Courtesy : www.proquest.com
Eco-friendly products design and development
Although many articles have examined the eco-friendly product design concept and its effect on
consumer attitude , the term eco-friendly is still a serious topic. The combination of design and
environment for special products has become a complex issue in the human mindset. Although studies
tended to focus on the adoption of environmentally friendly lifestyles, such as recycle, ozone-friendly,
reusable, and renewable concepts , the eco-friendly context has also been applied in various
productions around the world, such as in furniture in Turkey , in fashion in Indonesia , and in
architecture . The eco-friendly concept can be attributed to a few things. First, it can be attributed to
local materials such as bamboo, wood, and green consumerism that reflect people’s awareness of
environmental issues. Furthermore, the environmental impact is rooted in real-life situations. This can
be seen from Indonesia, which loses natural resources due to poor governance, poverty, and increasing
population . Finally, considering the local materials and environmental impact, eco-friendly product
design should be developed to encourage environmental protection as well. While previous studies
found that life cycle phases, namely development, manufacturing, and usage, were concluded, this
research suggested one step further by applying green consumption. Green consumption is a simple step
towards the environmentally friendly concept. It forces humans to consume only the selected advertised
products.
However, some eco-friendly concepts are just temporary design concepts. The environmentally safe
quality of a product remains debatable because of the credibility of the information, consumer behavior,
consumer education, green consumer, and product certification . Green consumers are more
conscious of environmental issues and live an environmentally friendly lifestyle to reduce
The 8th International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
environmental problems . Furthermore, the eco-friendly concept might be sensitive to environmental
effects. Thus, the consideration of the environmental effects on product design and environmental
sustainability is effective in reducing the gap.
This study examined 23 papers in total published in the last several decades. These papers were
organized according to the publication year and were investigated based on three different attributes,
namely product design, concept, and results as listed based on the year of publication. This study
surveyed eco-friendly products on various topics, such as architecture, tourism, customer behavior,
green consumers, and household. All selected papers were based on the concept and product
implementation model. The papers explained in this study reflected the outline of what has been
published so far. However, this study is not a complete review of all the papers in product design results.
The selected papers were based on the similarity of product design concept, method, and result. Selected
papers reviewed in this study were provided below.
- Papers in review
The papers reviewed in this study were explained based on the publication year. The papers were
selected from reputable journals and conference proceedings. The papers were categorized into three
groups that not only represent decades of the year of publication but also the change of research area.
There were only four papers selected for the 1990 to 2000 group due to a lack of studies related to the
designated topic. The total number of papers reviewed in this study was 23 and was divided into three
groups as follows:
• 1990 to 2000: 3 papers
• 2000 to 2010: 10 papers
• 2010 to 2021: 10 papers
2.1. Studies in 1990 to 2000 (3 papers)
First, Mildenberger & Khare have applied environment-friendly cars to change company
responsibility in technical and environmental performance. This research investigated three aspects of
available tools for balancing ecological, technological, and economic production. The product was
known as the German automobile industry, SMART from MCC AG. The smart concept resulted in
high recyclable contents in the vehicle interior, exterior, and technical complex sections. Technical
complex sections like the cockpit had more than 10% recyclable proportion. In addition, the module
replaced 20 conventionally designed components that claimed could save additional resources.
Study from Kriwet et al. analyzed the incorporation of recycling in product design. There were
four fundamental networks for recycling, namely designers, consumers, recyclers, and suppliers. It
utilized a case study that allowed the industry to take responsibility for the life cycle. The result showed
that its networks could be used to consider the inclusion of the recycling process in the product design.
The company needed to adopt a recycling approach because combining innovative technologies might
turn the recycling activities to be profitable.
Storen’s study investigated extruded aluminum which was appropriate to be used in
environment-friendly products. There were four principles in improving eco-efficiency, namely better,
cleaner, faster, and cheaper products and services. The improvement in efficiency could encourage the
life cycle to be a part of the infrastructure of the society and natural ecosystem. They applied a regulation
in which competition should be adapted among industries, universities, educators, and governmental
organizations. Thus, it became a way to increase eco-efficiency in society.
