Consolidation of management practices for Sustainable Product Development: A systematic literature review

Abstract

Sustainable Product Development (SPD) has gained increasing significance across businesses, government, and academia as the recognition of sustainability impacts throughout the value chains grows. In this context, manufacturing companies are progressively taking steps to enhance the sustainability performance of their developed products. While environmental sustainability has been a focus in the past, broader sustainability considerations encompassing social and economic dimensions, remain insufficiently addressed in SPD. The lack of systematic incorporation of sustainability considerations into the product development process and the multitude of unconsolidated management practices present challenges for companies and academia. Therefore, this research aims to identify and consolidate the existing management practices for SPD. Through a systematic literature review, 546 practices were identified from the 312 studies, resulting in the consolidation of 61 key management practices for SPD. These practices were further classified according to the context of application, key focus areas and organisational functions, offering valuable insights for SPD research and practice. The consolidated list of management practices serves as a strategic resource, enabling companies to navigate the complexities of SPD and select the most relevant practices to their context. Future research is recommended to delve deeper into the application of the identified SPD practices, explore their impact on sustainable product development, and showcase successful case studies.

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