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The e-footprint methodology

High-level modeling then refinement

Ecodesigning with e-footprint is an iterative process. Since e-footprint is a modeling tool, it is possible (and advised) to start with a very high level modeling of the studied system. This first modeling will be very inaccurate but give useful orders of magnitude: I know that the impact potential of my ecodesign initiative will be much greater if my first modeling shows me 1000 tons of CO2 / year than if it shows only 100 kg / year, and I will size my efforts accordingly. An advantage of this approach is that it doesn’t require the installation of any tool. Then, depending on the results of this first analysis, I have 3 choices:

  • Stop modeling because my system is too small to justify investing in ecodesigning it.
  • Invest effort to increase the granularity of my modeling because it is not enough to guide decision.
  • Decide that the model is detailed enough to make decisions and got to the next step.

Modeling analysis

If the system is big enough, and once the model has been refined enough, comes the analysis time. It consists in diving into the results of the model to understand where emissions come from and what the emission reduction opportunities are. For example, if the analysis shows that much of the impact comes from the network, I can look up the network ecodesign best practices for inspiration, or simply ask the tech team.

Simulation and priorisation

When ecodesign opportunities or new features are considered, they are implemented as changes to the e-footprint model, e-footprint computes the new impact of the system, and the difference between the old and the new footprint is the environmental return on investment of the action. Since modeling often takes orders of magnitude less time than implementing, this approach allows for an efficient prioritization of effort: you will finally be able to choose the most impactful best practice for your particular conditions !