Ecodesign Practices Research Articles

Towards sustainable regional aviation: Environmental potential of hybrid-electric aircraft and alternative fuels

The aviation sector needs to reduce its environmental impacts, like climate change and air pollution. New hybrid-electric aircraft concepts may contribute to abating part of these impacts. But to what extent and under which conditions? This study addresses these questions in the context of regional aviation and identifies technologies and concrete actions required for more environmentally sustainable aviation. The environmental impacts of emerging hybrid-electric aircraft configurations deployed in 2030, 2040, and 2050 have been comprehensively quantified using prospective life cycle assessment. The entire life cycle of the conventional and hybrid-electric aircraft configurations was encompassed, covering various technologies and systems like batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen, and selected alternative aviation fuel (AAF) systems. For these elements, detailed life cycle inventories stemming from primary data, literature, and prospective environmental databases were used, and uncertainty was evaluated. Results showed that hybrid-electric aircraft with Li-ion batteries appear as a promising transition technology in the short-term while aircraft propelled by fuel cells using hydrogen from electrolysis yield important environmental benefits relative to conventional aircraft in longer time horizons. In contrast, the studied AAFs present little or no environmental benefits when considering environmental impacts holistically, demonstrating the need to revise existing AAF frameworks and incentives globally. Environmental burden-shifting from flight emissions in conventional aircraft systems to airport operations and aircraft manufacturing in hybrid-electric aircraft is also observed in the results, thus calling for strengthened support to airports in their sustainability management and increased integration of ecodesign practices in future aircraft design and development.

To Go or to Not Go Green for SMEs: Toward the Twinning Effect of Ecodesign Practices and Radical Innovativeness on SME Performance

Despite the burgeoning literature on green innovation, the research on how it influences the business performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is relatively scarce. For SMEs, environmental sustainability is becoming an increasingly crucial consideration in the design and conception of their business models. In this article, we explore the determinants of SME performance by investigating the relationship between the ecodesign practices and business performance of SMEs. To further explain and clarify their association, we propose a model for examining the mediating role of radical innovativeness, i.e., firms’ commercialization of an entirely novel idea, new to the firm and its markets. The data are obtained from a relatively heterogeneous sample of 370 SMEs cutting across many industries and regions in France. Structural equation modeling is then employed to analyze the collected data. By applying the concepts from resource-based view theory, we find that the relationship between ecodesign practices and business performance, as measured by financial and nonfinancial indicators, is better understood if the influence of radical innovativeness, as a mediating variable, is considered. By incorporating ecodesign practices and radical innovativeness into the analysis of SME performance, this study provides several important theoretical and practical implications for promoting green innovation for SMEs.

Development of a body of knowledge for design for disassembly and recycling of high-tech products: a case study on lithium-ion batteries

ABSTRACT Demand for electronic products is growing, as is the volume of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). To reduce their environmental impact, particularly during their end-of-life, it is important to apply eco-design practices such as design for disassembly (DFD) and design for recycling (DFR) from the beginning of their development. However, these strategies are not systematically implemented by manufacturers due to several challenges, such as the complexity of the methods, the uncertainty and variability of the materials and components, and the lack of knowledge on DFD and DFR. This study aims to develop a body of knowledge (BOK) for DFD and DFR of electronic products to fill this gap. A systematic comparison of different BOKs has led to the proposal of a BOK composed of four main parts: Areas of Knowledge, Tools and Techniques, Skills and Abilities, and Terminology. The proposed framework was applied to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as an example of electronic products that require high-tech solutions for their efficient and sustainable management. This approach is essential for high-tech products, as they often contain valuable and scarce materials that need to be recovered and reused in a circular economy. The results showed that the BOK was an effective tool in supporting the sustainable development of batteries.

Eco-design practice towards sustainable furniture: A Review

Eco-design is a practice that incorporates environmental aspects into all stages of the product development process with the intent to reduce the environmental impacts throughout the lifecycle of a product. This study aims to elaborate on eco-design strategies in the development of sustainable furniture. This paper is based on published research on eco-design, eco-design in furniture, and sustainable furniture. A study of European product policy regarding eco-design is also included. A combination of eco-design qualitative and quantitative tools offers a practical way of eco-design implementation. Ecodesign practice adapted from integrating DfE and LCA is presented. With the presented case study, a more comprehensive design decision can be made if the eco-design approach is used. The environmental aspect of the product may influence how products are designed, selected, and manufactured in comparison to using the traditional design method.

