GE Global Research, the technology development arm for the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), announced the establishment of an Ecoassessment Center of Excellence for assessing and managing a product’s environmental footprint throughout its entire lifecycle.
Lifecycle assessment evaluates products for their environmental impact from the raw materials used in early stage research to the end of a product’s useful life, and every step in between. GE has engaged a dedicated, multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers to systematically develop better, more energy efficient ways to design and manage products.
Bill Flanagan, who leads GE’s Ecoassessment Center of Excellence, said, "Environmental impact is more than just the end-product. It’s about measuring a product’s environmental footprint throughout its entire lifecycle. Our team at GE Global Research is committed to applying and developing the measurement tools and processes needed to fully assess a product’s environmental impact. In turn, we hope to minimize this impact in a way that helps the environment and leads to cost savings for GE and our customers."
As part of its commitment, GE is doubling its level of investment in clean R+D from $700 million in 2005 to more than $1.5 billion by 2010. Since the initiative was launched in 2005, GE has more than quadrupled the number of environmental products from 17 to more than 80.
In the months ahead, researchers at GE Global Research will work with key stakeholders to develop a systematic approach for assessing the overall environmental impact of a product from the raw materials, energy and water used in the early stages of research to the disposal of a product at the end of its lifecycle.
GE Global Research is headquartered in Niskayuna, New York and has facilities in Bangalore, India, Shanghai, China and Munich, Germany.
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