Bridging the gap: Exploring the effect of sustainable product development practices into product sustainability performance in manufacturing companies

In response to the increasing demand for products with enhanced sustainability performance by consumers and regulatory authorities, manufacturing companies have been adopting various practices to integrate sustainability into product development. However, the effectiveness of these practices in enhancing the sustainability performance of products remains uncertain. This exploratory study investigates the relationship between the application of Sustainable Product Development (SPD) practices in manufacturing companies and the resulting sustainability performance of the developed products. Semi-structured interviews were employed as the main research methodology for exploring this link with the participation of seven manufacturing companies across divers sectors, followed by a thematic analysis. This research identifies six key critical factors that influence the products’ sustainability performance: (1) customer requirements; (2) market acceptance; (3) product characteristics; (4) decision-making processes; (5) data-driven sustainability; and (6) innovation. While companies recognise the potential of SPD to enhance sustainability performance with a medium contribution, the study highlights gaps in data utilisation and the systematic application of SPD practices, which hinder the full realisation of the expected sustainability goals. Furthermore, while the cross-case analyses indicate an evidence of the positive link between the application of the SPD practices and the resulting product sustainability performance, generalisations are not possible due to limited data. For guiding companies in bridging the gap between current capabilities and desired sustainability outcomes, a conceptual model for SPD implementation is proposed.