Design for environment: The greening of product and supply chain

Abstract

This research aims to analyze specifically three disciplines, which are design for environment; design for supportability; and design for supply chain, to assess particularly their interactions and collaborations in the new product development, and to explain briefly how their activities can green new products and supply chains. Experience and a comprehensive review of literature associated with concurrent engineering, supply chain, and environmental management can present a theoretical model that provides seamless integration among engineering teams simultaneously playing key roles in transforming desirable environmental attributes, which might include such attributes as: (1) to be free from toxic substances, (2) to be biodegradable, (3) to be recyclable, (4) to be upgradeable, (5) or to have low energy conversation, and a number of other desirable attributes. The task for these teams would be to transform such attributes into viable products and supply chains. For future research, four major propositions have been posited in this article, and five sub-propositions were similarly developed to highlight product-based, and process-based, attributes and their relationships with the related disciplines. The consideration of environmental attributes in a timely manner is an enabler to have green products and supply chains which provide a significant reduction in environmental burdens bringing a fierce competitive advantage to the firm which engages in these environmental transformations. This research is one of the few studies that attempt to tie together the environmental attributes that need to be considered in new product development. Moreover, the theoretical model would fundamentally be beneficial in developing environmental awareness within organizations, at least from a managerial point of view.