Sustainable Product Development and its Effect on Performance in High-Technology Firms

The widely acknowledged need for sustainable development has impacted not only countries and society but also organizations and how they conduct business. While literature has focussed on the environmental impact of organizations and people, as well as how to model the design of products to be environmentally sustainable; not many have focussed on how to develop products that are sustainable for the organization. This study endeavours to understand how organizations can aim their sustainable-product development processes so as to create sustainable products. It is posited that the strategic orientation of an organization influences the sustainable-product development processes that take place, which in turn impact the attributes of the product(s) being developed as well as the performance of the organization. This study consists of two parts; the first is exploratory in nature. Most of the research originates from the field of new product development and is tested in the context of sustainable products. In the second part, the study conducts an empirical survey to confirm the learning from the exploratory study. This research is important since it provides essential insights into how organizations develop products that are sustainable in nature by incorporating changes at the strategic level.