An Assessment of Design-for-Environment Practices in Leading US Electronics Firms

A growing number of managers believe that addressing environmental impacts in product-design decisions has tangible advantages to firms. Yet many firms struggle to diffuse design-for-environment (DfE) practices across their product-development teams. Four leading electronics firms' attempts to adopt DfE suggest that the establishment of highly interconnected, internal information networks may be a robust diffusion strategy. Technically competent centers acting as clearinghouses of companywide information relevant to environmental design and coordinated with specialists on individual product-design teams seem to be an effective organizational structure for diffusing DfE. Internal information networks reduce the cost to designers of assessing environmental costs and benefits and thus lower the motivational barriers of product managers. Environmental design tools may be a component of successful DfE practice but do not seem to be sufficient in themselves. The complexity of environmental issues requires an approach that continually generates new information. Dense information networks allow pockets of expertise to form in response to ever-changing needs.