Principle of Triple Bottom Line in the Integrated Development of Sustainable Products

It is perceptible that sustainability as innovation strategy for product development has become a mandatory requirement for companies to remain competitive in the market. The quick reaction before the increased competition, technological advances and the progressive intensification of the consumer's requests for 'green products' demands from companies and their managers agility, great productivity and a quality standard that is related to the investment in their management processes and in the development process of their products. A sustainable company must generate profits, protect the environment and improve the lives of those whom interact with it. This must occur in a way that its commercial interests, the environment and society intersect. Nowadays, the integrated product development process is being conditioned to new consumption patterns and legal constraints, especially those related to the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) principles, which aim to simultaneously achieve economic prosperity, environmental protection and social responsibility while minimizing the negative impacts and maximizing the positive points of the product throughout its life cycle, through reports such as the Global reporting Initiative (GRI). In the contemporary context of the discussion on sustainability, this article provides a literature review of the principles of TBL and the product development process and seeks to identify how these concepts are interrelated and can lead the companies to the integrated development of sustainable products.