Interoperability standards for eco-innovation: The DEPUIS project

The paper proposes the use of product data technology to better manage the complexity of information needed to design products with a low environmental impact throughout the whole life cycle, from the "cradle to the grave". The use of these standards has to be considered as an investment which brings not only to meet the requirements of the Integrated Product Policy promoted by the European Commission, but also a better management of the products from every point of view: reduction of time to market, reduction of mistakes, better maintenance services and, in the end, lower costs of production, which is every company's goal. However, since the use of these standards is very complex, the European funded project "DEPUIS" is providing useful on line support: a multimedia handbook will include all the basic information for achieving interoperability to support production.