Literature Review by Scientometric Methods on the Impact of the Circular Economy on Sustainable Industrial Products

The circular economy (CE) is a contemporary concept that includes the use of renewable materials and technologies, making sustainability an important part of corporate management. The paper deals with issues related to the current state of learning and management of the application of circular economy concepts—CE. The main purpose of this work is to identify both the interest of industries in the CE field in terms of the principles of eco-design and eco-innovation of sustainable industrial products, as well as the approach and development of the concept during the pandemic period. The authors performed a scientometric analysis in the Web of Science (WOS) database for the CE field, having two search criteria: sustainability and eco-design. As a result, 66 publications from the last five years were retained. Given the higher number of publications in the last three years, CE was found to be a topical area. Out of the 66 publications, using the PRISMA diagram, the authors identified the eligible articles, excluding 15 of them as being only tangential to the CE field and not applied in the industry. Depending on the high frequency of certain keywords, the authors identified three important directions for the CE approach that corroborate and interpret the results obtained: M—management (1); P—packing (2); and L—Learning (3). Following this approach, the authors determined the focus of the manufacturing industries in terms of applying the concepts and principles of CE, thus being able to contribute to the creation of eco-innovation and eco-design practices of industrial products, especially industrial packaging. The paper will also be beneficial for Ph.D. students who show a certain interest in CE and will help develop the following research directions in this field.

Building sustainable and resilient supply chains: a framework and empirical evidence on trade-offs and synergies in implementation of practices

Implementing practices aiming at both sustainable and resilient supply chains is a nascent but still poorly addressed research area. This study aims at exploring how to develop sustainable and resilient supply chain practices, advancing knowledge on synergies and trade-offs that can be expected. Empirical evidence from six firms has been collected by means of semi-structured interviews. The preliminary results obtained show that sustainability practices are more explicitly implemented by firms, while resilience practices are sometimes neglected. Various degrees of synergies and trade-offs are highlighted: besides being the most widely implemented practices, green logistics, certifications, and eco-design practices can be considered both sustainable and resilient. The implications of this study may be important to expand knowledge on what is regarded as both sustainable and resilient, and it supports organizations throughout their supply chains in the implementation of practices.

A Delphi-Régnier Study Addressing the Challenges of Textile Recycling in Europe for the Fashion and Apparel Industry

The increasing resource pressure and the expanding amount of textile waste have been rising recycling as a clear priority for the fashion and apparel industry. However, textile recycling remains limited and is therefore a targeted issue in the forthcoming EU policies. As the fashion industry is embedded in complex value chains, enhancing textile recycling entails a comprehensive understanding of the existing challenges. Yet, the literature review suggests only limited empirical studies in the sector, and a dedicated state-of-the-art is still lacking. Filling this gap, a Delphi study was conducted supplemented by the Regnier’s Abacus technique. Through an iterative, anonymous, and controlled feedback process, the obstacles collected from the extant literature were collectively discussed with a representative panel of 28 experts, compared to the situation in Europe. After two rounds, the lack of eco-design practices, the absence of incentive policies, and the lack of available and accurate information on the product components emerged as the most consensual statements. Linking theory to practice, this paper aims to improve consistency in the understanding of the current state of textile recycling in Europe, while providing an encompassing outline of the current experts’ opinion on the priority challenges for the sector.

Product eco-design practice in green supply chain management: a China-global examination of research

PurposeThis paper comprehensively and systematically reviews and critiques the product eco-design practice in green supply chain management studies. It seeks to explore drivers, barriers and initiatives of eco-design practice with a specific emphasis on China in comparison to non-China countries.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a systematic literature review approach. It also uses a conceptual thematic landscape of the global eco-design practice along supply chains to critically evaluate published studies. The Web of Science™ Core Collection database is used as the source.FindingsResults show that although common factors exist, China exhibits a higher number of barriers, leading to an overall lag in eco-design adoption. China’s advantage lies in pressing market demand, actively engaged human resources and a cooperative culture. Alternatively, non-China countries demonstrate their relative superiority in eco-design tools, knowledge and innovation. Findings also indicate stakeholders simultaneously act as the three roles of eco-design practice in all countries, so do environmental regulations in China.Originality/valueA thematic framework is introduced that can be used to further investigate and identify research opportunities. This study aids practitioners take stock of current eco-design management issues. It also includes pertinent recommendations on international eco-design performance improvement. It especially provides significant insights into successful eco-design implementation to green supply chains in China.

