Abstract:The sustainability performance of companies, and in particular of construction material producers, is attracting more and more attention by a broad range of stakeholders. Many companies have consequently started to implement sustainability practices into practical action and to report on their efforts. This research aims to develop a methodology to assess the sustainability performance of cement and concrete products. This requires overcoming the main shortage of life cycle assessment, namely focusing on envir… Show more
“…The proposed definition, which is based on results from the state of art and this descriptive study, is as follows: A sustainability product portfolio is:A process to set a company platform of solutions, i.e., a cluster of products, services, technologies, and/or customized options, based on the company strategic plan and assessed by a strategic sustainability perspective.According to the interviews, a product portfolio is decided at the strategic level of a company (Kohl, 2016), where the mission, vision, strategy, core values, and targets of the company are determined (León‐Soriano, Muñoz‐Torres, & Chalmeta‐Rosales, 2010; Tang, Walsh, Lerner, Fitza, & Li, 2018). Most of the interviewees agree that it is a process where products are adapted and balanced (Ölundh & Ritzen, 2004) to be successful in terms of sustainability (Cluzel et al, 2016), market attractiveness (Cooper et al, 2000), high profitability (Artelt & Lukas, 2020), among many other aspects in a long‐term perspective (Chen et al, 2020). According to Company B, a system view is needed to implement a strategic sustainability perspective, (Hallstedt, 2017).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Moreover, companies have used bubble charts to visualize and compare the different projects from a market change and sustainability perspective (Brook & Pagnanelli, 2014). For instance, some companies have developed their own methods, for example, the Sustainability Product Performance Score (SPPS) that supports the visualization of the performance of new products of the portfolio in the social, economic, and environmental sustainability dimensions by setting measurable indicators for each life‐cycle stage including the management phase (Artelt & Lukas, 2020).…”
Section: Conceptual Backgroundmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…For a selection of product portfolio components with a sustainability perspective, some companies have determined portfolio selection criteria, for example, cost, quality, time, service, resource consumption, and environmental impact (Jiang et al, 2011). Furthermore, companies have used different approaches to guide the assessment of product portfolio from a sustainability perspective using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Artelt & Lukas, 2020), LCA aspects such as human health, ecosystems, and resource availability damage (Ma et al, 2020), among others. In a specific case company described in BASF (2020), three main sections of portfolio sustainability criteria were defined: (1) Economic: Cost savings downstream; (2) Ecological: Biodiversity and renewables, Climate change and energy, Emission reduction (air, noise, soil), Resource efficiency and Water; (3) Society: Health and safety, Hunger and poverty.…”
Many companies decide which services, products, and technologies to include in their product portfolio using evaluation criteria, which often consider cost, quality, risk, revenue, time, and market position. Incorporating sustainability in the portfolio evaluation criteria could ensure the development of sustainable solutions from the early stages of the product development process, where there is more room for innovation. The aim of this paper is to understand how sustainability can be integrated in the company portfolio development. Semi‐structured interviews were performed with experts in the field and representatives from multinational manufacturing companies with operations in Sweden. Main findings from this study include a proposed definition of a sustainability product portfolio concept and suggested portfolio evaluation criteria from an industry perspective. Future research will develop a method to guide manufacturing companies in sustainability integration and implementation in product portfolios.
“…The proposed definition, which is based on results from the state of art and this descriptive study, is as follows: A sustainability product portfolio is:A process to set a company platform of solutions, i.e., a cluster of products, services, technologies, and/or customized options, based on the company strategic plan and assessed by a strategic sustainability perspective.According to the interviews, a product portfolio is decided at the strategic level of a company (Kohl, 2016), where the mission, vision, strategy, core values, and targets of the company are determined (León‐Soriano, Muñoz‐Torres, & Chalmeta‐Rosales, 2010; Tang, Walsh, Lerner, Fitza, & Li, 2018). Most of the interviewees agree that it is a process where products are adapted and balanced (Ölundh & Ritzen, 2004) to be successful in terms of sustainability (Cluzel et al, 2016), market attractiveness (Cooper et al, 2000), high profitability (Artelt & Lukas, 2020), among many other aspects in a long‐term perspective (Chen et al, 2020). According to Company B, a system view is needed to implement a strategic sustainability perspective, (Hallstedt, 2017).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Moreover, companies have used bubble charts to visualize and compare the different projects from a market change and sustainability perspective (Brook & Pagnanelli, 2014). For instance, some companies have developed their own methods, for example, the Sustainability Product Performance Score (SPPS) that supports the visualization of the performance of new products of the portfolio in the social, economic, and environmental sustainability dimensions by setting measurable indicators for each life‐cycle stage including the management phase (Artelt & Lukas, 2020).…”
Section: Conceptual Backgroundmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…For a selection of product portfolio components with a sustainability perspective, some companies have determined portfolio selection criteria, for example, cost, quality, time, service, resource consumption, and environmental impact (Jiang et al, 2011). Furthermore, companies have used different approaches to guide the assessment of product portfolio from a sustainability perspective using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Artelt & Lukas, 2020), LCA aspects such as human health, ecosystems, and resource availability damage (Ma et al, 2020), among others. In a specific case company described in BASF (2020), three main sections of portfolio sustainability criteria were defined: (1) Economic: Cost savings downstream; (2) Ecological: Biodiversity and renewables, Climate change and energy, Emission reduction (air, noise, soil), Resource efficiency and Water; (3) Society: Health and safety, Hunger and poverty.…”
Many companies decide which services, products, and technologies to include in their product portfolio using evaluation criteria, which often consider cost, quality, risk, revenue, time, and market position. Incorporating sustainability in the portfolio evaluation criteria could ensure the development of sustainable solutions from the early stages of the product development process, where there is more room for innovation. The aim of this paper is to understand how sustainability can be integrated in the company portfolio development. Semi‐structured interviews were performed with experts in the field and representatives from multinational manufacturing companies with operations in Sweden. Main findings from this study include a proposed definition of a sustainability product portfolio concept and suggested portfolio evaluation criteria from an industry perspective. Future research will develop a method to guide manufacturing companies in sustainability integration and implementation in product portfolios.
“…Research into the improved sustainability of concrete screeding has focused on the concrete mixes to limit the onsite equipment and workforce. An evaluation of the sustainable product performance score (SPPS) found that self-compacting cement screed has a lower impact than traditional screeding methods (Artelt & Lukas, 2020). The research on self-compacting cement showed that projects can improve their impacts on the environment, stakeholders, and project economics through concrete mix selection.…”
While previous research has been conducted on concrete production to improve sustainability while retaining durability and constructability, this research focuses on construction practices in slab-on- grade screeding and how project management decisions can impact eCO2 emissions. A comparative life-cycle assessment of manual and laser screed was performed in a traditional 100,000 SF slab with 6" thickness. The study aimed to determine the effects of a slab-on-grade's equivalent embodied carbon (eCO2) in commercial projects. Two embodied carbon calculators (EC3 and Green Badger) were used to examine the differences between the two methods. Industry professionals provided actual commercial project data to determine the impact of laser screed compared to manual screeding. This study found that laser screeding reduced schedule, workforce requirement, and concrete waste for the slab-on-grade installation. These results demonstrate an important reduction in embodied carbon due to reduced worker transportation and concrete manufacturing emissions. The findings also indicate that project managers can improve the environmental sustainability of their projects by using alternative techniques, such as laser screed equipment, compared to manual screeding.
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