Abstract
Design for Environment aims to yield a product whose aggregate environmental impact is as small as possible. This paper characterizes the product Life cycle and defines the concepts of product lifetime and part lifetime. A multi-lifecycle product recovery model is developed based on the concept of time varying costs. We focus on how to improve the product design while minimizing environmental impact of the product. The obtained model and results will play an important role in product design and design of environmentally benign manufacturing systems and factories of the future.