Abstract
There is little academic literature on the interface between new product development, innovation and sustainability, from an operations management perspective (we use the term “product” here to include services). The engineering literature has several “Design for Environment” guidelines, but they are, for the most part, prescriptive formulas for designing products that are easy to disassemble, take‐back, recycle or remanufacture. There is little understanding on the economic trade‐offs firms face in designing environmentally‐friendly products. One clear example is when the firm designs a product with superior environmental performance (e.g., low energy consumption), but that requires the use of a more expensive technology. A second example is when the firm may improve product quality by designing more robust and durable products, which may facilitate recovery and remanufacturing and reduce landfill scrap, but there is an increase in variable production costs which may actually encourage continued use of products that have become “environmental clunkers.” Other areas of sustainability in which product design plays a significant role include the use of recycled materials, products certified to meet certain standards (e.g., LEED construction, energy star), and so forth. This goal of this special issue is to publish high quality and relevant research on the interface between new product development, innovation, and sustainability. We welcome papers that open/broaden our perspective on this important interface, including papers inspired by other disciplines such as engineering or environmental management. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Design for sustainability Cradle‐to‐cradle design Impact of recovery options—recycling and remanufacturing—on product design Evaluating how sustainability considerations impact the new product development process Incorporating environmental impacts in the product line introduction decision Empirical studies on design, innovation, and sustainability interactions Assessing how public awareness of the need for “design for sustainability” influences the new product development process Assessing how product design can help build public awareness of the need for sustainability
Please submit your manuscript at the POM Manuscript Central site,
Mark Ferguson,
Glen Schmidt,
Gil Souza,