Concerns Center on Curbing Energy Use, Reducing Emissions and Compliance NEW YORK and SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The first annual sustainable design-trend watch survey jointly commissioned by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Autodesk (NASDAQ:ADSK) found that two-thirds of respondents have worked on designing sustainable products. The survey of ASME members is the first research conducted to understand the factors and impacts of sustainable design on mechanical engineers and their manufacturing businesses in industries including automotive and transportation, industrial machinery, consumer products and energy. Sustainable engineering refers to the design and manufacture of an ever-increasing volume of goods and services while using the earth's resources more efficiently and producing less waste. A key trend highlighted by the survey is that more than half of the practicing engineers responding reported they expect to increase their use of sustainable design practices in the next year. Primary design concerns focused on using less energy, reducing emissions and complying with environmental and regulatory standards. Additionally, a separate survey of ASME student members found that half of the respondents have encountered sustainable design practices in their studies and are extremely interested in green and sustainable information and causes. "A few years ago our industry may have not been as focused on sustainable design, but these results confirm that designing with sustainability in mind is now a primary aim of mechanical engineers," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. "Autodesk is pleased to join with ASME to highlight the importance of making smarter, more sustainable design decisions. This underscores our continued commitment to providing engineers with the Digital Prototyping tools required to understand the environmental impacts of a new product."
