3.1. Overview of environmental sustainability

There has been a substantial increase in publications on environmental sustainability over the last 20 years (Purvis et al. Reference Purvis, Mao and Robinson2019). However, environmental sustainability has been a key factor in development before this. Sustainable development was originally defined by Brundtland (Reference Brundtland1987, p. 16) and literature has continued to investigate environmental sustainability following this statement. Prior to Brundtland (Reference Brundtland1987, p. 16) the UN discussed environmental conservation and the ecological world; where they proposed that development could not exist without considering the environment or being sure that development did not lead to adverse side effects (Thacher Reference Thacher1978). The UN further discussed the importance of communication with policy makers regarding the environment and development (Thacher Reference Thacher1978); this has continued to develop, and it is now argued that government involvement is a key factor in ensuring environmentally sustainable development (Gao et al. Reference Gao, Xiao, Wei and Zhou2018).

3.2. Major research areas of environmental sustainability in relation to product design

The literature is divided into 17 subsections, each representing an identified factor of environmental sustainability in relation to product design. These are the factors that have been recognised as a reoccurring theme throughout the reviewed literature as having a distinct contribution in the improvement of the environmental sustainability of a product. The following factors have been established throughout the past 40 years and are described in the succeeding subsections.

3.3. The evolution of environmental sustainability in product design

Section 3.3 showcases the development of environmental factors over the last four decades. Figure 2 and Table A1 present the summary of the 17 factors of environmental sustainability highlighted previously. The figure and table are divided into the relevant decades, allowing for an observation of the popularity and variety of environmental sustainability factors during each decade investigated and how environmental sustainability has developed over time. Table A1 presents a summary of all the factors identified by literature as well as the relevant sources that support each factor. This illustrates the extensive review undertaken into each factor and highlights the value of each factor due to the growing interest over the four decades. When investigating the literature and collating the data of each factor, it was important to select factors that were established over the past four decades or showing the growth in research interest. This enabled the identification of a collection of factors that are suggested to aid in the development and implementation of environmental sustainability during the product design process.

Figure 2.

The development of environmental sustainability.

Figure 2 presents the development of environmental sustainability as well as further illustrating Table A1 to emphasise and summarise the current state as well as the progression of literature regarding the factors of environmental sustainability to be considered during the product design process.

Figure 2 identifies that there is a substantial increase in the number of research papers focused on environmental sustainability in the past 10 years. Indicating that environmental sustainability has become increasingly important within product design literature.

1. (i) The Brundtland Report was released in 1987, and from Figure 2, the first factors of environmental sustainability within product design were being recognised during the 1980s.

2. (ii) By the 1990s, all the identified factors had been reported in literature.

3. (iii) Between 1990 and 2009, literature discussing the factors of environmental sustainability increased, however within the last decade literature has quickly grown showcasing the importance of each factor in relation to product design.

4. (iv) Both 6Rs and Waste have been considered as key factors within product design as both have been discussed throughout a 30-year period. This could also be due to the increase of CE literature and research, especially in the past decade.

5. (v) Resource utilisation and energy also appear to have a sharp increase during the last decade and are being considered more frequently throughout literature as the 40-year period has progressed.

6. (vi) A possible instigator of the increase in popularity of environmental sustainability is the increase of literature highlighting government laws, regulations and legislations, especially in the last decade along with the seventeen sustainable development goals being announced by the UN in 2015 (United Nation 2015; Ameli, Mansour & Ahmadi-Javid Reference Ameli, Mansour and Ahmadi-Javid2019). With the increase of stricter polices and regulations regarding environmentally sustainable design, it has become essential that research has investigated the importance of these from the perspective of designers and manufacturers during NPD for designers and manufacturers to adhere to the more important this has become within research.

7. (vii) Consumer behaviour and awareness regarding environmental sustainability have also increased (Chen Reference Chen2001; Venkata Rao Reference Venkata Rao2009); this could be a driver in the general increase of all the identified environmental factors discussed throughout product design literature over time.

Literature regarding environmental sustainability within product design is becoming more significant and impacts on a variety of factors within the industry. Research continues to aid designers to understand and implement design for environmental sustainability principles throughout NPD.

3.4. The current state of integration of environmental sustainability in product design

Environmental sustainability is recognised within the product design industry and there are multiple methods that designers can use to integrate this into their work, including various assessment methods and software packages. This can aid the designer to evaluate their current work and highlight improvements to maximise environmental sustainability during NPD. The following subsections discuss three tools that have been identified to aid environmental sustainability implementation, these tools were selected due to the volume of product design literature discussing the integration of these tools. This is of particular interest to this study as it has aided in the understanding of the current status as well as the development of the conceptual framework, discussed in Section 4.

