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.

In addition to acute crises dominating the societal discourse, such as the global consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the world continues to face the ongoing challenge of limiting climate change and achieving a sustainable transformation. Yet, in public discourse, the widely used terms “sustainability” and “transformation” are not clearly defined, and the understanding varies greatly depending on the industry and the stakeholders considered. One important transformation arena lies within the German automotive industry, as it is one of the country’s biggest industrial sectors by revenue and the number of employees. In addition, the German automotive industry is currently going through a transition period due to the switch to electric drivetrains as the main propulsion technology opposed to combustion engines. Therefore, the following paper identifies the differing understandings of sustainability and according actions in the German automotive industry. Moreover, possible conflicts and prioritizations along the economic, ecological, and social dimensions of sustainability are presented based on an expert interview study. To do so, a structuring qualitative content analysis in combination with a descriptive approach was used focusing on the differing perspectives on sustainability of both the interviewees and their companies. The gathered data then allows to compare the aggregated individual and corporate sustainability perspectives in the German automotive industry, as well as comparing the sustainability perspectives of the interviewees and their respective companies case by case. The results suggest that there is a considerable discrepancy between individual and corporate understandings of sustainability. These differences can mainly be attributed to the companies’ economically driven views in contrast to the individuals’, mostly ecologically driven sustainability perspective. Moreover, several barriers and conflicts, rooted in the prioritization of economic gains, can be traced back to conflicts in the supplier pyramid. The identification of common transformation goals and measures among companies is necessary to enable a collaborative, sustainable transformation in the German automotive industry, which benefits all societal stakeholders in or attached to this sector.

This study verifies the effectiveness of Imaginary Future Generation (IFG) in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using data from an online survey, we calculated sustainable development component measurements to assess the understanding of SDGs and demonstrated whether IFG can influence futurability components. Statistical analysis shows that knowledge significantly impacts people’s attitudes towards SDGs, with informed individuals more likely to cooperate in addressing these issues. Comparing the treatment and control groups revealed that participants asked to envision themselves as residents of 2050 (IFG) better grasped the essence of Agenda 2030 and exhibited more cooperative attitudes toward sustainability. Regression analysis confirmed these effects after controlling for individual attributes and SDG knowledge. The study finds that while raising awareness is crucial, IFG makes people perceive sustainability problems as personal concerns. IFG enhances respondents’ futurability, encouraging positive attitudes and long-term thinking. Additionally, IFG promotes participation, inclusive ideas, and increased SDG knowledge.

Robotics and automation are the key industries supporting Thailand’s strategic initiatives toward Thailand 4.0. This paper presents the development of an industry roadmap guiding the future research and development of related technologies in Thailand. The roadmap project was recently conducted during 2021–2022. The strategic targets for the future development of robotics and automation in Thailand were set to increase productivity and reduce adoption cost for the short term (2022–2023); create market opportunities for AI and industrial IoT technologies with data platform for the medium term (2024–2026); and prepare the Industry 5.0 system supporting emerging applications of digital twins and metaverse for the long term (2027–2030).

To meet the temperature goal set by the Paris Agreement, cumulative CO₂ emissions must be kept below 300 GtCO₂. Road transportation accounted for approximately 18% of the CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion in 2017. Electric vehicles (EVs) have been rapidly adopted by environmentally conscious consumers in many countries to reduce CO₂ emissions. EVs have lower emission intensities than do internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) in most parts of the world, except where the penetration of renewable energy is low in the energy production mix. In such places, the CO₂ emissions of EVs are larger than those of ICEVs. Despite the obvious need to increase renewable energy sources to reduce CO₂ emissions, Japan and many other countries around the world have yet to shift away from fossil fuels. This is due in part to carbon lock-in, which refers to prior decisions related to technologies and infrastructure that constrain the implementation of better paths toward low-carbon technologies. Coal-fired power plants are the most problematic in terms of carbon lock-in because of their high carbon intensities and long physical lives. In addition, because carbon lock-in by coal-fired power plants has a significant impact on the embodied CO₂ intensity of grid power, it impacts society through products that use electric power. In this study, we propose a hybrid simulation model of lifecycle simulation and replacement simulation, considering carbon lock-in by coal-fired power plants. In the replacement simulation, we simulated the replacement of end-of-life coal- and oil-fired power plants with renewable energy power plants using a probability called the lock-in rate and estimated the changes in the embodied CO₂ intensity of grid power in Japan. In the lifecycle simulation, we evaluated cumulative CO₂ emissions from entire product lifecycles of ICEVs and EVs based on three different EV diffusion scenarios. The results showed that the lock-in rate of coal-fired power plants strongly affects the decarbonization effect due to the market diffusion of EVs.

