Integrating environmental concerns into the design process: the gap between theory and practice

This paper focuses on the product design process and the role played by environmental concerns during this critical stage. Specifically, we explore Environmentally Responsible Manufacturing (ERM) as perceived and acted on by two critical groups within this design process. The first consists of the champions and supporters of ERM. These are the people who either formally or informally act as advocates of ERM within the organization. The second consists of the users of ERM tools and procedures. Typically, these people consist of product designers and design engineers. We study these two groups by means of an exploratory research project that focuses a sample of ten firms drawn from the “best-in-class” environmental leaders. An interesting finding reported in this paper involves the existence of a strong gap between the ERM supporters and the users of ERM tools. The two sides were found to be separated by expectations, perceptions and orientations towards ERM principles, practices and tools. By understanding this gap, we may begin to better understand the difficulties that firms experience in trying to create more environmentally friendly designs and products.