12 Principles of Green Engineering
Developed by Paul Anastas and Julie Zimmerman*, these engineering principles outline what would make a greener chemical process or product. See also the Sandestin principles of green engineering.
Starting in January, 2014, a "Green Engineering Principle of the Month" will be published, consecutively illuminating each principle through the perspective of an expert contributor. Click on the linked titles below to see the articles.
- Inherent Rather Than Circumstantial
Designers need to strive to ensure that all materials and energy inputs and outputs are as inherently nonhazardous as possible.
- Prevention Instead of Treatment
It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed.
- Design for Separation
Separation and purification operations should be designed to minimize energy consumption and materials use.
- Maximize Efficiency
Products, processes, and systems should be designed to maximize mass, energy, space, and time efficiency.
- Output-Pulled Versus Input-Pushed
Products, processes, and systems should be "output pulled" rather than "input pushed" through the use of energy and materials.
- Conserve Complexity
Embedded entropy and complexity must be viewed as an investment when making design choices on recycle, reuse, or beneficial disposition.
- Durability Rather Than Immortality
Targeted durability, not immortality, should be a design goal.
- Meet Need, Minimize Excess
Design for unnecessary capacity or capability (e.g., "one size fits all") solutions should be considered a design flaw.
- Minimize Material Diversity
Material diversity in multicomponent products should be minimized to promote disassembly and value retention.
- Integrate Material and Energy Flows
Design of products, processes, and systems must include integration and interconnectivity with available energy and materials flows.
- Design for Commercial "Afterlife"
Products, processes, and systems should be designed for performance in a commercial "afterlife."
- Renewable Rather Than Depleting
Material and energy inputs should be renewable rather than depleting.
* Anastas, P.T., and Zimmerman, J.B., "Design through the Twelve Principles of Green Engineering", Env. Sci. and Tech., 37, 5, 94A-101A, 2003.