Question

100 points


"Our continued existence as a leading manufacturers request that we excel in Environmental performance." Justify it with the textual support.

Class 11 || English Hornbill 

Chapter - The Ailing Planet : The Green Movement

Answer 1

Our Earth is a living organism–an enormous being, of which we are parts. This is our planet; its destruction will make us all homeless. We are dependent on Earth and not the other way round. However, the thankless creature, man, is unconcerned about the dangers that pose threats to our survival. The article by Nani Palkhivala deals with the concerns of the environmentalists at this eleventh hour and talks about the new awareness that has dawned upon our race. A holistic and ecological view of the world has been brought into consideration. The Green Movement launched in 1972 has never looked back. There is a growing need of sustainable development, which was popularised by World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987. 

Answer 2

Products impact the environment throughout their entire life cycle – from the extraction of
raw materials and manufacturing to use and final disposal. Recognizing the responsibilities in this
phenomenon, companies are increasingly working to reduce the environmental impact of their
activities. Product development is an activity with an important influence on environmental impacts,
since it defines, for instance, which materials and technologies will be used during product’s life cycle.
Ecodesign is a proactive environmental management approach which aims to improve the
environmental performance1
of products throughout their whole life cycle. Considering the
environmental issue in product development leads to competitive advantages, legal compliance,
image improvement and cost reduction. The application of ecodesign also promotes product
innovation and new business opportunities.
Several ecodesign practices have been developed in the last decade in order to address
environmental issues in product development. In order to support companies in the implementation
of these ecodesign practices, a framework called Ecodesign Maturity Model (EcoM2)2
has been
developed. EcoM2 is a framework with an evolutionary approach that aims to support companies in
the implementation of ecodesign by diagnosing the maturity profile of the company and establishing a
roadmap for ecodesign practice implementation, based on the current maturity profile and strategic
objectives and drivers of this company.
A common assumption in ecodesign is to develop easy to use and consolidated methods which
can be used in the earliest phases of the PDP. However, what is observed is that many of the analytical
tools and methods that measure the environmental performance of products are too complex. The
selection and use of environmental performance indicators as a quantitative tool, however, is a
simpler and rapid approach to quantify and improve the environmental performance of products.