Modeling Sustainability in Product Development and Commercialization

• Published in: Bulletin of science, technology & society Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 478 - 485
• Main Authors: Carlson, Robert C., Rafinejad, Dariush
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.12.2008
• Subjects: Business; Cognitive Structures; Decision Making; Design; Ecological Factors; Life Cycle Costing; Marketing; Strategic Planning; Sustainable Development; product design; modeling sustainability; sustainability effect on market share; sustainability; sustainable manufacturing
• ISSN: 0270-4676; 1552-4183
• DOI: 10.1177/0270467608316435

In this article, the authors present the framework of a model that integrates strategic product development decisions with the product's impact on future conditions of resources and the environment. The impact of a product on stocks of nonrenewable sources and sinks is linked in a feedback loop to the cost of manufacturing and using the product and to the end-users' preference for a sustainable product. Two product development scenarios are analyzed to illustrate the model's capabilities. These cases represent widely different market conditions and strategies in product development vis-à-vis sustainable product design and manufacturing. Future work must focus on application of the present framework to cases of realistic products and markets to further develop the model as a useful decision-making tool. The model might also serve as a means of analyzing normative resource-cost scenarios in regulatory policy mechanisms for sustainability.