Journal of Applied Mechanical Engineering

The price of sustainable supply? The balance between sustainability and stakeholder priorities using product design to optimise business performance through knowledge based partnerships

International Conference on Design and Production Engineering

July 25-26, 2016 Berlin,Germany

Alan Robert Crummey

De Montfort University, UK

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Appl Mech Eng

Abstract:

As awarness of environmental issues increases, pressure is mounting for all companies in the UK to act on and improve on their overall sustainability performance. The resulting corporate image implications mean that there has never been a more critical time to consider sustainability. Design has a crucial influence on the sustainable credentials of resulting products which, in turn, impact the supply chain. As retailers seek to drive up their sustainable credentials SME partners are having to in turn demonstrate sustainable stratergies to maintain their supplyer status. This paper will consider the impact sustainable product design can have on SME business performance and to what extent sustainability can be a driving force. A recent survey conducted by the British Standards Institute (BSI) group states that 70% of executives in UK corporations â??view sustainability as a driver for innovation and growthâ??. It is therefore imperative for supplier and partner companies to practice sustainability to fruitfully engage with company and stakeholder sustainability objectives. This study will provide an objective and unique insight into the drivers for sustainability in an SME business context. Using a number of case studies, this paper will draw conclusions on the importance of sustainability to the supply chain, stakeholders and customers within a retail enviroment. It will evaluate this information against other critical factors such as cost and lead times. As a result, this paper will highlight the broad impacts of the outputs of sustainable product design and present the effects on business to business relations and overall sales performance.

Biography :

Email: ACrummey@dmu.ac.uk