The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method which quantitatively considers the environmental impacts along life cycle of products or services. Various kinds of the methodology and procedure for LCA, especially impact assessment which is a step of that, are proposed from the research groups in Europe and the USA. However, they are only tentative, and are not supported worldwide. In this study, we pay attention to impact assessment which is a step of integrating environmental impacts. Using panel method, we gathered information about the category weighting factors and the environmental objectives to be preserved or protected. Using these category weighting factors, we proposed two valuation methods, relative Environmental Load Point and absolute Environmental Load Point. We calculated environmental impacts for the cushion made of corrugated pad and expanded polystyrene for home appliance transportation. And we compared ELP and other valuation methods.

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This paper presents the Green Browser, which supports information sharing among designers of different fields and product users. The Green Browser consists of a strategy model, a process model, and object models. The strategy model is the central model of the Green Browser and represents requirements for the product. The process model represents the product's life cycle, and the object models describe the product's attributes. The implementation of the Green Browser is illustrated by a model of a refrigerator.

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We have designed and developed an integrated, environmental impact evaluation software program called ECO-Fusion, especially for electronic products. ECO-Fusion features productcentered description, an object-oriented product database, and multifaceted environmental evaluation. The product-centered description is created by using the input system. Product composition is represented by a tree structure with a product root in the composition window, and product life-cycle flow is represented by a coupled-tree structure with a product root in the life-cycle flow window. This input system allows simple modeling of complicated compositions and life-cycles for actual products. The object-oriented product database system allows efficient storage of complex data requiring product environmental evaluation. Multifaceted evaluation is achieved by implementing three evaluation techniques: environmental product assessment, life-cycle assessment (LCA), and assembly/disassembly evaluation. This multifaceted evaluation results in an objective estimation of the products.

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The development of the molding compound which was able to remove softening if necessary even after cured was attempted. Softening is demonstrated by soaking in warmed aqueous solution with NaOH. In this paper, a suitable composition of unsaturated polyester resin for this soaking processing, after the process the strength characteristic of cured molding compound with the polyester resin, and the method of recycling the molded motor are shown. The molded motor was experimentally made by using the developed molding compound. It was possible to separate removing the molding from the motor by the soaking processing and largely damaging neither iron core nor the coil from the inside of stator.

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We have developed a simplified LCA method in order to estimate the approximate environmental loads of certain products. By this method, the life cycles of products are modeled in advance, and required data concerning the amounts of C0₂, SO_x, and NO_x emission are calculated from the Input-Output Tables, and also from the process analysis data. Applying this method to home appliances, we have obtained the following results. To reduce the environmental load, it is effective for washing machines to be designed so as to minimize the use of water and detergent at the using stage, for color TVs to be constructed of recyclable materials, and for telephones so as to be used fewer batteries.

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