Q: What is SolidWorks Sustainability?
A: SolidWorks Sustainability allows users to measure the environmental impact of the products they design in SolidWorks. The SolidWorks Sustainability products are fully integrated into SolidWorks, and provide real-time feedback on the environmental impacts of Carbon Footprint, Total Energy Consumed, Effect on Water, and Effect on Air.
Why did we develop/decide to offer this product?
We see SolidWorks Sustainability as a timely product. Many countries around the world have made environmental concerns a growing priority, and both individuals and companies are making more buying decisions based on the eco-friendliness of products. As this market need grows, SolidWorks Sustainability enables our customers to build environmentally responsible products that better compete in a variety of markets.
Q: What is Lifecycle Assessment (LCA)?
A: This is a method to quantitatively assess the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire lifecycle, from the procurement of the raw materials through the production, distribution, use, disposal, and recycling of that product.
Q: What metrics does SolidWorks Sustainability use to report environmental impacts?
A:
- Carbon Footprint - Carbon-dioxide and other gasses which result from the burning of fossil fuels accumulate in the atmosphere which in turn increases the earth’s average temperature. Carbon footprint acts as a proxy for the larger impact factor referred to as Global Warming Potential (GWP). Global warming is blamed for problems like loss of glaciers, extinction of species, and more extreme weather, among others.
- Total Energy Consumed - A measure of the non-renewable energy sources associated with the part’s lifecycle in units of megajoules (MJ). This impact includes not only the electricity or fuels used during the product’s lifecycle, but also the upstream energy required to obtain and process these fuels, and the embodied energy of materials which would be released if burned. PED is expressed as the net calorific value of energy demand from non-renewable resources (e.g. petroleum, natural gas, etc.). Efficiencies in energy conversion (e.g. power, heat, steam, etc.) are taken into account.
- Air Acidification - Sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides other acidic emissions to air cause an increase in the acidity of rainwater, which in turn acidifies lakes and soil. These acids can make the land and water toxic for plants and aquatic life. Acid rain can also slowly dissolve manmade building materials such as concrete. This impact is typically measured in units of either kg sulfur dioxide equivalent (SO2e), or moles H+ equivalent.
- Water Eutrophication - When an over abundance of nutrients are added to a water ecosystem, eutrophication occurs. Nitrogen and phosphorous from waste water and agricultural fertilizers causes an overabundance of algae to bloom, which then depletes the water of oxygen and results in the death of both plant and animal life. This impact is typically measured in either kg phosphate equivalent (PO4e) or kg nitrogen (N) equivalent.
Q: Where does the data for the product come from?
A: The data used by SolidWorks Sustainability is provided by PE-International of Stuttgart Germany. They have provided software and consulting services in sustainable design and LCA for almost 20 years. PE International’s database and its GaBi software are used within SolidWorks Sustainability.
Q: How accurate are the results from this product?
A: The results in SolidWorks Sustainability are not precise, and can be seen as useful to within +/- 20%. The values in the product should be used as an estimate. Tracking relative changes in environmental impact from one version of a design to the next is the best way to use the product.
Q: Is the accuracy of SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress and the full version of the SolidWorks Sustainability product the same?
A: Yes.
Q: Who are the prospective customers for this product?
A: Almost any SolidWorks user can use this product, but customers that have an expressed interest in environmental concerns will see the most value in this product. Note that the “Find Similar Material” tool will be of general interest to all SolidWorks users.
Q: How does SolidWorks Sustainability compare to SustainabilityXpress?
A:
SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress
- LCA of individual parts
- Find Similar Material
- Environmental Impact dashboard
- Customizable Sustainability report
SolidWorks Sustainability
- Same capabilities as SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress plus…
- LCA of assemblies
- Support for Configurations
- Expanded reporting capabilities for assemblies
- User inputs for energy consumption and transportation methods
- Support for the new Assembly Visualization functionality
Q: Will it be included with SolidWorks?
A: SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress will be included in every seat of SolidWorks 2010 at no additional charge. The full version of SolidWorks Sustainability will not be included with SolidWorks; it is available for purchase.
Q: When will it be available?
A:
SolidWorks Sustainability
- Will be available for sale as a Beta product when SolidWorks 2010 SP0 is released. Users will be able to use the Beta once they purchase and will automatically get the final released product when it is available.
- Will be formally released with SP1 in November.
SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress
- Is currently available as a free add-on product to SolidWorks 2009 and SolidWorks Education Edition 2009-2010 through SolidWorks Labs.
- Will be included with every version of SolidWorks 2010 at SP0.
Q: Is network licensing available?
A: Yes
Q: Which languages will be available?
A: SolidWorks Sustainability will be available in 14 languages: English, Chinese Traditional, Chinese Simplified, Czech, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.
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