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Design measures to address carbon emissions in products’ lifecycle: an empirical analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

Thayla Zomer ,
Eduardo de Senzi Zancul ,
Paulo Augusto Cauchick-Miguel  and
Eloiza Kohlbeck
Thayla Zomer*
Affiliation:
Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Eduardo de Senzi Zancul
Affiliation:
Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
Paulo Augusto Cauchick-Miguel
Affiliation:
Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil
Eloiza Kohlbeck
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil
*
thayla.zomer@fdc.org.br

Abstract

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Companies need to implement low-carbon operations, including product-related innovation initiatives. The literature on low-carbon product design has grown, but existing studies are primarily theoretical. This empirical study identifies design measures adopted by companies committed to GHG emission reduction. A qualitative analysis of the climate change reports from a sample of companies reporting to the CDP was conducted. Design measures were identified and classified. The findings shed light on design measures contributing to emission reduction in different product lifecycle phases.

Keywords

low-carbon designsustainabilitysustainable designproduct lifecycle management (PLM)
Type
Design for Sustainability
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 4: DESIGN 2024 , May 2024 , pp. 1537 - 1546
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2024.

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