2.2. Studies in 2000 to 2010 (10 papers)
Turner assessed education technology for 6 practical learnings. These were strongly focused on
helping students to solve problems in the eco-design contexts. It was also trying to solve the problem in
how to encourage brainstorming, brainwriting, metaphoric thinking, outrageous thinking, mind
mapping, problem-solving, and SCAMPER. An advanced and smart technology based on eco-friendly
strategy entitled ASIT (Advanced Systematic Inventive Thinking) was used. Based on the concept, the
The 8th International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
goals or mandatory concept identified by researchers regarding world business council for sustainable
development can be seen in table 1.
Table 1. Goals of eco-design
Identification
World Business
Council for
Sustainable
Development
Seven goals Diminish material intensity in both service and
goods
Lessen energy intensity in both service and
goods
Minimize toxic depression
Increase recyclable material
Increase sustainable use of renewable resources
Minimize material durability
Gain service intensity of both service and goods
It was suggested that only a limited number of eco-design concepts that focus on problem-solving
design have been taught at the school level mainly due to educators who lacked knowledge about these
designs. Unfortunately, teachers were traditionally focusing on problem-solving instead of the final
product as a fundamental output at practical learning.
Clark et al., used incremental and radical innovation with one eco-design concept for
sustainability in several aspects including social, economic, and environmental aspects. It was
mentioned that sustainable innovation and design were highlighting the decrease in negative
environmental and social impacts rather than focusing on creating new technologies. Developed
countries have been targeted for sustainability design (D4S) as stated in the study. In addition,
integration with industrial sectors was needed because sustainable production could not guarantee
environmental benefits. Thus, further action for an unlimited environmental movement was
recommended.
Another study published from 2000 to 2010 was carried out by Ilgin & Gupta . It explored a deep
background regarding why research on eco-friendly in manufacturing and product recovery (ECMPRO)
should be conducted. The study stated that environmental awareness and recycling regulations had been
applied to various manufactures and consumers. The phenomena were started by indicating and forcing
consumers and manufactures to produce in an environmentally responsible manner. Unfortunately,
ECMPRO was commonly established in its infancy in the last two decades. It received attention from
the government and other community members due to concern about the global warming issue.
However, there was a lack of environmental impacts from creating an eco-friendly concept for product
design. The study formulated general conclusions from a literature review method as follows. The
tendency of their studies on an eco-friendly concept for product design can be seen in the table 2.
Prakash, Bhojwani & Srivastava studied plant tissue culture as a prospective element for a
bioactive compound. Because it was proven effective to eliminate key pests, this study focused on the
awareness of environmentally friendly and non-toxic pesticides. This study stated that plant cell culture
had a prospect to be a substitute element for producing the Azadirachtin system. Azadirachtin was
extracted from seeds of naturally grown whole plants which required meticulous work with uncertain
geographical and climatic factors.
Demirbilek & Sener explored some theoretical issues in ergonomics related to the emotional
content and semantics of design. The basic concept was to design a product that could trigger
“happiness” in communication and evoke positive emotions. Using the literature review method, the
study found that design was exceptional in creating emotional content including happy feelings, joy,
senses, fun, familiarity, cuteness, color, and metonymy.
The 8th International Conference on Sustain
Table 2. Result of Ilgin and Gupta’s study
Identification
Conclusion on
an eco-friendly
concept for
product design
Seven points Environmental issues for art product design
gradually increased in several investigations.
Design products traditionally focused on various
areas with special issues such as environment,
consumer behavior, economics, education tools, and
material requirements.
Reverse Logistics (RL) studies needed more
development in unlimited areas.
Remanufacturing system studies on eco-friendly
design also needed more realistic analysis and
integrated methodology.
There was a disassembly regarding ergonomics
studies.
The study was dominated by a quantitative study
instead of neural networks and fuzzy systems.
There was high degree research in RL (Reverse
Logistics).
Zulfia & Arana investigated an industrial cooked dish based on eco-friendly principal. The study
used a pilot experiment to develop an agri-food product. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to
identify environmental performance regarding the production and distribution of a dish that contained
tuna that was mixed with tomatoes. The study emphasized that eco-design for a new agri-food product
needed to be analyzed because both topics were rarely associated with each other.
