Case-Based Reasoning in Achieving Sustainability Targets of New Products

Marcin Relich (), Janusz Adamczyk, Robert Dylewski and Agnieszka Kister
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Marcin Relich: Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Zielona Gora, 65-246 Zielona Gora, Poland
Janusz Adamczyk: Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Zielona Gora, 65-246 Zielona Gora, Poland
Agnieszka Kister: Faculty of Economics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-031 Lublin, Poland

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Improving product sustainability is becoming an increasingly significant challenge for modern enterprises. A growing number of manufacturers are interested in enhancing product sustainability throughout the product life cycle. This study is concerned with using case-based reasoning to identify ways of improving product sustainability and select variables for model specification. Parametric models are applied to search for opportunities to improve product sustainability. This can be achieved through changes introduced at the product design stage. Simulations are performed using constraint-satisfaction modeling to identify conditions for achieving the sustainability targets of new products. Constraint-satisfaction modeling provides a suitable framework for finding all possible sustainability-enhancing changes (if any) during the new product development process. These changes may support R&D specialists in identifying opportunities to improve the sustainability of new products. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach with an example in which our method enabled a reduction in the product failure rate and an increase of battery lifespan for a robot vacuum cleaner line. We analyzed several factors affecting two targets of product sustainability: minimizing the product failure rate and maximizing battery lifespan. Our findings indicate that R&D staff size is the biggest factor in reducing the product failure rate, and that battery capacity is the most significant factor in battery lifespan.

Keywords: constraint-satisfaction modeling; eco-design; product sustainability; simulations for sustainability development; sustainability performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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