Proposal of a sustainable strategic positioning matrix: application in the development of a product / Proposta de uma matriz de posicionamento estratégico sustentável: aplicação no desenvolvimento de um produto

Abstract

Companies that do not assess their products from the environmental and economic standpoints will come across difficulties to survive in the market. The Sustainable Strategic Positioning Matrix (MPESus) was developed as a tool to analyze the environmental and financial impacts of products considering the production chain, enabling the comparison of performance. The investigation was conducted in four stages: the first looks into the literature as the basis for the research into elements that are relevant; the second proposes the matrix and the investigation method; the third applies the proposals in an actual product development process, which is the result of a project; this application enabled the fourth stage, which analyzes the method proposed and discusses its results considering the context in which it was applied. The matrix proposed is supported by three pillars: the environmental impact of the production chain of a given product; profit; and Increased Economic Return (IER), whose concept was developed during the research. The interaction between these dimensions is the main theme of discussion, and the main result of this study was the production of knowledge and information to assist in the decision-making process towards improvements both in the product and in its production chain.