3.5. Stakeholders to environmental sustainability

Several stakeholders have been identified to aid the designer in implementing environmental sustainability within the product design process. Schöggl et al. (Reference Schöggl, Baumgartner and Hofer2017) argued that internal communication and collaboration across different departments during the product design stage would optimise the environmental sustainability of the final product. Buchert et al. (Reference Buchert, Kaluza, Halstenberg, Lindow, Hayka and Stark2014) considered stakeholders throughout the design process; suggesting that design managers, sustainability experts and design engineers are key at the product planning stage and design engineers are key during the concept and embodiment stage. It has also been suggested that during post-production the firm’s environmental manager should be in control of the reduction of waste and emissions (Singh et al. Reference Singh, Goodyer and Popplewell2007). Kuo & Wang (Reference Kuo and Wang2019) discussed the use of environmental specialists working alongside designers during the product design phase, but it is not clear at what point in the design process they should be involved. Users have also been highlighted as stakeholders within the product design process as they are identified as being influential to environmental sustainability and business success (Gaziulusoy Reference Gaziulusoy2015), users can provide an insight into the use of the product, which may have been previously overlooked in relation to sustainability. Therefore, users could be integrated into the design process more frequently in the future or they could be in control of the design process with methods like customization to aid environmental sustainability. Other literature states that managerial, policy and engineering perspectives should be considered throughout the development of new products (Stuart et al. Reference Stuart, Ammons and Turbini1999). Managers of firms may also be considered as stakeholders of the product design process as they have a clear view of the economic benefits of implementing environmental sustainability within NPD (Short et al. Reference Short, Lee-Mortimer, Luttropp and Johansson2012). Lofthouse (Reference Lofthouse2004) suggested that during the detailed design phase the design team will hand over the project to design engineers dependent on the complexity of the project. A wide range of industry professionals as well as users have been identified as potential stakeholders to the design process to aid in the effective implementation of environmental sustainability. This suggests a more collaborative design process is needed to be successful in the development of environmentally sustainable products. This may require a restructure of the design process to facilitate a more collaborative style of work across departments within the NPD process. However, although the literature has identified these potential stakeholders, it is unclear who designers currently interact with during the design process and whether those professionals specifically aid with environmental sustainability, further investigation is required to determine this.

3.6. Additive manufacturing

AM is a group of over 10 manufacturing processes that, opposed to traditional subtractive manufacturing techniques, produce products layer-by-layer to enable production on demand (Ford & Despeisse Reference Ford and Despeisse2016). AM has been identified as an emerging technology that has the potential to enable environmentally sustainable manufacture such as the reduction in waste material generated during production compared with material removal processes (Liu, Moultrie & Ye Reference Liu, Moultrie and Ye2019; Liu, Zhu & Ye Reference Liu, Zhu and Ye2019). Energy consumption and reduction in transportation due to having more localised production are also benefits of AM. Additionally, inventory waste is reduced as spare parts and orders can be designed and made on demand (Despeisse & Ford Reference Despeisse and Ford2015; Ford & Despeisse Reference Ford and Despeisse2016; Laverne et al. Reference Laverne, Marquardt, Segonds, Koutiri and Perry2019). Reuse and recycling of by-products such as waste are also enabled through AM (Despeisse & Ford Reference Despeisse and Ford2015; Laverne et al. Reference Laverne, Marquardt, Segonds, Koutiri and Perry2019). However, Faludi et al. (Reference Faludi, Bayley, Bhogal and Iribarne2015) dispute that there is a higher amount of energy used during AM. In addition, AM also permits for product development with less assembly steps, which is implied to reduce environmental impact due to the minimization of logistics (Despeisse & Ford Reference Despeisse and Ford2015). It should be noted that the reduced assembly steps do not naturally come with AM, this is the responsibility of the designer, and they should be designed into the product itself. Despeisse & Ford (Reference Despeisse and Ford2015) argued that AM allows for easier customization which can extend a product’s lifetime due to the emotional attachment of the consumer. AM is still a relatively new technology; it is unclear how this technology will be integrated into the design process, but it is expected to have a positive impact on environmental sustainability. As AM continues to develop it may be used more frequently during NPD opposed to rapid prototyping purposes only. It may also allow for users to produce products at home, enabling a more on-demand service, which reduces the impact of transport and logistics. The potential and acceptance of the technology (by industry and users) has yet to be fully explored and requires further investigation.

