Total Quality Management - A tool for design for environment

Total quality management (TQM) is based on a number ideas and concepts. It means thinking about quality in terms of all functions of the enterprise and is a start - to - finish process that integrates interrelated functions at all levels. The problem appears by defining the ldquototal qualityrdquo term. In this paper, quality is not only meeting customer´s requirements, formal and informal, at lowest cost, first time and every time, it includes also the requirements of the environment. This requires the enlargement of traditional TQM concepts and the creation of a new model and framework for Environmentally Conscious TQM (ECTQM) where TQM is within ldquoDesign for Environmentrdquo.