Background European companies operating in the aerospace, electronic or automotive sectors are facing increasing regulatory pressures to improve their environmental performance. Environmental impact is evaluated in terms of product lifetime or the process used to make it. Therefore, companies have to verify the environmental performance of their suppliers and the environmental characteristics of the parts they use. Most companies, and particularly SMEs, currently lack the knowledge and resources to do this. Methods and eco-design software tools have been developed to evaluate overall environmental impact of products; but they are often unsuitable for specific industrial practices, such as those involving metallic parts and composites (e.g. surface treatments, painting and assembly-pasting), or large number of heterogeneous subcontracting SMEs. Eurocopter has been working for over 15 years preparing alternative technologies to replace chromium and other dangerous chemical products present in aircraft components, and to reduce the associated fuel consumption. Objectives The CORINE project aimed to provide SMEs with an innovative eco-design tool. This will act as a regulatory database and a tool to facilitate the identification of “greener” substitution materials and processes. It specifically sought to develop a Product Oriented Environmental Management System (POEMS) as an appropriate methodology for specific products and manufacturing processes involved in the helicopter industry. To achieve this, the project aimed to establish a consortium including a major European manufacturer and a strong core group of SMEs, to collaborate on exploiting, adapting and adding value to existing national and international eco-design systems. Results The CORINE (Conception Optimisée pour la Réduction de l’Impact des Nuisances Environnementales/Optimized Design to Reduce Worsening Environmental Impact) project provided SMEs in the helicopter industry with an innovative tool for the eco-design of helicopter parts. The project team developed a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology, for which five demonstration actions were selected involving different helicopter components: evaporator box, handle, Dauphin bonnet, support de Vernier, omega piece. Using the LCA, the project identified the most significant manufacturing steps and families of processes for each demonstration product. The qualitative or quantitative criteria impacting the environment for each of the five demonstration process families were listed in the process specifications. These concerned, for example, composites/thermoplastics, metals, paints, pre-treatment, and assembling/pasting. Two experiments were carried out during the project. In the first, a red thread piece (i.e. a shell of helicopter door handle) was made using two actual/reference technologies: injected and metallic. These were compared with four proposed alternative greener technologies. In the second experiment, four application cases were selected and defined (evaporator box, Dauphin bonnet, support de Vernier, omega piece); for each of these, one reference and one alternative technology were compared. The project team developed specialised eco-design software. For this, they compiled all the necessary data to establish an ecological footprint for the whole life cycle of the selected products. The data modelling and analysis involved numerous checks to ensure a quality reference using the ILCD format (an international standard for LCA). The project’s analysis showed that for the five demonstrations and for four criteria, namely, energy, CO2, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and waste, their results exceeded those foreseen for all but 3 of the 20 environmental impact result combinations. Overall in the demonstrations, energy consumption was reduced by around 27%; CO2 emissions by approximately 35%; VOCs emissions by 32%; and waste production by 33% (regarding REACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals). The CORINE tool has a REACH indicator that allows users to know if a product conforms to the REACH regulation, thereby enabled the helicopter sector supply chain to become more compliant with the EU REACH regulation. For example, alternatives could replace dangerous substances such as chromium oxide in the Vernier support process. The new processes favour powder technologies in surface treatments (reducing VOC release from organic solvents and minimising waste), improved raw material selection, and recycling solutions. The CORINE tool enabled the identification of new, greener and relevant processes for each of the demonstration products studied. The innovative tool involves a unique database, advances the means of addressing environmental concerns in this and related sectors, and mobilises all the supply chain through a collaborative approach to create a functioning synergy around eco-design. It therefore shows that through eco-conception practices, it is possible to significantly reduce the environmental impacts of production processes in the helicopter sector. The project’s methodology is also adaptable to other sectors. For example, it is now being used for rubber and polymers, with the collaboration of the French National Environmental Agency (ADEME). A training programme was developed, and the project trained 59 people from the industry sector, universities and other organisations to use the eco-design tool, with further training sessions planned after the project ended. In terms of socio-economic benefits, the methodology offers potential competitive advantages for the European helicopter sector, through environmental compliance and energy savings. The eco-design tool will also boost employment opportunities, with new jobs created due to increased economic activity and more staff dedicated to eco-design approaches. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).