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Sustainability impact and effects analysis - A risk management tool for sustainable product development
Blekinge Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Strategic Sustainable Development.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-2563-8273
GKN Aerospace Engine Systems.
2022 (English)In: Sustainable Production and Consumption, ISSN 2352-5509, Vol. 30, p. 737-751Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Integrating a strategic sustainability perspective in product development requires that decision-makers can connect socio-ecological sustainability aspects to tangible business implications in the short- and long term. Only then will there be the driving forces necessary for adopting sustainable product development practices. A risk management approach can be used to enable strategic proactivity by exposing the potential consequences of sustainability-related decisions, for example in relation to reputation, legislative change, the ability to attract top talent, or meeting customer needs. Through an action research approach and by building on previous findings and existing tools and methods, this study presents the Sustainability Impact and Effects Analysis. This novel method and risk management tool combines the familiar format of the well-established Failure Mode and Effects Analysis with a strategic sustainability perspective. Designed to be applicable in early stages of the product innovation process, this tool aims to increase decision-makers’ awareness of sustainability risks and provide them with a practical way for how to identify, assess, and treat such risks. The tool was developed in close collaboration with industry and tested in two different companies. The results indicate the effectiveness of the tool for identifying and analyzing sustainability risks, as well as deriving and monitoring strategies for how to manage them strategically, also leading to an increased awareness of the interconnections between socio-ecological sustainability aspects and business implications. Thereby, it can provide support for companies in how to work with product development in a way that contributes to society's transition towards sustainability, while benefiting the own organization. © 2022 The Authors

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier, 2022. Vol. 30, p. 737-751
Keywords [en]
Sustainable innovation, Eco-design, Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), Action research, Decision-support, Strategic sustainable development
National Category
Environmental Sciences Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Research subject
Strategic Sustainable Development
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:bth-22195DOI: 10.1016/j.spc.2022.01.004ISI: 000789137500005Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85122994811OAI: oai:DiVA.org:bth-22195DiVA, id: diva2:1602169
Part of project
Model Driven Development and Decision Support – MD3S, Knowledge FoundationDSIP- Digital Sustainability Implementation Package, Vinnova
Funder
Knowledge Foundation, 20180159Vinnova, 2020-04163
Note

Open access.

Available from: 2021-10-11 Created: 2021-10-11 Last updated: 2022-05-30Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Strategic Sustainability Risk Management in Product Development Companies
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Strategic Sustainability Risk Management in Product Development Companies
2021 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Society’s transition towards a sustainable state entails rapid and disruptive change in all sectors. This change is the source of profound uncertainty. From a company perspective, it can either pose existential threats if current practices or products enforce unsustainable development, or it can present opportunities if the company can provide solutions to the sustainability challenges humanity is facing. Such sustainability-related threats and opportunities, i.e., risks, can be related to, for example, reputation, legislative change, litigation, the ability to attract and retain talented employees, or the ability to meet customer needs on increasingly sustainability-driven markets. While more and more companies recognize the importance of building capabilities for sustainable product development to remain competitive, the relation between social and environmental aspects and economic performance is still oftentimes viewed as a trade-off where some profit must be sacrificed to be sustainable.Based on an interactive qualitative research approach, this thesis shows how a risk management lens can be used to support decision-makers at product development companies in understanding the dynamic interplay between socio-ecological sustainability aspects and business implications. The conceptual understanding of sustainability risks was advanced by identifying their characteristics and by proposing a new definition, utilizing literature review and the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. In the next step of the research, today’s situation and preconditions at some product development companies in Sweden were studied. Using multiple data collection methods, current risk management practices were investigated and hypotheses for sustainability integration were derived. Based on interviews with industrial and academic experts, the hypotheses were further developed into key aspects for sustainability risk management that can be used as recommendations for practitioners. Utilizing the newly developed definition and key aspects, a conceptual approach for strategic risk management within the sustainability transition was conceived. This approach was then adapted and operationalized as a workshop method for multifunctional teams in the context of product portfolio planning. Finally, the Sustainability Impact and Effects Analysis was developed and tested through an action research approach to provide decision-makers in early phases of the product innovation process with practical support for identifying, assessing, and managing sustainability risks. Uncertainty is neither good nor bad – it is just an inherent part of reality. This thesis showed how a risk management approach can be used to guide decision-making in uncertainty within the sustainability transition in a product development company context. Thereby, companies can take the strategic leadership that is required to benefit from the opportunities that can be found in this time of deep uncertainty.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Karlskrona: Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, 2021
Series
Blekinge Institute of Technology Doctoral Dissertation Series, ISSN 1653-2090 ; 9
Keywords
sustainable product development, sustainable design, risk management, corporate sustainability, product innovation, sustainability transition
National Category
Environmental Sciences Mechanical Engineering
Research subject
Strategic Sustainable Development
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:bth-22193 (URN)978-91-7295-431-1 (ISBN)
Public defence
2021-12-09, J1630, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Karlskrona, 09:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Funder
Vinnova, 2020-04163Knowledge Foundation, 20180159
Available from: 2021-10-19 Created: 2021-10-11 Last updated: 2021-11-04Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

2022 Schulte, Knuts Sustainability impact and effects analysis(4672 kB)400 downloads
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152c47a9d9105c4b4d0cb6bfb50108de96f51384dba5734b00a70bd25cbc027c7257a6b3aed24c84b2a18b0aeb42f6f96be1a64faeb415f743abd02730406987
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Schulte, Jesko

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