نوآوری سازگار با محیط زیست و توسعه محصول جدید : درک تأثیرات بر عملکرد بازار

The greening of product innovation process has been under study by researchers, but mostly it is at an anecdotal level. Extant literature asks for empirical study to explore how to make greener products more successful at the market place. This paper reports on a survey of environmental new product development (ENPD) projects in North America wherein influences on the market performance are investigated. New activities such as design for environment/life cycle analysis and supplier involvement for environmental responsiveness are identified in the ENPD process. The paper uses hierarchical regression method to find relative and incremental impact of eco-innovation activities in ENPD projects on market performance. Factors that influence market performance of greener products are found to be cross-functional co-ordination between new product development professionals and environmental specialists, supplier involvement, market focus and life cycle analysis.

Recent years have seen an increased debate and interest in understanding the business case of environmental responsiveness/sustainability (also termed as greening of business) among academia, industry, NGOs and public policy institutions in OECD countries as well in the developing countries (e.g. Banerjee et al., 2003 and NRTEE, 1999). Environmental sustainability issues include resource efficiency, dematerialization, reduction of waste and emissions leading to improved environmental performance and/or reduced environmental impact. In spite of the fierce debate about Kyoto protocol ratification and perceived difficulties in becoming green (e.g. Walley and Whitehead, 1994), businesses around the world have recognized the need to respond appropriately to sustainable development challenge and, consequently, many have changed their business activities in purchasing, product development, marketing and corporate strategy (Sharma, 2000, Pujari et al., 2003, Aragon-Correa and Sharma, 2003, Menon and Menon, 1997 and Drumwright, 1994). Where once environmental sustainability was viewed as involving compliance, expense and trade-offs with other corporate goals, increasingly it is being portrayed as an opportunity and a win-win logic of being ‘green and competitive’ (Porter and van der Linde, 1995).

This study aimed to explore the relationship and relative impacts of eco-innovation activities on ENPD performance. Hierarchical regression analysis was applied and the results mostly supported empirically the theoretical assertions made in the study. There was found to be statistically significant relationships between market performance and several independent factors such as functional co-ordination, supplier involvement, market focus, and LCA activities. This study reflects the current process by which environmental concerns are being integrated into the conventional NPD paradigm. Although it is a significant step forward from the traditional, reactive, compliance-driven approach, it is still an incremental development in the evolution of product development theory and practice. As such, the emphasis is currently on the amelioration of the environmental damage done by conventional products and technologies, rather than on the creation of sustainable products. Ultimately, the emphasis in NPD will need to move from this transitional stage to a quest for genuinely sustainable products and technologies, with a far greater emphasis on re-engineering, radically different ‘clean’ technologies, and fundamental changes to the ways products are purchased, used and disposed of. From a system's perspective, the ENPD's environmental performance is not something represented solely by the product itself, but also by the environmental impact of the production system, the organization behind it and its augmented supply chain (Peattie, 1995). This transformation of the product concept into something that encompasses and transcends elements of the entire company will be a profound challenge for the NPD process. It will call for even closer integration in future of the work of managers responsible for product development, marketing and the environment. In addition to this, impact of greener products can be considered successful only when these are able to replace environmentally harmful products at the marketplace. A better understanding of the ENPD activities identified in this study will help in integrating environmental issues effectively into companies' NPD process, and can therefore contribute something to the pursuit of sustainability. Future research on ENPD could be more specific in how new environmental products are defined—distinguishing between disruptive innovative greener products and environmental improvements to existing products. It could also investigate the moderating impact of other product benefits in use, and those related to production process improvements or clean technology initiatives. Future research could also include other marketing mix or commercialization variables in the process of ENPD.