3.7. Circular economy

CE is quickly becoming a trend within the literature as a potential solution to foster environmental protection without limiting economic growth (Ceschin & Gaziulusoy Reference Ceschin and Gaziulusoy2016; Rocha, Antunes & Partidário Reference Rocha, Antunes and Partidário2019). The Ellen MacArthur Foundation defines CE as ‘an industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design’ (MacArthur Reference Macarthur2013, p. 7). It has also been described as an umbrella concept that aims for the achievement of a more resource effective and efficient economic system through narrowing, slowing and closing material and energy flows (Pieroni et al. Reference Pieroni, Mcaloone and Pigosso2019). The loop economy is suggested to enable industrial strategies, which aid waste prevention, job creation, resource efficiency and dematerialization within the industrial economy (Geissdoerfer et al. Reference Geissdoerfer, Savaget, Bocken and Hultink2017; Kirchherr, Reike & Hekkert Reference Kirchherr, Reike and Hekkert2017). Contemporary elements of CE such as the cradle-to-cradle methodology (Bocken et al. Reference Bocken, De Pauw, Bakker and Van Der Grinten2016; Kirchherr et al. Reference Kirchherr, Reike and Hekkert2017) are also featured within design for sustainability literature so there is some cross over in the two fields of research, suggesting that some CE methodologies are already being integrated into the product design process. There are further similarities between the CE and sustainability, design and innovations are argued to be the main drivers for reaching their ambitions and stakeholders are implied to be imperative to reach their expectations (Geissdoerfer et al. Reference Geissdoerfer, Savaget, Bocken and Hultink2017). The difference between sustainability and CE is described by Geissdoerfer et al. (Reference Geissdoerfer, Savaget, Bocken and Hultink2017) as sustainability aims to improve the environment, economy and the society from a wide perspective. Whereas CE is implied to be the economic actors with consequential benefits for sustainability. However, the crossovers between the two ideologies could enable benefits for one when implementing the other. CE, due to the business focus, may be more appealing to businesses, which would encourage their teams to implement CE methodologies. This would have benefits to the environmental sustainability of the product. It is unclear whether the design process, in its typical state, is suitable to facilitate these closed-loop concepts, and therefore must be developed to accommodate this in a more effective way.

4.1. Environmental sustainability in the design process

The typical design process, as depicted in Figure 3, generally contains six key stages, namely, the preparation stage, concept design, embodiment design, detailed design, design finalisation and planning and production (Wright Reference Wright1998; Chiu & Chu Reference Chiu and Chu2012). It has been highlighted that environmental sustainability should be considered during the product design process due to the high impact that this phase has on the overall environmental sustainability of the product (Yang & Song Reference Yang and Song2006; Waage Reference Waage2007; Ahmad et al. Reference Ahmad, Wong, Tseng and Wong2018; Hub Reference Hub2018). The product design stage enables the designer to assess the lifecycle of a product prior to the manufacture and development (Go et al. Reference Go, Wahab and Hishamuddin2015), which can enable a comprehensive review of the environmental sustainability impact. Additionally, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of the product design phase in relation to environmental sustainability factors as it can optimise the overall environmentally sustainable performance throughout the product lifecycle (Yang & Song Reference Yang and Song2009). Furthermore, environmentally sustainable considerations of previous designs can have a positive impact on future designs and should be continued when developing a new product (Brundage et al. Reference Brundage, Bernstein, Hoffenson, Chang, Nishi, Kliks and Morris2018).

Figure 3.

The typical design process adapted from Wright (Reference Wright1998) and Chiu & Chu (Reference Chiu and Chu2012).

