A survey of systems approaches to green design with illustrations from the computer industry

Increased recognition of the importance of sustainable development is posing new challenges for industry. A systems approach provides a framework for reconciling the needs of sustainable development with all of the other demands on industry. The computer industry has been chosen to illustrate the application of a systems approach to green design in industry on account of both its increasing economic importance and the increasing role of computers in society. A brief discussion of the current environmental impact of the computer lifecycle is presented to set the context for the discussion of systems approaches to green design, and a survey of existing systems-based design approaches and discussion of their application to the computer industry is given. A number of examples are presented to illustrate the advantages and application of a systems approach to green design, and the principles as well as some of the main issues in a systems approach to green design in the computer industry are discussed.