Design for environment at Apple Computer: a case study of the new PowerMacintosh 7200

Apple Computer, Inc. has begun to practice design for environment as part of new product development, with the goal of incorporating beneficial environmental attributes into Apple's products and synthesizing them with other requirements such as cost and manufacturability. This case study describes environmental performance improvements achieved in the new PowerMacintosh 7200 desktop product which was released in the summer of 1995 to replace the PowerMacintosh 7100. The product development team introduced a number of innovations that were both economically and environmentally beneficial, including a 25% decrease in average power consumption and a modular design that simplifies reconfiguration, facilitates servicing, and speeds disassembly. This design effort demonstrated that addressing environmental objectives is generally synergistic with the fundamental product requirements-cost, manufacturability, ease of service, and functional performance. As a result of this case study, a number of design enhancements were identified that could measurably improve the performance of future desktop products. In addition, specific steps were recommended to help incorporate the systematic practice of design for environment into Apple's new product development process.