Sustainable design engineering: Design as a key driver in sustainable product and business development

Abstract

Sustainability has become a "hype" topic these days (Steeger 2004). However, although sustainable considerations are clearly on the agenda of many researchers as well as managers, the corporate sustainability map is still characterized by some considerable "blind spots" (Waldron et al. 2008). One of these blind spots is the role design plays in developing sustainable products, and how the efficiency and sustainability of new product development (NPD) is increased by consequently and strategically integrating the design function into the innovation process. Starting from this fundamental perception, the intention of this chapter is to outline a theoretical and practical framework for a new understanding of sustainable product design, which should not be driven by purely ethical or technical considerations only but needs to be grounded on business strategy and economic objectives likewise.