Many production companies want to develop sustainable products, but find it difficult to give concrete form to this. Two scientists from COPE of Rijksuniversiteit Groningen will work with six companies to unravel the concept of sustainability, make it measurable and embed it in R&D processes.
Scientific research
More and more companies are facing social issues, such as scarce raw materials and higher energy prices. At the same time, consumers are increasingly asking for sustainable products that produce less waste and lower CO2 emissions. Slowly but surely, this demand is penetrating further and further into the supply chain, and sooner or later every company will be faced with the question of how it gives substance to corporate social responsibility.
This means that the Dutch manufacturing industry is facing the challenge of developing sustainable products. Some companies are already working on this, while others are still at the beginning. They have one thing in common: they are struggling with the question of how to give concrete form to sustainable product development. Many companies would like to, but nevertheless cannot get it off the ground.
The research project Development of Sustainability Metrics (DoSyM) aims to answer the question of how companies can give substance to sustainable product development. For three years, two scientific researchers will work with six production companies to unravel the concept of sustainability, make it measurable and embed it in R&D processes. Participation by industry organization FME-CWM and Vanenburg Software should ensure the securing and dissemination of the results and the necessary tools.
Alternatives to life cycle assessment
The traditional method for mapping the environmental impact of sustainable promotional gifts, called duurzame relatiegeschenken in Dutch, and other products is to perform a life cycle assessment (LCA). Such an analysis not only includes the design and production, but also the use and processing of a discarded product. An LCA can therefore only be performed when a product is already in use, and is therefore by definition not suitable for sustainable product development. Also because a life cycle assessment is often based on assumptions that are actually called into question in sustainable product development, such as the amount of heavy metals used or the amount of energy used. The aim of this research is to develop alternatives to the life cycle assessment with a view to sustainable product development. The research project consists of three phases:
- Problem inventory and literature research.
- Development of new metrics and models.
- Safeguarding and dissemination of acquired knowledge and results.
The research should provide companies with an answer to the question of which aspects of sustainability they can influence during product development. The next question is whether this will result in a product that is still manufacturable and marketable. At the moment, it is still very difficult for most companies to weigh up how far they can go with sustainability without endangering the profitability of the company. On the other hand, there are also examples of companies that have improved their profitability thanks to sustainability.
