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Sustainable Product Design, Manufacturing and Management

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Products and Services".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 4 July 2024 | Viewed by 2770

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Production Engineering, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianopolis 88040-900, Brazil
Interests: new product development; sustainable products; customer behaviour; smart products

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Engenharia de Produção e Transportes, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Interests: new product development; product design; sustainable products; design for six sigma

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the 21st century, there is a rising awareness of the importance of safeguarding the environment and minimizing our impact on the planet. As a result, businesses are being pushed to embrace more sustainable practices in areas such as product design, management, and manufacturing. Companies worldwide increasingly recognize the significance of proactive policies and preventive measures for environmental conservation, encompassing both economic and ecological considerations.

This Special Issue is dedicated to exploring the innovative solutions that can help minimize the impact of humans on Earth. For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Product design strategies
  • New product development practices and tools
  • Management practices
  • Manufacturing practices and technologies
  • Digital technologies and approaches
  • Resource assessment and plan to minimize its use
  • Optimization and control of raw resources
  • Renewable energy
  • Energy transition
  • Environmental effects of production

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Diego Castro Fettermann
Prof. Dr. Marcia Elisa Soares Echeveste
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • digital products and services
  • Industry 4.0
  • sustainable products and services
  • product service systems
  • smart manufacturing
  • renewable energy

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 2758 KiB  
Article
Optimal Sustainable Manufacturing for Product Family Architecture in Intelligent Manufacturing: A Hierarchical Joint Optimization Approach
by Yujie Ma, Xueer Chen and Shuang Ma
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2727; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072727 - 26 Mar 2024
Viewed by 510
Abstract
As consumers and governments prioritize cost-effectiveness and ecological sustainability, the limitations of traditional manufacturing paradigms become apparent in the context of constrained resources. The adverse effects of these paradigms on the environment and society hinder the achievement of a sustainable product life cycle. [...] Read more.
As consumers and governments prioritize cost-effectiveness and ecological sustainability, the limitations of traditional manufacturing paradigms become apparent in the context of constrained resources. The adverse effects of these paradigms on the environment and society hinder the achievement of a sustainable product life cycle. Intelligent manufacturing processes offer a solution by efficiently gathering meaningful data, such as usage and product recycling information, from previous product generations to enhance product design and subsequent sustainable manufacturing processes (SMPs). Modular product family architecture (PFA) design holds promise in promoting product sustainability and addressing diverse consumer needs. PFA design and SMPs are inherently interconnected within intelligent manufacturing frameworks. This paper aims to integrate the decision-making processes underlying PFA with SMPs. We model integrated PFA and SMP decisions as a Stackelberg game, which involves hierarchical joint optimization (HJO) for assessing product modularity and sustainable manufacturing fulfillment. We develop a bilevel 0–1 integer nonlinear programming model to represent the HJO decision-making process and propose a nested genetic algorithm (NGA) to solve the HJO problem. A case study with a laptop is conducted to validate the feasibility and potential of the proposed HJO model for joint optimization problems in PFA design and SMPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Product Design, Manufacturing and Management)
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28 pages, 9749 KiB  
Article
Designing Environmentally Sustainable Furniture Products: Furniture-Specific Life Cycle Design Guidelines and a Toolkit to Promote Environmental Performance
by Dongfang Yang and Carlo Vezzoli
Sustainability 2024, 16(7), 2628; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072628 - 22 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 816
Abstract
As awareness of the serious environmental impact of the furniture sector increases, design is increasingly recognized as a crucial lever for innovating towards sustainable furniture products. This acknowledgment was emphasized by the European Union in the Circular Economy Action Plan in 2020 and [...] Read more.
As awareness of the serious environmental impact of the furniture sector increases, design is increasingly recognized as a crucial lever for innovating towards sustainable furniture products. This acknowledgment was emphasized by the European Union in the Circular Economy Action Plan in 2020 and is further emphasized in the forthcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation in 2024. To address the environmental issues stemming from the life cycle of furniture products, which constitute the fundamental part of the furniture system, specific design knowledge and know-how are developed within this study. Although Life Cycle Design (LCD) is a systematic approach to reducing environmental impacts, its application within the furniture system remains limited. This paper adopts a design-based research approach with three research stages and employs various methods including a literature review, case study, workshops, interviews, questionnaires, and a focus group to develop furniture-specific LCD guidelines and a toolkit. As a result, this paper presents furniture-specific LCD guidelines (comprising 7 strategies, 21 sub-strategies, and 154 guidelines), 41 environmentally sustainable furniture case cards, and a toolkit (comprising 4 tools). These guidelines provide comprehensive principles for designers to address environmental impact throughout the furniture’s life cycle. The toolkit guides sustainable furniture LCD, promoting low environmental impact and high design efficiency. These outcomes address the existing gaps in knowledge and tools in this field. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Product Design, Manufacturing and Management)
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33 pages, 5719 KiB  
Article
A Framework of Hybrid Method for Developing Optimal Sustainable Product Strategies and Sustainable Product Roadmap
by Chun-Wei Chen
Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1374; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041374 - 6 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1048
Abstract
The success of sustainable product strategies is widely recognized as pivotal to the successful development of sustainable products. Despite some existing research on sustainable product strategies, there is a notable lack of investigation into the tools necessary for their effective development. To address [...] Read more.
The success of sustainable product strategies is widely recognized as pivotal to the successful development of sustainable products. Despite some existing research on sustainable product strategies, there is a notable lack of investigation into the tools necessary for their effective development. To address this gap, our study aims to (1) introduce a methodological framework that systematically shapes sustainable product strategy, incorporating key technologies like a Sustainable Product Strategies Focus Group (SPSFG), Brainstorming, Weighted Decision Matrix (WDM), and Genetic Algorithm (GA); (2) demonstrate the practical application of this framework through the example of 3C products; and (3) contribute theoretically by proposing a tool for creating sustainable product strategies that integrates management principles, providing a practical guide for the development of control systems and tools. This study also maps out implications for the future of sustainable 3C products. The development of optimal sustainable product strategies across various sectors requires a comprehensive hybrid approach. This method combines diverse methodologies to create a robust framework addressing unique challenges in health systems, education, environment, industry, agriculture, energy, and resource management. Leveraging quantitative analysis, qualitative assessment, and systems thinking, the hybrid approach provides a nuanced understanding of interdependencies within these sectors. Integrating data-driven insights and qualitative considerations facilitates sustainable strategies, optimizing resource utilization for long-term environmental, social, and economic benefits. This holistic methodology enables a more effective response to interconnected challenges in health systems, education, environmental preservation, industry, agriculture, energy, and resource management, promoting a more sustainable future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Product Design, Manufacturing and Management)
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