Profitability of ecodesign

 Ecodesign is an increasingly widespread practice in manufacturing companies. In Quebec, the Institut de développement de produits (IDP) has been providing ecodesign training since 2007; some 500 companies have attended the training sessions, and prediagnoses were performed for more than 100 of them. In France, through the Pôle Éco-conception, around 2,000 companies have benefited from ecodesign awareness programs and 560 prediagnoses have been completed over the last five years. One fundamental question has remained unanswered, however: Is ecodesign profitable? The lack of reliable information about the profitability of ecodesign continues to deter many companies from incorporating this approach into their operations.