Success factors for integration of ecodesign in product development

TLDR

The paper identifies 20 literature‑based factors essential for successfully integrating ecodesign into product development. These factors are organized into six domains: management, customer relationships, supplier relationships, development process, competence, and motivation. The study shows that most ecodesign integration factors overlap with general product‑development success elements, with a few specific to competence and motivation, implying that strong product‑development management enhances the likelihood of successful ecodesign integration.

Abstract

On the basis of a literature review, 20 factors essential for successful integration of ecodesign in product development are presented in this paper. The success factors are structured according to six areas of concern: management, customer relationships, supplier relationships, development process, competence and motivation. By relating the factors to a number of product development elements that are generally claimed to be important for product development success, it is indicated that the integration of ecodesign to a great extent are related to the same elements. A few factors seem to be specific for the integration of ecodesign. These factors are related to competence and motivation. As many of the ecodesign integration success factors relate to those elements that are acknowledged to affect product development success, this implies that a company that manages product development well increases the likelihood of being successful when integrating ecodesign into product development.