Union of EcoDesigners Prospectus (October, 1999)

As environmental engineering is an issue related to social systems not only from the aspect of technology, various academic societies and industrial associations are currently conducting independent activities individually. However, environmental engineering has the lateral academic / industrial characteristic that spans all production social systems and life cycle design and in order to achieve a recycling-based society based on unique Japanese social systems and to develop environmental businesses, it is considered to be necessary for related academic societies and industrial associations to cooperate and transmit environmental concepts and basic technology overseas.

Fortunately, the international symposium, EcoDesign '99, was held from 1st - 3rd February, 1999 with the cooperation of many related academic societies and industrial associations. It turned out to be a great success with over 200 lectures on concepts and basic technology for harmonic environment product design and almost 500 participants from Japan and overseas. This result reverberated strongly overseas and was acknowledged globally as an international platform for lateral research presentations based on Japanese environmental engineering. With this success, in Europe, the EcoDesign International Conference was held in Berlin in September, 2000 and we plan to hold the next edition of it in Japan in 2001.

In addition, concurrent with this, the Science Council of Japan advisory committee on the study of production systems has reviewed concepts such as EcoDesign and life cycle engineering, the promotion of related environmental engineering and policies to promote performance through transmission to other countries.

With the results of these activities, related academic societies and industrial associations cooperate laterally to propose the Union of EcoDesigners as a platform to closely conduct information exchange relating to various activities.

The activities of the Union of EcoDesigners, along with mainly exchanging information about EcoDesign through mail, etc., are holding EcoDesign-relating symposiums, positioning as a domestic liaison committee in order to cooperate and the aim is not to establish new structures in particular. In other words, our aim is to function as a network in order to exchange information about EcoDesign. In addition, we are the contact points for the Japanese committees of the IEEE Computer Society and the Electronics and the Environments Committee and we plan to proceed with the preparation for the upcoming EcoDesign 2001 with the Union of EcoDesigners as the main organizer. At that time, we will investigate the policy of organizing independent sessions with scientific societies affiliated with the Union of EcoDesigners. In addition, we plan to expand this kind of cooperation internationally and to aim to create a network such as the International Union of EcoDesigners.

In December, 1999, the EcoDesign '99 Japan symposium was held in conjunction Eco Products 1999, an event held with the support of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Future activities will include cooperation with related domestic projects for Eco products and inverse manufacturing forums, etc.

We would very much appreciate your endorsement of the above. (13th October, 1999)