浦可持续性发展副总裁,AB史提文斯的建议):生态设计的接受和实施不必受到文化差异的约束(中国,西方……)。随着时间的推移,相关工作步骤如下:

1、获得许可去做一个"绿色会议",使管理层及利益相关方认同,就生态设计的战略方向达成一致;

2、来自各种学科的一群人,各司其职,工作在公司比较关注产品的流水线上,随后就有关绿色产品的改进上进行一场头脑风暴,如果条件允许,使用基准去创造更多的选项;同时,利用环翼自主开发的一米一LCA与生态设计平台完成简化版生命周期评估的发展,该筛选工具基于LCA环境影响评估;

3、获得绿色选择之后便根据环境,商业,消费者的利益及技术和财务的可行性随后进行分析(使用一个生态设计成熟度矩阵)。这导致了一个优先操作清单,该清单提交管理层批复决定执行。

4、事实上,大多数产品的环境和经济绩效呈正相关性,这样的活动几乎100%确定是成功的。在西方社会,成本节约是非常重要的驱动力;

5、经过一些这种"绿色工程"之后,绿色开始整合到操作中(整合是一个关键的词)。这意味着有关企业所做的一切产品都附加有关环境的部分,最重要的是将其(环境)纳入未来的产品规格。

6、整个过程成功的秘密在于,生态设计是建立在浅显易懂的物理参数如千瓦时,公斤,秒和比例等参数。每个有常识的人都能理解它,而不是抽象的概念,如环境评分,对每个人来讲无需去环境语言(LCA)学校。

7、企业可以选择生命周期评估或更复杂的需求应用,如环境产品认证,如飞利浦的绿色旗舰产品,创建或定制生态扫描工具(例如定制版一米一平台)等。

 

最后的建议是,不要指望在一个晚上一切都会发生变化,创新需要时日去出现、适应和成熟,如果生态设计能够明显的给人们带来效益,那它就会发展运行的更好,中国公司也不例外。

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Why Philips' EcoDesign play is paying off in more than one way

By Heather Clancy

Published July 07, 2014

 

One decade ago, Royal Philips embraced a development philosophy called EcoDesign with the broad aim of minimizing the impact of its products on the environment. The strategy isn't unique: its fiercest rivals ranging from General Electric, Matsushita, Sony, Siemens and Pansonic all boast mature eco-strategies. Still, Philips' focus is paying off demonstrably not just in sales, but in brand perception.

Last year, for example, Philips consumer electronics, lighting and healthcare technologies created under that green products umbrella accounted for 51 percent of its approximately $16 billion in revenue — beating its internal goal by more than two years. During the previous year, the company invested close to $700 million in "green innovation" to keep up that momentum over time although that number pales in comparison with the $4.2 billion that GE has invested in its "healthmagination" research and development over the past several years.

To be fair, Philips has been focused on greening its product portfolio for quite some time. LIke some of its biggest competitors, it started methodically driving out toxic chemicals and minimizing the environmental impact of its operations way back in the 1970s; it adopted its first formal EcoVision program and corporate goals back in 1998.

Now, the company is shooting for its green products to account for 55 percent of revenue by 2015, according to a senior sustainability executive. "It is challenging, I can tell you, especially as the overall market pushes and stretches the bounds of what is possible," said Thomas Marinelli, senior director of Environment Health and Safety, with the Philips sustainability group.

 

Six pillars of green innovation

The focal areas within the EcoDesign creation process include energy efficiency, packaging, substances, weight, recycling and disposal, and lifetime reliability: Philips worked out the methodology in collaboration with the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. "We want our products to be significantly better compared to the predecessor lines," Marinelli said, also pointing to technology from the company's closest competitors.Excerpt from a Philips infographic

The improvements catalyzed by EcoDesign differ depending on the area you're talking about. For the highly specialized healthcare portfolio, which includes medical equipment and where it competes fiercely with GE, Philips introduced 12 new products during 2013 with a big focus on energy efficiency. An example is the latest EPIQ ultrasound imaging system, which reduces both energy consumption and product weight by 30 percent compared with the previous generation. Its new X-ray systems and patient monitors offer similar improvements. GE has been pushing similar improvements of between 20 percent and 25 percent for its own medical systems.

In its consumer lifestyle line-up, Philips is prioritizing avoidance of substances of concern, along with the use of recycled materials and reducing power consumption. Consider the new 24-inch and 27-inch PowerSensor Displays introduced late last month, which use sensors to detect when someone is nearby to automatically reduce screen brightness if someone gets up and walks away from the screen. This helps cut energy usage for the LCD, EPEAT Gold-certified monitors by up to 80 percent compared with alternatives, according to the company. The technology is also TCO Edge certified, which means that it also uses a minimum of 65 percent post-consumer plastics, and comes in 100 percent recyclable packaging.

This sort of innovation, of course, is now table stakes for technologes such as displays but over the years, Philips has managed a number of firsts in this area. Although it's not in the television market any longer, it was one of the first companies to release a TV free of polyvinyl chloride plastic and brominated flame retardants. Historically, Greenpeace has gotten on Philips' case for being slower than other manufacturers to develop a robust global recycling and product takeback program. But it actually was early to the game: its first producer collection programs emerged in the 1990s, and in 2013, it collected an estimated 31,000 tonnes. (That compares with 22,500 in 2010.)

Philips Epiq ultrasound equipment

Most readers are familiar with Philips' extensive business in LED lighting platforms, where it is one of the market leaders along with the likes of GE, Toshiba, Cree, Osram and Lighting Science Group.

One relatively recent addition to its lineup is the Pacific LED Green Parking system, which includes integrated luminaires, wireless controls and presence detection applications. The company pitches the platform as both a safety play and a cost-effective replacement for traditional fluorescent lamps that can pay for itself in less than three years. To that end, Philips introduced a financing model that encourages garages and businesses to invest in ongoing improvements to its technology.

"We're selling access instead of ownership," Marinelli said.

This mantra is actually part of Philips' advocacy of a "circular economy" that stresses "maintenance, reuse, remanufacture and recycling" of products rather than the ideas of "take, make and dispose" as the world heads toward a population of 9 billion people in 2050. Marinelli noted: "We're aiming to decouple economic growth from the use of natural resources."

Research from McKinsey estimates that $1 trillion worth of value can be recovered by reusing resources that otherwise would be wasted.

Across its product groups, Marinelli said Philips' teams are encouraged to ask: "Can I upgrade a product? Can I remanufacture it or give it a facelift? Can I take it apart and harvest pieces?"

Aside from positively affecting sales, the Philips EcoDesign philosophy is helping the company's public image. It was a U.S. Environment Protection Agency's Energy Star Partner of the Year for 2014; Panasonic Eco Solutions and LG Electronics, were among the companies named for Sustained Excellence. What's more, among all the high-tech players featured on Interbrand's 2014 Global Green Brands ranking, Philips moved up the most on the ranking, jumping nine spots to No. 14. (Among its competitive set, Panasonic and Sony scored higher; GE was No. 23.) Over the past two years, Philips moved up 17 spots.

"We believe that adopting a circular economy approach to our business models, materials reuse and design will further give us a competitive advantage, while making the world more sustainable," said Henk de Bruin, head of Group Sustainability at Philips, in a statement.

 
 

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