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Current and potential ecodesign integration in small and medium enterprises: Construction and related industries
Author(s) -
Denac Matjaž,
Obrecht Matevž,
Radonjič Gregor
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
business strategy and the environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.123
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1099-0836
pISSN - 0964-4733
DOI - 10.1002/bse.2034
Subject(s) - ecodesign , reuse , product (mathematics) , business , design for the environment , circular economy , new product development , product design , industrial organization , process management , manufacturing engineering , marketing , engineering , ecology , geometry , mathematics , waste management , biology
The ecodesign of products is becoming an important part of environmental and innovation policies in many sectors. The aim of this study was to understand how product ecodesign activities can be effectively introduced to stimulate step changes in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the construction and building sector, together with SMEs from related industrial sectors. Based on an interview study among Slovenian SMEs, the general level of managers’ awareness of how their products impact the environment and how they understand the concept of product ecodesign to provide potential measures for ecodesign implementation was investigated. The results showed the quantified aggregate of degrees of implementation related to individual ecodesign strategies based on life cycle phases and individual environmental aspects. The study revealed that the most frequently implemented criteria were maximizing product lifetime and ease of reuse, disassembly and recycling. The highest ecodesign implementation level was observed in the “design for use” phase.