A modular method of developing an eco-product family considering the reusability and recyclability of customer products

A product family refers to a set of similar products that are derived from a common platform and yet possess specific features/functions to meet particular customer requirements. Many companies are utilising product families to satisfy various customer needs with lower costs. Although many past studies have worked on eco-design methods for a single product, research on an eco-design for a product family is still to be explored. Products in a family are linked by commonality, and modification of one product will affect the performance of others. Eco-design methods for a single product therefore cannot be employed to design a product family. In this paper, a systematic method to develop an eco-product family is proposed to improve the reusability and recyclability of waste products. The main research idea is to integrate eco-design with product family design by modularity. The effect of commonality on product eco-performance will be analysed originally. The environmental performance of a product family is modelled in terms of modularity, considering the reusability and recyclability of waste products. Environmental performance is optimised by a new algorithm with design constraints. A case study of developing a green refrigerator family indicates that the reusability and recyclability can be improved by using our design method. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.