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Modeling Sustainability in Product Development and Commercialization

Stanford University

Dariush Rafinejad

Stanford University

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.

Key Words: sustainability • product design • sustainable manufacturing • modeling sustainability • sustainability effect on market share

Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, Vol. 28, No. 6, 478-485 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0270467608316435


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