Model supporting the design and improvement of products in their life cycle considering sustainable development criteria

A market economy requires continuous improvement of products. The classic case is striving to meet customer expectations, i.e., ensuring product quality. However, in terms of sustainable development, it is also necessary to take actions that contribute to the protection of the natural environment and ensure a positive social impact. It is still a challenge. Therefore, the aim of the article is to develop a model for product improvement by considering the criteria of quality, environment, and social impact. The developed model is an original decision indicator, according to which prototypes of modified products are ranked according to their fulfillment of (i) expected quality, (ii) low environmental impact in the life cycle (LCA), and (iii) social responsibility. Based on the results of the model and the proposed decision indicator, it is possible to determine the direction of improvement of any product by assessing prototypes (product variants) in terms of their sustainable development. The model test is carried out for photovoltaic (PV) panels, popular in recent years, verified according to six prototypes and 15 sustainability criteria regarding their quality, environmental impact, and social responsibility. The test confirmed its effectiveness in the case of photovoltaic panels, but the proposed model can be successfully used to design or improve other products. This is supported by a developed original decision indicator supporting the making of multicriteria quality, environmental, and social decisions at the stage of designing new products or improving existing products.