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Sustainability
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EcoDesign: The Importance of Manufacturing Sustainable Products
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EcoDesign: The Importance of Manufacturing Sustainable Products

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 21208

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Claudio Favi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Engineering and Architecture, Parma University, 43124 Parma, Italy
Interests: engineering design; eco-design; life cycle engineering; product development; design methods; design tools
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Marco Marconi

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organization, Tuscia University, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Interests: eco-design; life cycle assessment; design for additive manufacturing; sustainable manufacturing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The design and development of products for daily use is changing due to the new drivers derived by the paradigm of sustainability with its three pillars: economic, environmental, social. Product manufacturing plays a critical role in the product’s life cycle, thus designers and engineers are encouraged to rethink the way products are conceived, integrating sustainable manufacturing aspects in the early phases of product design and development, anticipating the issues related to the production phase which include the reduction of environmental impacts by increasing efficiency of resource consumption and minimizing wastes/scraps, the improvement of working conditions and social equalities by carefully taking into account human resources and its integration within production systems, as well as the management of manufacturing costs for increasing the product and company-added value. Consequently, the importance of manufacturing and assembly considerations in product development need to be viewed as a key subject for the overall sustainability of companies, since product development merges current markets, technology trends and regulatory demands into product features.

Papers exploring novel eco-designed products and the implications of eco-design methods in product development for a sustainable manufacturing with a critical focus on production technologies, sustainable management of production systems and product assembly are invited. Case studies focusing on the adoption of sustainable practices in the context of product manufacturing and assembly (i.e., reduction of energy/water consumption, reduction of emission, advance in social equality and human wellbeing) are also welcome.

The papers selected for this Special Issue will be subject to a rigorous peer review procedure with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications.

Prof. Claudio Favi
Prof. Marco Marconi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • eco-design
  • sustainable design
  • sustainable manufacturing and production
  • product development
  • design for manufacturing and assembly
  • life cycle engineering
and related topics.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

