Characterization of the State-of-the-art and Identification of Main Trends for Ecodesign Tools and Methods: Classifying Three Decades of Research and Implementation

Abstract

Ecodesign is a proactive management approach that integrates environmental considerations in product development and related processes (such as purchasing, marketing and research & development). Ecodesign aims to improve environmental performance of products throughout their life cycle, from raw material extraction and manufacturing to use and end-of-life. Over the last three decades, an intense development of new ecodesign methods and tools could be observed, but uptake by the industry remains a challenge. The purpose of this research is to perform a review of existing ecodesign tools and methods through a systematic literature review linked to bibliometric analyses, in order to explore the state of the art of ecodesign methods and tools and identify trends and opportunities in the field for the next decade.