Review of Directives, Regulations and Standards Related to Sustainable Product Design and Manufacture

This chapter reviews the main directives, regulations and standards relevant to the design and manufacture of sustainable products. Product designers and manufacturers have to be aware of these, because some of these are mandatory in some countries (e.g. EU countries) and others can contribute significantly to reduce the environmental and social impact of products, thus making the products more sustainable. The chapter begins by providing a general introduction about regulations, directives and standards and their importance. It then continues with a description of the main directives, regulations and standards that are relevant to sustainable design and manufacturing. Finally it is explained how directives, regulations and standards are applied in design and development processes.