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Article:

Energy Smart

Energy efficient design

Product design

Could you make your products or services more energy efficient? There are significant financial and environmental savings to be made by redesigning products to minimise their environmental impact. Known internationally as "design for the environment" (DFE) or "ecodesign", this approach examines a product's entire life cycle and proposes changes to minimise environmental impact during and after its lifetime.

Life cycle assessment is a tool for assessing the environmental impacts associated with a product, process or service throughout its life cycle, from the extraction of the raw materials through to processing, transport, use, reuse, recycling or disposal.

Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS)

Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) is a regulatory initiative that regulates and ensures products comply with appropriate Australian Standards and energy performance targets.

MEPS applies to a number of product categories and is independent of manufacture origin. Products regulated include air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers, water heaters, electric motors, ballasts, lamps and transformers. Compliance is mandatory within these product categories.

Greenhouse Friendly^TM

The Australian Government's Greenhouse Friendly^TM initiative is a certification system to help consumers identify environmentally preferable products and services.

The greenhouse effect and climate change are important issues for Australian consumers. An extensive survey conducted by the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) in 2004 revealed that consumers do want to purchase products and services that minimise impact on climate change, and want accreditation and independent verification to prove this.

Greenhouse Friendly^TM is a fast way to show the market that your business is in touch with consumers, in tune with environmental issues and on track for managing greenhouse gas abatement.

Organisations that purchase a minimum amount of Greenhouse Friendly^TM certified products or services may be eligible to use the Greenhouse Friendly^TM consumer logo to promote their own use of these greenhouse neutral products.

Find out why more and more businesses are choosing to certify their products Greenhouse Friendly^TM.