Special Issue on Design and Manufacturing for Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

This is the seventh special issue on Design and Manufacturing for Environmental Sustainability. As the first special issue on the topic was issued in 2009, the topic has a fifteen-year history in this journal. Environmental sustainability was recognized as important for manufacturing even at that time, which is why the special issue was started in this journal. The seriousness of this topic has been increasing not only in Europe but also in Japan and other countries. A recent critical trend has been the way in which companies’ attitudes toward this issue, including their positions on carbon neutrality, a circular economy, and biodiversity, determine their value. Furthermore, particularly striking trend is the promotion of various policies to realize a circular economy, including the adoption of international standards for a circular economy and new eco-design regulations in Europe. These movements indicate the need to transform production and consumption in society as a whole beyond the boundaries of individual companies and industries.

The seventh special issue contains seven well-written papers. The papers cover the following topics:

- Circular economy

- Life cycle design and management

- Environmentally conscious design of products and services

- Low-energy and low-emission manufacturing

- Closed-loop supply chain management

- Sustainable consumption and production

From the fifteen-year history of this special issue, we have been able to learn viewpoints specific to the series in this journal.

Most of the papers, revised and enhanced in response to the editor’s invitation, were originally presented at EcoDesign 2023, the 13th International Symposium on Environmentally Conscious Design and Inverse Manufacturing, held in Nara, Japan.

The editor sincerely thanks the authors and reviewers for their contributions in making this special issue possible. We hope that these articles encourage further research on design and manufacturing for environmental sustainability.