Although environmental sustainability impacts should be considered during the design process it is unclear at which stage of the process each factor should be specified. Gaziulusoy (Reference Gaziulusoy2015) argued that environmental sustainability issues such as recyclability and reusability should be considered at the very early stages of the product development to bring design improvements early in the production process. However, the concept stage is highlighted to lack necessary information to analyse the environmental impact of a product. It is therefore suggested that environmental sustainability should be a focus during the detailed design phase as it has clearer specifications and quantitative data, which can be used to assess and estimate the environmental impact to locate improvements (Brundage et al. Reference Brundage, Bernstein, Hoffenson, Chang, Nishi, Kliks and Morris2018). Sadiq & Khan (Reference Sadiq and Khan2006) and Chang, Lee & Chen (Reference Chang, Lee and Chen2014) also supported this claim that environmental considerations should be a focus later within the product design process. In contrast Go et al. (Reference Go, Wahab and Hishamuddin2015) suggested that product design plays a vital part in improving environmental sustainability and should be considered during the concept and embodiment stage as these stages have the greatest impact on materials, geometry and product structure. de Almeida Souza & de Barros Pereira (Reference De Almeida Souza and De Barros Pereira2006) and Yang & Song (Reference Yang and Song2006) discussed how toxicity and hazardous production needs to be considered during the manufacturing and production stages of NPD. Buchert et al. (Reference Buchert, Kaluza, Halstenberg, Lindow, Hayka and Stark2014) considered carbon emissions at both the embodiment and production stage to ensure that goals for environmental sustainability are being met; highlighting how certain environmental sustainability factors need to be considered more than once during the product design phase.

More recent literature suggests that environmental sustainability should be considered throughout the entire product design phase (Chiu & Chu Reference Chiu and Chu2012; Ahmad et al. Reference Ahmad, Wong, Tseng and Wong2018). Ahmad et al. (Reference Ahmad, Wong, Tseng and Wong2018) discuss that sustainability should be incorporated along all stages of the product design process as long as the designer determines the sustainability issues, generates advice regarding sustainability during early stages of the design using relevant tools and resources, evaluates the performance of the product in regard to sustainability and generates a method to track sustainability all whilst meeting user needs and product functions; this should also be assumed for environmental sustainability. Chiu & Chu (Reference Chiu and Chu2012) proposed that sustainability should be considered across the preparation stage, preliminary design stage and the detailed design stage; supporting others who suggested that environmental sustainability should be considered throughout the product design process.

4.2. New conceptual framework

This section outlines the NCF following the analysis of literature. The new contribution to the field provided by the NCF is a theoretical framework from the perspective of a product designer on how and when they should consider the identified key factors of environmental sustainability during their design process. This format is adapted from the current design process, seen previously in Figure 3, this was important as designers are already familiar with this process and can therefore effectively embed these factors into their work. Existing work has previously discussed the importance of certain stages of the typical design process, such as the detailed design stage (Sadiq & Khan Reference Sadiq and Khan2006). Frameworks have also been previously developed highlighting how design for environmental sustainability should be integrated during the design process (Eppinger & Ulrich Reference Eppinger and Ulrich2015). Focusing on setting an agenda, identifying environmental impacts, setting guidelines, applying those guidelines, assessing, refining and reflecting. However, no paper has covered such an extensive review of factors of environmental sustainability and discussed how they should be integrated across all stages of the design process. The NCF will enable a thorough and effective review of environmental sustainability throughout all stages of the product design process.

The NCF, as depicted in Figure 4, proposes to integrate the 17 environmental sustainability factors throughout the typical design process. It represents how factors often need to be considered continually throughout multiple product design stages.

Figure 4.

The NCF that shows how the identified 17 factors in Section 3.2 should be considered during product design.

The first adaptation of the current product design process, Figure 3, is a preliminary stage identified as ‘Business Considerations’, this was due to literature identifying that business managers need to be considered during the design process as they have a holistic view of how environmental sustainability could benefit the company (Short et al. Reference Short, Lee-Mortimer, Luttropp and Johansson2012). Business considerations feature eco-business, resource depletion and government regulations; these factors are nonexclusive to a singular product development and should be reviewed continuously by the firm to inform designers of developments, which are out of their control.

The NCF combines the concept of considering environmental sustainability throughout all stages of the design process suggested by Chiu & Chu (Reference Chiu and Chu2012) and Ahmad et al. (Reference Ahmad, Wong, Tseng and Wong2018) as well as combining research from other authors who advise certain factors should be considered at specific stages.

