Resumen

BORCHARDT, Miriam; WENDT, Marcos Henrique; SELLITTO, Miguel Afonso  y  PEREIRA, Giancarlo Medeiros. Stiffener redesign: a case of eco-design application in footwear manufacture. Prod. [online]. 2010, vol.20, n.3, pp. 392-403.  Epub 05-Mar-2010. ISSN 0103-6513.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0103-65132010005000006.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the application of eco-design in the redesign of a component from the footwear industry, the stiffener. The focus is on a reduction in the environmental impact and in the final cost of sports footwear. The case study took place in a company that produces footwear components. The eco-design practices considered during the product redesign in the company and their implementation were analyzed. We also investigate and discuss the reasons why the company was led to adopt eco-design and the difficulties and barriers encountered by designers in their application. The paper reviews eco-design, describes the research methodology and presents and discusses research findings. The redesigned stiffener brought the footwear assembly company a new manufacturing business partner, and led to a significant reduction in the requirement for adhesives and solvents, and a 9.7% reduction in the target-cost of the application process.

Palabras llave : Eco-design; Eco-conception; Sustainability; Stiffener; Footwear.