Efforts to improve the eco-efficiency for products of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation-factor x by using MET indicators

The Amended Law for Promotion of Effective Use of Resources enforced on April, 2001, sets forth reduce, reuse and recycle (3Rs) in this priority order in terms of product design, designating individual products as designated reuse promotion products and obligates the application of Design for Environment (DfE). DfE can be evaluated by following the product assessment manual but the means to express the environmental impact of the product itself quantitatively has not been established yet. The LCA, a prominent measure of this evaluation, has recently started to gain rapid understanding. However, research on "Factor X", a more direct and simple approach, is making further advance. Here, examples of "Factor X" calculation will be reported.