Multi-criteria decision making and uncertainty analysis for materials selection in environmentally conscious design

Around the globe, manufacturers are increasingly trying to design products that are as ecological as possible, which is leading to the establishment of new design methods focused on environmentally conscious design (ECD). Materials selection, as a key element in ECD, differs from traditional design by introducing three additional requirements: life cycle viewpoint, consideration on environmental impact and cost, and uncertainties in the product life cycle scenario. This paper presents a new multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model and uncertainty analysis method for the environmentally conscious materials selection problem. The model is based on engineering analysis and life cycle simulation, and is constructed in such a way so that it contains uncertainties to be explored and may be executed during product design; it considers such issues as manufacturing and post-use processes such as recycling. The TOPSIS method is employed, and uncertainty analyses are performed for model flexibility. The model is applied to material selection for PC housing. The case study shows that the decision-making analysis can provide useful design guidelines and a criterion for materials selection to achieve Environmentally Conscious Design.