Baumann, Boons, & Bragd discussed engineering, policy, and business perspective related to
the mapping of its green product development. More than 650 manuscripts were analyzed by identifying
the process, various contexts of the company, the product chain as well as society. Even though the
study identified many aspects related to the research development, understanding the connection
between companies and public policies was challenging. Thus, considering many layers of research and
practice especially companies and policies, further research was needed instead of focusing on the
theory. In addition, research in green product development should adopt a more systematic perspective
regarding the internal process of product development within the firm, the process of competition as
well as its cooperation among economic actors in the product chain. Governmental policy programs
needed to be linked to this development processed to provide fundamental stimuli and barriers to green
product development.
In their study, Bougherara & Combris investigated a unique topic of combining consumer’s
motives and the concept of eco-design labeled products that focused on environmental problems. They
recruited the premium consumers who were willing to pay for eco-labeled products because their
(consumer) motivation was known as a selfish act or altruistic reason. The product was bottled orange
juice with a retail brand that had two labels: organic and agricultural techniques contributing to
environmental protection. The 128 participants were randomly assigned to two different groups, 70
participants and 58 participants respectively. An incentive-compatible experiment was done through
within-subject and between-subject designs to study the effect of stating the product as eco-friendly and
financially free on the premium consumers. The assumption was consumers’ willingness to pay for ecolabeled products was not motivated by higher taste. The result confirmed that in the between-subject
design, the information not only affected but also controlled the buying price for the eco-friendly
The 8th International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Environment
product. Even though the result of the study was significant, the samples were not suitable for sociodemographic subsamples.
Bereketli, Genevois, & Ulukan studied eco-friendly or green product designs for special mobile
phones. The background talked about the issue of hazardous substance management in the production
of green products. Green principles then were expended in many departments because there was
legislation pressure on the environmental side. The result showed that Eco-QFD which was a customerdriven product development tool could provide a framework for designing eco-mobile phones by
blending the life cycle analysis (LCA) into QFD throughout the entire product development process.
Lastly, Lischuk investigated eco-friendly technology in leather manufacturing. The study
the fibrous structure of animal skin’s collagen as a research subject which was indistinctive biological
material. The result concluded that the semi-manufactured product structure was environmentally
friendly because of the chrome-free tanning.
2.3. Studies in 2010 to 2021 (10 papers)
Dubihlela & Ngxukumeshe studied customers who shopped in various grocery retail stores with a
survey method. The study used a total of 400 questionnaires with a cross-sectional study by applying a
random sample as well. This study claimed that native respondents have understood environment
sustainability due to their behavior in Southern Gauteng. However, the accuracy of the sample was not
appropriate for targeted consumers because imbalanced respondents could not be generalized with equal
behavior. However, there was a glaring gap in the consumers’ age in which adult and young groups may
behave differently in many ways. In addition, this study focused on eco-friendly behavior in consumers
without classifying the type of retailers.
Yüksel, E., & Kiliç, M. analyzed product materials of pieces of furniture for health. The study
applied a strong concept based on natural and recyclable materials. However, an example of sample
product design materials was not appropriate as the title because the paper only focussed on previous
study cases instead of creating an eco-friendly practical design concept. Even though some samples
were art-based designs, this study found a unique ecological material for future design approaches.
Pusporini, Abhary, & Luong predicted the QFD method by identifying customers’
environmental requirements regarding a life cycle analysis. These involved raw material design,
manufacture, distribution, and usage to secure customers satisfaction. The result identified the house
quality as the main attribute to describe customers’ essential needs to determine the priority order of
environmental indicators.
MacDonald & She J applied review research on encouraging pro-environmental behavior in
various fields. The results of the study were then used to establish recommendations for eco-design. The
environmental aspects were also utilized to explore the cognitive concepts that induced the purchase and
application of eco-products. The aspects were behavioral psychology, business, consumerism,
environmental psychology, and social science. The researchers created seven fundamental concepts for
a successful eco-design, such as trust, responsibility, motivation, cognitive dissonance, decision
heuristics, altruism-sacrifice, and complex decision-making skills. It was stated that pro-environmental
behavior (PEB) was highly applicable in improving the eco-products design. However, this concept was
quite questionable because the significant influence on U.S. engineers was determined by the influence
of public policy on engineering design decisions. In addition, the study had a direct validation of the
recommendations regarding its specific design example. An irrelevant review design method was used
instead of a test on designer efficacy even though some deficiencies bridged the gap between the abstract
cognitive concept and the application in eco-design. The result suggested a new design method in
achieving better change in humans’ behavior.