Literature identified conflicting information on where the 6Rs should be considered within the design process, with Gaziulusoy (Reference Gaziulusoy2015) arguing that it should be considered in the early stages and Chang et al. (Reference Chang, Lee and Chen2014) stating that any factor should be considered at later stages where there is more detail. As the 6Rs consist of six subfactors as well as literature highlighting that it should be considered at the beginning and the end of the product design process, the 6Rs are considered throughout all stages in the NCF. User behaviour is often a factor considered during the development of a design specification, often in the preparation stage, and considered greatly in the concept stages for initial concepts. However, literature argues that user behaviour should be considered throughout the product design process (Gaziulusoy Reference Gaziulusoy2015; Sonego et al. Reference Sonego, Echeveste and Debarba2018). Therefore, user behaviour has been considered from the preparation stage to the design finalisation during the NCF, this incorporates the tasks of a designer as well as literature recommendations. Packaging has been identified as having individual design criteria as well as affecting logistics (Chan et al. Reference Chan, Wang and Raffoni2014); therefore, this factor has been implemented from the concept design stage to planning and production during the NCF. Modularity, as well as structural and functional considerations, focus on the structure and body of the design; therefore, it has been categorised within the concept, embodiment and detailed design phases as these are the key areas where functionality is determined (Wright Reference Wright1998; Devanathan et al. Reference Devanathan, Ramanujan, Bernstein, Zhao and Ramani2010). Graedel et al. (Reference Graedel, Comrie and Sekutowski1995) identified that designers should consider material selection during the initial design stages, as this can prevent an unnecessary variety of materials used in a singular product, avoiding the need to separate product components at the end of the product life cycle. Material selection is also dependent on the design specification developed during the preparation stage, and would be further developed during the concept, embodiment and detailed design phase based on the requirements of the typical design process aside from environmental sustainability (Wright Reference Wright1998; Devanathan et al. Reference Devanathan, Ramanujan, Bernstein, Zhao and Ramani2010), this is reflected in the NCF. Greenhouse gas emissions feature at both the embodiment and the production stage. The embodiment stage was selected as this is where the product will be developed greatly, here designers should be considering how their decisions could impact greenhouse gas emissions. The production stage is anticipated to be the stage where greenhouse gas emissions will be produced, and therefore should be monitored during this stage. These placements are echoed by Buchert et al. (Reference Buchert, Kaluza, Halstenberg, Lindow, Hayka and Stark2014). Resource utilisation and durability and/or longevity are both factors that need an initial concept to develop before focusing on environmental sustainability; therefore, these factors have been placed at the embodiment and detailed design phase as they require more specifications to make improvements (Wright Reference Wright1998; Devanathan et al. Reference Devanathan, Ramanujan, Bernstein, Zhao and Ramani2010). Process selection can determine design features (Stuart et al. Reference Stuart, Ammons and Turbini1999; He et al. Reference He, Luo and Huang2019) and should therefore be considered from the embodiment stage onwards so that the design fulfils these requirements through to the planning and production stages. Waste can occur at all stages of the product life cycle and should be considered during the product design process to achieve environmental sustainability (Glavič & Lukman Reference Glavic and Lukman2007). Waste needs initial concepts before waste can be minimised; therefore, waste is considered throughout multiple phases including and from the embodiment design stage. Energy has been identified as having many variables with detail being required, this factor is therefore considered from the detailed design stage onwards, this is supported by de Ron (Reference De Ron1998). Transport and Logistics have been considered from the design finalisation phase onwards, due to the organisation required from this phase to produce a product on time and to the correct standard as well as following the current demands from the typical design process (Devanathan et al. Reference Devanathan, Ramanujan, Bernstein, Zhao and Ramani2010; Chiu & Chu Reference Chiu and Chu2012). The factor of toxicity and hazardous production is considered during the planning and production phase as this is the stage where toxicity and hazardous production would be the greatest risk to environmental sustainability. Additionally, this is the stage where there would be a position for designers or stakeholders to assess the toxicity and hazardous production and to find potential solutions to minimise the environmental sustainability damage. This placement is further supported by de Almeida Souza & de Barros Pereira (Reference De Almeida Souza and De Barros Pereira2006) and Yang & Song (Reference Yang and Song2006).

6.1. Management and decision-making

As previously stated, the number of factors for designers to consider to effectively incorporate environmental sustainability is extensive and there may be issues regarding how to manage this alongside typical design fundamentals. Previous research has focused on looking at individual stages of the design process, such as the detailed design stage (Sadiq & Khan Reference Sadiq and Khan2006; Brundage et al. Reference Brundage, Bernstein, Hoffenson, Chang, Nishi, Kliks and Morris2018); however, as the entire design process is estimated to affect up to 80% of environmental sustainability impacts (Yang & Song Reference Yang and Song2006; Waage Reference Waage2007; Ahmad et al. Reference Ahmad, Wong, Tseng and Wong2018; Hub Reference Hub2018), a more holistic approach is required to encompass the factors of environmental sustainability into the design process. This is supported by Hassan et al. (Reference Hassan, Saman, Mahmood, Nor and Rahman2017) who argue that a method for implementing environmental sustainability should also support the design process employed by designers in industry, as illustrated in Figure 3. Although the suggested NCF offers a holistic approach, case studies are required by the industry to validate and improve this preliminary framework. Furthermore, it is not anticipated that all factors are relevant or considered by the designer during each project, Ahmad et al. (Reference Ahmad, Wong, Tseng and Wong2018) support this. There may also be differences between design sectors, which should be considered. Additional investigation is needed to determine how designers select the appropriate environmental sustainability factors during each project.

