This paper addresses the pressing and rapid shift toward greater sustainability in businesses due to the advanced stage of environmental degradation. The viability and competitiveness of a business is secured through sustainable product innovation development, which has been proven by the latest sustainable products and services. The term sustainability is precisely aligned with sustainable product innovation thinking and processes. In addressing this issue of product sustainability, I provide a concept for fostering sustainable innovation thinking and define certain sustainability criteria linked to each stage of the product innovation process. It has been shown that the reconciliation of sustainable criteria with the product innovation process is challenging. Limitations arising from sustainable product innovation development, such as greenwashing are discussed and reveal that the concept of sustainability has not been implemented properly in business practice so far. In particular, there is also a lack of scientific studies regarding the holistic approach to sustainable product innovations. Generally, fundamental innovation theories need to be improved by sustainability criteria, because keeping up with the sustainability trend will be one of the most challenging and important tasks in the future for businesses to maintain their competitiveness.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I. INTRODUCTION
- II. METHODS
- III. BUSINESS SUSTAINABAILITY
- 3.1 Integration of sustainability strategy in businesses
- 3.2 Characteristics of sustainable product innovations
- 3.3 Sustainable product innovation as a competitive advantage
- IV. THE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT INNOVATION PROCESS
- 4.1 Innovation processes in the past and today
- 4.2 The sustainable idea generation process
- V. SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
- 5.1 The sustainable product life cycle
- 5.2 Creating sustainable value in product innovation process stages
- 5.3 A pioneer in sustainable product development: The Body Shop
- VI. CONCLUSION
- VII. LIMITATIONS OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
- 7.1 Limitations and barriers of sustainable product development in practice
- 7.2 The real sustainable product innovation performance of business - a problem of greenwashing
- VIII. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS
- IX. SCIENTIFIC IMPLICATIONS
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to investigate the growing demand for sustainability in business practices. The focus is on how businesses can implement sustainable product innovation development as a means to ensure viability and competitiveness. The paper explores the concept of sustainability in relation to product innovation thinking and processes, defining criteria for sustainability at each stage of the product innovation process.
- The role of sustainable product innovation in securing business viability and competitiveness.
- Defining and integrating sustainability criteria into each stage of the product innovation process.
- Addressing the challenges and limitations of sustainable product innovation development.
- The importance of a holistic approach to sustainable product innovations.
- The need to incorporate sustainability criteria into fundamental innovation theories.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The paper begins with an introduction to the critical shift towards sustainability in businesses. It then outlines the methods used in the research, followed by an exploration of business sustainability, focusing on the integration of sustainability strategies within businesses, the characteristics of sustainable product innovations, and the advantages of sustainable innovation for businesses.
Chapter IV delves into the sustainable product innovation process, examining past and present innovation processes and exploring the sustainable idea generation process in detail. Chapter V focuses on sustainable product development, discussing the sustainable product life cycle, the creation of sustainable value in product innovation process stages, and showcasing The Body Shop as a pioneering example of sustainable product development.
The paper continues by addressing limitations of sustainable product development, including barriers in practice and the problem of greenwashing.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The paper revolves around the concepts of sustainability, product innovation, greenwashing, and competitive advantage. It examines the integration of sustainability strategies within businesses, the characteristics of sustainable product innovations, and the development of a holistic approach to sustainable product innovations. The paper also focuses on the importance of incorporating sustainability criteria into fundamental innovation theories.
- Quote paper
- Nicole Kaczmar (Author), 2013, How to Make Product Innovation Processes More Sustainable? A Literature Review, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/536561
