THE APPLICATION OF ECO-COMPASS METHOD IN SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

The paper addresses the applicability of Eco-compass for sustainable product development process. The author makes the attempt to answer three fundamental questions: How to improve new product development in the context of sustainable products? What are the capabilities and limitations of Eco-compass? How can Eco-compass help with sustainable product development optimization? In responding to these questions, at first sustainable product development is described. Particular emphasis is put on early phases of new product development: idea generation and design. Afterwards, the methodology of using Eco-compass to compare two products or assess various options of one product in terms of its impact on the environment is presented. Next, considering the fact that in the era of sustainability the model of new product development must imply the integration of economic, environmental and social aspects, the potential of Eco-compass to improve eco-efficiency of the product is elucidated. Finally, conclusions are drawn from this paper.