Social Demands and Environmental Management

Abstract

Companies face social demands for products and services related to public concerns such as environmental qualities. The question is how they can respond to such concerns regarding possible changes in product life cycles and what cost advantages can be expected in the life cycle management in comparison with the focus on manufacturing. A product’s life cycle can be described as a chain of physical changes involving inputs and outputs in the production of raw materials, manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal. These entail emissions and waste at every stage.

Parts of this chapter were published in Krozer, Y., (2008), Life Cycle Costing for Innovations in Product Chains, Journal of Cleaner Production, 16: 310–321. I am grateful to Elsevier Publishers for permission to use the material.