Plastic material impact is measured by a combination of the following considerations:
- Carbon footprint
- Embodied energy
- Recyclability
- Embodied water
A weighted combination of these elements result in the overall plastic material impact rating.
The greater the indicator bar, the more environmentally friendlyo the design.
Note: Publicly available data is the basis for the Plastic material impact indicator result. Our prime data source is PlasticsEurope http://plasticseurope.org. Alternative databases may indicate slightly different results.
When an Alert icon 
is incorporated in the Plastic material indicator, means that the manufacture of the selected raw plastic material has environmental impact concerns.
Note: Unless a material has been selected, it is assumed that the material being used is polypropylene.
Plastic material impact result
To view how the elements that contribute to the material impact affect the results, click either Alerts or Information from the panel. A tabbed dialog appears.
- Alert tab
- Issues highlighted by the Alert icon in the indicator are specified. Click on a listed element for further information.
Information tab - The elements that constitute the Plastic material impact indicator are listed. The result for each element is graded according to the parameters that are set in the Autodesk Simulation DFM Rule Configuration dialog. Click on an element and a dialog appears that outlines the relevant values for ths model.
Note: Selecting a material from a different plastic family will alter the Material impact indicator. Ensure that the material used has the required physical, mechanical, and chemical resistance properties required for the application.