6.2. Assessment

This study has reviewed the identified 17 factors of environmental sustainability however, it remains uncertain how designers currently measure these factors. Additionally, research has outlined software and practices to assess environmental sustainability, such as the LCA method, however, weaknesses have been identified with these methods. Particularly as they just leverage some of the typical factors of environmental sustainability at the latter design stages, it therefore remains unclear of how effective they are. Research is required to understand the current practises of measuring environmental sustainability during the design process. Interviews are suggested to understand how the industry currently measures environmental sustainability and how they determine whether a product is environmentally sustainable or not.

6.3. Stakeholders

Stakeholders have previously been noted during this review, Section 3.5, as potential influential figures to aid designers in this task. Engineers and environmental specialists are examples of stakeholders identified to assist with factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and energy to improve the implementation of environmental sustainability during NPD. Furthermore, Hoffman (Reference Hoffmann2007), Gaziulusoy (Reference Gaziulusoy2015) and Sonego et al. (Reference Sonego, Echeveste and Debarba2018) all suggest that user participation is needed to develop environmentally sustainable products. Further research is needed to understand what external stakeholders are involved during the product design process in industry and how this is managed by the designer to enable effective implementation of environmental sustainability.

6.4. Environmental change

Although an extensive number of factors have been reviewed in relation to environmental sustainability, it is undetermined how the environment will continue to change and how industry will have to adapt to support this. Environmental sustainability will continue to develop, and it is important that designers have the knowledge and resources to accommodate this. Investigation into additional environmental factors that designers can have a positive impact on during the design process must be continuous to support this. Additionally, the UN has outlined goals to achieve sustainable development by 2030 (United Nation 2015), which highlights the importance of environmental sustainability as well as the need for tools to monitor environmental sustainability. Product design has previously been noted to be an influential process in environmental sustainability impact and therefore research should continue in this field to help achieve the global goals of the UN.

6.5. Technological development

AM has been identified as an emerging technology to aid environmental sustainability, further investigation is needed to understand the capabilities of AM technologies as well as designer interaction during NPD. This is supported by Ford & Despeisse (Reference Ford and Despeisse2016) who also advise that further studies, such as deep-dive single case studies, are needed to further explore the benefits of AM on environmental sustainability. Additionally, it is predicted that additional technologies will continue to be developed, such as Artificial Intelligence and Industry 4.0., with the goal of improving environmental sustainability. Continuous research will be needed into these emerging technologies, whether they will be viable for implementation in the product design process and how they can aid environmentally sustainable development.

6.6. Consumer behaviour change

User behaviour has been identified as a factor of environmental sustainability to be considered and implemented during the product design process, with general consumer awareness of environmental issues putting pressure on manufacturers and designers to consider these concerns more (Chen Reference Chen2001; Venkata Rao Reference Venkata Rao2009). However, to change the current behaviour patterns of consumers remains a difficult task, with there not being a single design approach for consumer behaviour change (Wilson et al. Reference Wilson, Bhamra and Lilley2015). Consumer behaviour change is important when discussing environmental sustainability as it enables a positive action/s to be implemented by the user even after the product life cycle has ended. Literature acknowledges that users respond in different ways to each product and environmental sustainability information, so a variety of strategies may be needed to combat this (Srivastava & Shu Reference Srivastava and Shu2015). It is suggested that the delivery/advertising of the product is equally as important as the content when aiming to change consumer behaviour, it is key that visuals are clear and can motivate the consumer towards the positive behaviour change (Wilson et al. Reference Wilson, Bhamra and Lilley2015). The NCF has incorporated 17 factors of environmental sustainability into a single framework, but further research is required to determine whether products developed using this framework aid towards consumer behaviour change. Observation or focus groups with target user groups are suggested to investigate whether the NCF aids consumer behaviour change for environmental sustainability or whether additional measures should be included to help this.