35 pages, 2771 KiB  
Article
Digital Transformation and Its Influence on Sustainable Manufacturing and Business Practices
by Issam A. R. Moghrabi, Sameer Ahmad Bhat, Piotr Szczuko, Rawan A. AlKhaled and Muneer Ahmad Dar
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3010; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15043010 - 07 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 9562
Abstract
The paper focuses on the relationship between businesses and digital transformation, and how digital transformation has changed manufacturing in several ways. Aspects like Cloud Computing, vertical and horizontal integration, data communication, and the internet have contributed to sustainable manufacturing by decentralizing supply chains. [...] Read more.
The paper focuses on the relationship between businesses and digital transformation, and how digital transformation has changed manufacturing in several ways. Aspects like Cloud Computing, vertical and horizontal integration, data communication, and the internet have contributed to sustainable manufacturing by decentralizing supply chains. In addition, digital transformation inventions such as predictive analysis and big data analytics have helped optimize sustainable manufacturing by reducing overproduction or underproduction through predicting customer demands. It integrates digital technology to enhance business operations, consumer engagement, supply chains, and coordination, the manufacturing process, energy conservation, efficiency, and environmental conservation and culture to satisfy business needs. Businesses’ failure to embrace digital transformation in this era contributes to their demise. This research paper will analyze and contrast several businesses and the extent of digital transformation’s influence on them during COVID-19. A two-stage study is conducted, the first stage assesses a chosen exemplary business success over three years. The second stage investigates the reasons for success, or otherwise, and the connection to digitalization in the business. Our outcomes suggest that digital transformation strongly influences firms’ effectiveness and survival from a technology-centric and business model standpoint. Some essential generic recommendations are suggested based on the results obtained. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue EcoDesign: The Importance of Manufacturing Sustainable Products)
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29 pages, 5658 KiB  
Article
Modular Product Architecture for Sustainable Flexible Manufacturing in Industry 4.0: The Case of 3D Printer and Electric Toothbrush
by Tufail Habib, Muhammad Omair, Muhammad Salman Habib, Muhammad Zeeshan Zahir, Sikandar Bilal Khattak, Se-Jin Yook, Muhammad Aamir and Rehman Akhtar
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 910; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15020910 - 04 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2614
Abstract
Integrating sustainability, a flexible manufacturing system, and Industry 4.0 resolves the issues of fluctuating market demand arising from customization requirements. Modular products allow flexibility to adapt to changing requirements and optimize resource utilization. In this study, a method was proposed and applied to [...] Read more.
Integrating sustainability, a flexible manufacturing system, and Industry 4.0 resolves the issues of fluctuating market demand arising from customization requirements. Modular products allow flexibility to adapt to changing requirements and optimize resource utilization. In this study, a method was proposed and applied to two products, i.e., a 3D printer and an electric toothbrush featuring modular architecture, multiple product versions, and customization, to contribute to the development of sustainable flexible manufacturing systems. From the results of the two case studies nine modules were identified that contain specific functions and related interface information. From these modules, one platform was developed that comprises common entities used in all variants of the products. This platform was further extended to product families. From the modules, product architecture was developed that supports the product and process relationships. These relationships can be developed concurrently, enabling product features to be linked to the manufacturing setup. Thus, when a modular architecture is developed, the factory has to be reorganized accordingly, or reconfiguration is possible. Hence, the main aim of the research was to develop modular product architecture to identify product and process relationships for a sustainable flexible manufacturing system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue EcoDesign: The Importance of Manufacturing Sustainable Products)
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20 pages, 1613 KiB  
Article
Does Product Eco-design Promote Remanufacturing: Application of a Stylized Game-theoretic Model
by Qixiang Wang and Xiaobo Wang
Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 691; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15010691 - 30 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1297
Abstract
As an effective approach to reduce resource waste and production costs, remanufacturing has elicited extensive attention from the industry and academia. Many electronic original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have increasingly begun to incorporate product eco-design (PED) into their remanufacturing processes since take-back regulations that [...] Read more.
As an effective approach to reduce resource waste and production costs, remanufacturing has elicited extensive attention from the industry and academia. Many electronic original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have increasingly begun to incorporate product eco-design (PED) into their remanufacturing processes since take-back regulations that hold OEMs responsible for handling their own end-of-life products have gradually become more stringent. The investment costs for the PED implementation vary across different PED effort levels (i.e., high, medium, and low) chosen by the OEM, and different PED effort levels may yield different remanufacturing strategies. In this paper, we develop a stylized game-theoretic model to investigate the impact of PED effort levels on the OEM’s equilibrium decisions (which include production quantities of new and remanufactured products) and supply chain performance in the context of take-back legislation. Our results demonstrate that high PED effort levels do not imply more remanufacturing and that the OEM’s choice of remanufacturing strategies depends on the trade-off between cost savings from remanufacturing and deterministic risks. Interestingly, we find that new products should have a certain level of profitability to ensure the validity of take-back legislation. Due to the substitution and complementary effects between new and remanufactured products, the optimal decisions exhibit different characteristics in remanufacturing strategies. Through a numerical study, we observe that the economic performance decreases with increases in the PED effort level under take-back legislation, but the change in the total environmental impact depends on the PED effort level and the production cost of new products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue EcoDesign: The Importance of Manufacturing Sustainable Products)
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13 pages, 1203 KiB  
Article
Designing Immortal Products: A Lifecycle Scenario-Based Approach
by Damien Evrard, Helmi Ben Rejeb, Peggy Zwolinski and Daniel Brissaud
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3574; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13063574 - 23 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2532
Abstract
Immortal products are updated and upgraded to go from application to application and, in so doing, to extend their life as long as possible. Designing such products is the key to a sustainable society from the circular economy perspective. It is a new [...] Read more.
Immortal products are updated and upgraded to go from application to application and, in so doing, to extend their life as long as possible. Designing such products is the key to a sustainable society from the circular economy perspective. It is a new way of designing that must be supported by engineering tools to be deployed in companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) included. The implementation of circular loops and the associated industrial systems are very dependent on the contexts and life scenarios of the products. Thus, depending on the products to be re-circulated, the processes controlled, and the actors involved, the requirements to be reported at design level are very diverse. This paper proposes a new design method based on lifecycle scenarios to be analyzed and designed. Supported by classical engineering tools that has been adapted for circular economy (CE) context, the lifecycle model enables simultaneous design of businesses, products and services and the evaluation of their environmental values. Three industrial design cases showing the application of engineering tools for implementation of CE lifecycle scenarios are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue EcoDesign: The Importance of Manufacturing Sustainable Products)
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23 pages, 49686 KiB  
Article
Influence of the Intrinsic Characteristics of Cementitious Materials on Biofouling in the Marine Environment
by Mahmoud Hayek, Marie Salgues, Jean-Claude Souche, Etienne Cunge, Cyril Giraudel and Osanne Paireau
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2625; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13052625 - 01 Mar 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3080
Abstract
Coastal marine ecosystems provide essential benefits and services to humanity, but many are rapidly degrading. Human activities are leading to significant land take along coastlines and to major changes in ecosystems. Ecological engineering tools capable of promoting large-scale restoration of coastal ecosystems are [...] Read more.
Coastal marine ecosystems provide essential benefits and services to humanity, but many are rapidly degrading. Human activities are leading to significant land take along coastlines and to major changes in ecosystems. Ecological engineering tools capable of promoting large-scale restoration of coastal ecosystems are needed today in the face of intensifying climatic stress and human activities. Concrete is one of the materials most commonly used in the construction of coastal and marine infrastructure. Immersed in seawater, concretes are rapidly colonized by microorganisms and macroorganisms. Surface colonization and subsequent biofilm and biofouling formation provide numerous advantages to these organisms and support critical ecological and biogeochemical functions in the changing marine environment. The new challenge of the 21st century is to develop innovative concretes that, in addition to their usual properties, provide improved bioreceptivity in order to enhance marine biodiversity. The aim of this study is to master and clarify the intrinsic parameters that influence the bioreceptivity (biocolonization) of cementitious materials in the marine environment. By coupling biofilm (culture-based methods) and biofouling (image-analysis-based method and wet-/dry-weight biomass measurement) quantification techniques, this study showed that the application of a curing compound to the concrete surface reduced the biocolonization of cementitious materials in seawater, whereas green formwork oil had the opposite effect. This study also found that certain surface conditions (faceted and patterned surface, rough surface) promote the bacterial and macroorganism colonization of cementitious materials. Among the parameters examined, surface roughness proved to be the factor that promotes biocolonization most effectively. These results could be taken up in future recommendations to enable engineers to eco-design more eco-friendly marine infrastructure and develop green-engineering projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue EcoDesign: The Importance of Manufacturing Sustainable Products)
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