An Environmental and Operational Analysis of Quality Function Deployment-Based Methods

Ecodesign consists of integrating environmental considerations into the product development process by means of practices that involve the use of methods, techniques, tools, and guidelines. However, many published practices do not incorporate important environmental issues, often resulting in a product development process that is ineffective from an ecodesign standpoint. This paper’s aim is threefold: (i) Identifying environmental and operational criteria and determining weights to these criteria; (ii) assessing and selecting quality function deployment (QFD)-based ecodesign methods using environmental and operational criteria, and (iii) analyzing the practitioners’ perception of the most suitable QFD-based method identified by the second aim. To that end, a comprehensive literature review of ecodesign practices based on QFD and its requirements was carried out, and a survey was conducted with environmental science and product development experts, whose answers enabled the prioritization of the characteristics those practices must meet from environmental and operational standpoints. Thereafter, a workshop was carried out with design engineers from an automotive company in Brazil. This study’s findings indicate that many QFD-based ecodesign methods fail to consider the life cycle perspective, do not assess environmental impacts, and have not been tested before being published. Another finding from industry designers suggests that ecodesign methods should be easy to use and not time-consuming.

A framework based on fuzzy Delphi and DEMATEL for sustainable product development: A case of Indian automotive industry

Abstract Constantly increasing environmental problems has led the governments worldwide to impose strict regulations and policies on industries for producing sustainable products. Industries adopt various ecodesign practices (EPs) to achieve the goal of sustainable product development. However, the significance of these EPs in the production of environmentally friendly products is not clearly understood by the industries, especially in developing economies such as India. In this study, a hybrid framework based on fuzzy Delphi and Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach is proposed to identify various EPs and analyze the causal (i.e. cause and effect) relationships among these EPs to obtain most significant practices for sustainable product development. The proposed framework is illustrated by taking a case of Indian automotive industry. A panel of fifteen experts from Indian automotive companies and academy is involved in this study. This study helps the designers not only to find EPs relevant to automotive products but also to understand the complex relationship among these EPs. Results show that ‘Using alternative manufacturing techniques’, ‘Enhancing durability and reliability’ and ‘Ensuring easier maintenance and repair’ are the three most significant EPs for sustainable development of automotive products.

Eco-design requirements in heavyweight vehicle development – a case study of the impact of the Euro 5 emissions standard on the Brazilian industry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how technology-forcing regulations affect the product development process in the supply chain of heavyweight vehicles. Design/methodology/approach Through a case study, this paper seeks to understand how one of the leading companies in heavyweight vehicles manufacturing industry and its engine supplier in Brazil introduce eco-design practices into its engine development process. Findings Through case studies conducted in a heavyweight vehicle producer and its engine supplier, this study shows that, in addition to meeting the standards and legislation, the automaker uses ecodesign practices during the product development cycle such as a design that eliminates harmful and hazardous materials and a project that allows recycling, the reuse of parts and energy efficiency, thereby reducing the environmental impact. However, without the mandatory requirements imposed by federal legislation, products with lower environmental impacts would rarely be developed, as environmental performance is not demanded by customers, who are mainly cost driven. Technology-forcing regulations play an important role in enhancing the adoption of ecodesign practices, but market and competitive conditions also play an important role. Originality/value Several studies on the impacts of public policies and development for the automobile sector have been conducted, but there is a lack of studies in the area of commercial vehicles, especially in Brazil. Therefore, this research is justified by new demands of society, in addition to the necessity of complying with legal requirements and the adoption of good practices related to eco-design.

Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) Practices for Sustainability Performance: An Empirical Evidence of Malaysian SMEs

Environmental issues have been critical concern among the current businesses as various business activities might pose significant threats to the environment. Incorporating environmental aspects in business operations is perceived to be able to create value and to achieve sustainable business performance. The manufacturing sector is the key contributor to the country’s high pollution index. Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices have become more prevalent in this sector in managing the environmental issues for the effectiveness of their production requirement. Nevertheless, the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) mainly are less likely to embark on environmental practices as compared to large organisations. The establishment of certified environmental management systems (EMS) is considered as a strategic management approach that defines how organisations will address their impact on the natural environment guided by ISO 14001 as a framework. This study provides empirical evidence examining the extent of GSCM practices among the SMEs through the possession of ISO 14001 and examines the impact on sustainability performance. Data were analysed using regression analyses. Results indicate that GSCM practices have a significant positive relation with sustainability performance. Eco-design practices and environmental cooperation have a positive relationship with sustainability performance. There is no relationship between green purchasing and reverse logistics practices with sustainability performance. These results imply that Malaysian SMEs adopt GSCM practices mostly through eco-design and robust cooperation among departments in dealing with environmental issues. Green practices and reverse logistics practices are still new for SMEs and do not contribute to achieving better performance.

The complementarity of green supply chain management practices and the impact on environmental performance

Although the importance of integrating different Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) activities has been highlighted in the literature, the potential interdependencies between these practices and their performance impacts have not been investigated. The purpose of this study is to examine the collective impact of internal and external GSCM practices on two aspects of environmental performance: environmental impact and environmental cost savings. GSCM is proposed as a collective competency, combining four distinct, but interrelated, sets of practices: environmental management systems, eco design, source reduction and external environmental practices. Using survey data from 138 Omani manufacturing firms and Structural Equation Modelling, we find strong empirical support for the complementarity of GSCM practices. We find a strong positive relationship between the level of collective GSCM competency and the environmental impact achieved. Our findings support the belief that complementarities between GSCM practices lead to better performance. Managers should therefore focus on implementing bundles of GSCM practices rather than searching for individual best practices. We find an indirect, mediated influence on environmental cost savings, which is consistent with previous results in other emerging market contexts.

A framework based on fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS for prioritizing solutions to overcome the barriers in the implementation of ecodesign practices in SMEs

ABSTRACTSmall and medium enterprises (SMEs) are under pressure to adopt sustainable practices in their business due to increasing environmental challenges. This study aims to identify and prioritize the solutions to overcome the barriers in the implementation of ecodesign practices in SMEs. This study helps the companies to develop and implement the strategies on priority using higher ranked solutions. In this study, a framework is proposed that is based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution to rank the solutions that overcome the barriers in ecodesign implementation in SMEs. The proposed framework is illustrated by conducting a case study of an Indian ring and piston manufacturing company. This framework provides an effective support in the decision-making of the company for producing eco-friendly products through the implementation of ecodesign practices. Results of this study emphasize that training of designers to use different ecodesign tools is an essential practice for SMEs.

Drivers and Barriers for the Adoption of Eco-design Practices in Pulp and Paper Industry: a Case Study of Finland

Abstract This paper aims at defining, analyzing and evaluating barriers and drivers for eco-design implementation to the Finnish pulp and paper industry by using multi-criteria decision-making methods and consolidated ranking methodology. The drivers and barriers are identified through literature research and a survey is conducted for their evaluation. The results show that barriers more commonly present and interconnected in companies originate from internal management, while drivers often originate from external stakeholders. The paper concludes with policy recommendation, which will facilitate the adoption of eco-deign practices for sustainable manufacturing in the Finnish pulp and paper industry. The ranking of the barriers and drivers from different point of view will help the decision-makers and managers in government and industry to mitigate these barriers in an effective manner.

A survey of perceived prevalence of selected environmental topics in product development, and their relationships with employee's ecological concern

Activities to advance circular economy are accelerating, and ecodesign has been mentioned as a necessary ingredient for their success. These activities might be further accelerated with more shared understanding of the related terminology. Many of these suggested activities take place in companies' product development where employees should implement them, including that of ecodesign. Employees' interpretation of enhancing practices are assumed critical in supporting the implementation. A survey using a judgmental nonprobability sampling is used to assess the perceived level of selected environmental topics in the product development contexts, and how these are associated with perceived ecodesign practices in product development. One focus is on how the perceived durability considerations might be linked with these practices. Furthermore, the paper contributes to the discussion on the soft-side of ecodesign by examining how one human factor - ecological concern - might be associated with these perceived activities.

