4 Embedding a Sustainability Focus in Packaging …
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these aspects and the accompanying trade-offs poses a key challenge. Therefore, the
inclusion of these issues within decision-making is essential, but currently a struggle
for product-packaging development teams. Structured interventions are required,
especially targeting decision-making processes and stakeholder interrelations.
4.3 Research Method
Our proposed method of researching, synthesizing, and overcoming the addressed
issues revolves around interactively modelling the decision-making processes
of product-packaging development, within multidisciplinary development teams,
companies, and product-packaging chains, in case-study settings. We apply a
selection of tailor-made tools and techniques, both currently available and under
(re)development, to simulate a product-packaging development process with a
diverse team, including various roles with expertise on numerous subjects. Key
within these tools is the ability to address the multidisciplinarity of stakeholders, the
decision-making processes within and beyond development teams, and the proposed
and realized inclusion of sustainability-related considerations, all within a framework
of tacit and explicit knowledge. The aim of the tools is to map development processes,
and to provide practical insights into the integration and inclusion of sustainabilityrelated requirements and decisions during development processes, how this affects
other requirements, and how to deal with trade-offs. We aim to form a bridge between
product-packaging value proposition, and materials and processes, which must result
in applicable interventions for development teams to ensure the structured implementation of sustainability- and circularity-related considerations in product-packaging
development, linking desired, perceived and achieved sustainability (de Koeijer et al.
2017a).
4.3.1 Research Phases
The research is conducted by means of various (recent) product-packaging development cases, executed by industry. In each case, the cooperation between the
researchers and the company is spread out over four phases:
1. Inventory
Defining the research cooperation, involved stakeholders/parties, and goal setting.
This phase targets the overall clarification of the main focus of the research.
2. Audit
Mapping the current situation. This phase is executed by means of an interactive
visualization tool (described in the next section), by means of which we map the
design landscape (an analysis of involved stakeholders, actions, decision-making
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these aspects and the accompanying trade-offs poses a key challenge. Therefore, the
inclusion of these issues within decision-making is essential, but currently a struggle
for product-packaging development teams. Structured interventions are required,
especially targeting decision-making processes and stakeholder interrelations.
4.3 Research Method
Our proposed method of researching, synthesizing, and overcoming the addressed
issues revolves around interactively modelling the decision-making processes
of product-packaging development, within multidisciplinary development teams,
companies, and product-packaging chains, in case-study settings. We apply a
selection of tailor-made tools and techniques, both currently available and under
(re)development, to simulate a product-packaging development process with a
diverse team, including various roles with expertise on numerous subjects. Key
within these tools is the ability to address the multidisciplinarity of stakeholders, the
decision-making processes within and beyond development teams, and the proposed
and realized inclusion of sustainability-related considerations, all within a framework
of tacit and explicit knowledge. The aim of the tools is to map development processes,
and to provide practical insights into the integration and inclusion of sustainabilityrelated requirements and decisions during development processes, how this affects
other requirements, and how to deal with trade-offs. We aim to form a bridge between
product-packaging value proposition, and materials and processes, which must result
in applicable interventions for development teams to ensure the structured implementation of sustainability- and circularity-related considerations in product-packaging
development, linking desired, perceived and achieved sustainability (de Koeijer et al.
2017a).
4.3.1 Research Phases
The research is conducted by means of various (recent) product-packaging development cases, executed by industry. In each case, the cooperation between the
researchers and the company is spread out over four phases:
1. Inventory
Defining the research cooperation, involved stakeholders/parties, and goal setting.
This phase targets the overall clarification of the main focus of the research.
2. Audit
Mapping the current situation. This phase is executed by means of an interactive
visualization tool (described in the next section), by means of which we map the
design landscape (an analysis of involved stakeholders, actions, decision-making