An Improved Design of Calico Grocery Eco-Bag

Abstract

The use of plastic bags has a negative environment impact, and other alternatives such as paper bags, boxes and current eco-bags proved to have a short lifetime. Due to the problems encountered by consumers in current calico eco-bags in supermarkets, there is a need to redesign the eco-bags. This study focused on an improved design for calico eco-bags which considers different customer needs in terms of its function and ergonomics aspect. The main concern of this study was to address the problem with regards to the eco-bag’s water resistance, presence of dividers, ease of cleaning, and durability. An environmentally conscious product development methodology which was integration of Environmentally Conscious Quality Function Deployment (ECQFD), Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to select the best design which addresses the problem with current calico eco-bags. The effectiveness of the prototype was tested in terms of its performance and usability. Based on the conducted tests and survey, the prototype was able to address not only the main concerns of consumers, but the minor problem as well. The satisfaction rating of all the customer needs, except for the weight, obtained a lesser value compared to the satisfaction rating of the current eco-bags in the market. This proves that the prototype is better than the current eco-bags. A research was done regarding the selling price and it was decided that the optimal selling price is Php450.