Framework proposal for ecodesign integration on product portfolio management

Abstract Although many studies on product portfolio management (PPM) and ecodesign exist, there are few investigations that analyze these areas in an integrated way. They are normally conceptually separated, with very few theoretical and empirical interactions evident in the literature. This article proposes a theoretical framework that integrates ecodesign practices, methods, and tools with portfolio management during the product planning stage. For the development of this framework, a systematic analysis and literature review of both PPM and ecodesign were conducted. The framework subsequently developed was evaluated through a pilot test within two companies that develop products derived from Brazilian biodiversity. In terms of results, it presents a set of practices that are associated with the following dimensions: Guides, Methods, and Tools; Organization; and Strategy. After presenting the evaluation of the framework by the companies, practices are proposed which can be useful for the integration of ecodesign into PPM, such as adoption of the Project Management Office (PMO) and the use of social media.

Analysis and Ranking of Drivers for Eco-design Implementation in the Finnish Pulp and Paper Industry

The study of eco-design practices has become an important aspect of sustainable manufacturing. Therefore, the identification and selection of key drivers for eco-design implementation is becoming essential. However, further research is needed in order to understand what are the key drivers that increase the efficiency of eco-design implementation and improve the company’s sustainability performance. The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate the drivers for implementation of eco-design in the Finnish pulp and paper industry. The drivers are identified through literature research and a survey is conducted for their evaluation. Data analysis is performed by using ranking methodology in order to investigate and identify the key drivers for eco-design implementation practices in the Finnish pulp and paper industry. Driver for implementation “Management’s idea” and driver “Customer demand” for both continuation and implementation have the highest rank in all scenarios. In contrast, driver ‘One or few employees pushed idea’ for implementation and drivers ‘Personal quest for a better environment’ and ‘Increased employee satisfaction through environmental initiatives’ from for continuation have the lowest rank for the all scenarios. This study adds knowledge into the current literature of sustainable manufacturing and will provide insights to practitioners and decision makers in terms of eco-design implementation issues in an effective and efficient manner.

Eco-design practices towards sustainable supply chain management: interpretive structural modelling (ISM) approach

Due to increasing emphasis on sustainable practices, many organisations have attempted to leverage their supply chain performance towards balancing triple bottom line dimensions (economic, environmental and social perspectives). This paper, therefore, determines the priorities of sustainable supply chain management focusing on eco-design. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and Matriced’ Impacts Croise’s Multiplication Appliquée a UN Classement (MIMAC) are used to identify the hierarchical structure of the relationships among eco-design dimensions, and to analyse characteristics power of each dimension on supporting eco-design practices. The relationships and characteristics power of each dimension are used to determine indicators that are effective in enhancement of eco-design practice, evaluated through sustainable supply chain performance. Results indicate that product deployment is an important approach for improving eco-design practice towards sustainable supply chain management. This emphasises the purpose and impact of eco-design on sequential supply chain activities at deployment phase. Further research is required to make an overall assessment of eco-design practices across range of manufacturing industries, given the current research is based on inputs from a limited number of experts of selected organisations.

Measuring the implementation of ecodesign management practices: A review and consolidation of process-oriented performance indicators

Ecodesign plays an important role in manufacturing companies’ quest for improved sustainability performance. However, many ecodesign efforts are geared towards tackling single-issue discrete improvements, in contrast to operationalizing, measuring and acting upon the consistent improvement of ecodesign implementation and management. To enable a systematic and streamlined integration of ecodesign practices into the product development processes, adequate mechanisms are needed to capture and measure performance improvements, and thereby achieve consistent improvements in a company’s efforts towards enhanced sustainability performance. In face of this challenge, this paper aims at providing organizations with a set of process-oriented indicators to supporting and enhancing ecodesign implementation and management. This research was grounded on a 2-phase approach to (i) cross-analyze performance indicators from literature against ecodesign practices at the process level and (ii) propose, evaluate and consolidate new indicators. After being subjected to the evaluation of 8 experts in ecodesign, a repository is presented with 27 indicators from literature and a set of 114 newly proposed indicators for companies to customize, adapt, mix and derive according to their needs, strategic drivers and overall context.