Given the rapid growth of digital technologies, the use of information systems (ISs) is increasingly important for businesses positioned within the circular economy (CE). When designing an IS for such businesses, it is essential to simulate how the IS affects the life cycle (LC). However, existing research has not yet addressed this issue. For example, life cycle simulation (LCS) mods an LC and evaluates the economic profit and environmental impact of a product across its entire LC but does not explicitly model the IS and the effect from IS on LC is not simulated clearly. In this study, we propose a modeling method (E-DFD) and a simulation system (ISS) for modeling and simulating the IS. In the E-DFD and the ISS, we model and simulate an IS as a set of functions. Additionally, we propose a method that facilitates cooperation between IS simulations and LC simulations, allowing the effect of IS functions on LC to be evaluated. To validate the effectiveness of the ISS and the simulation method, we describe a case study that targets a new servitized business model with refrigerators. In the case study, we considered three patterns of LCs and two IS patterns with different functions for comparing the entire LCs and how the economic profit and environmental impact are changed depending on the difference in IS functions. In this case study, the IS and LC simulations identify how differences in IS functions affect the economic service provider’s profit, as well as the CO₂ emission from the entire LC. Although our simulation method covers the entire LC, the functions of the IS focused on the use process in the case study. Therefore, further case studies targeting the LC processes, except the use process, are important for future work. In addition, developing methods for modeling and simulating the economic and environmental aspects of an IS is required.

In order to reduce mass disposal, it is necessary to design and develop products with long lifetimes. However, few studies have investigated long-life design in terms of value lifetime compared with physical lifetime. Product value consists of use value, Kansei value, and economic value, and the product value lifetime is considered to be reached when any one of these values is lost. Few studies have considered the Kansei value (that is, the perceived or emotional value of a product) and the regional differences in sensitivity to products. In this study focusing on attachment, we analyzed attachment strategies for the design of products with long value lifetimes and examined the regional differences in sensitivity to product attachment. We identified design strategies that are strongly correlated with attachment in Vietnam and Thailand. We also found that Japanese users are less attached to their products than users in Vietnam and Thailand. The findings of this study will contribute to the design of long-life products with high Kansei values.

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in interest in sustainable products, particularly organic goods, driven by the push for sustainable societies. However, Japan’s organic market lags behind the global trend, representing just 0.3% of total farmland in 2021. To tackle this issue, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries introduced the “Green Strategy,” with the goal of raising the organic share to 25% by 2050. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant lifestyle changes, such as increased remote work and reduced outdoor activities, leading to a surge in the E-commerce market and an increased need for analyzing consumer satisfaction. To enhance Japan’s organic market, it is crucial to familiarize consumers with organic products like coffee, tea, and snacks. This study proposes a model using E-commerce customer reviews to predict consumer satisfaction. The aim is to improve services and develop new strategies based on customer preferences, promoting sustainable growth and enhancing customer satisfaction. This study delves into the impact of factors derived from latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) on consumer satisfaction with organic coffee, utilizing three years of data from Rakuten Marketplace customer reviews (2017–2019). A total of 1444 review texts were analyzed, including 154 low-rated reviews (ratings 1–3) and 1290 high-rated reviews (ratings 4–5). To build a satisfaction prediction model using regression analysis, a survey was conducted using question items explored through factor analysis to assess the reliability of items in conveying the consistent meanings of high frequency words extracted by LDA: “taste,” “aroma,” “gift,” “sales/discounts,” “freshness,” and “decaffeinated.” The results of the regression analysis revealed that “gift,” “sales/discounts,” and “decaffeinated” significantly impact consumer satisfaction. Insights derived from these factors illuminate marketing strategies that focus on delivering happiness through products, adding value through pricing strategies, and introducing benefits and consumption methods that effectively meet customer needs. These findings underscore the potential of customer reviews to enhance consumer satisfaction and inform strategic marketing decisions, thereby contributing to the growth and success of the organic coffee market.

Both weight reduction and increase in safety of a car body are required in the automobile industry. Therefore, studies on a multi-material car body structure have progressed. To achieve this structure, techniques that can join dissimilar materials are necessary. Adhesive bonding is an effective joining method used for this purpose. However, the strength of adhesively bonded joints is low and should be improved. Treatment of the adherend surfaces is an effective method to increase the strength of adhesively bonded joints. In this study, blasting, atmospheric-pressure plasma irradiation, and their combined treatment were applied to steel plate cold commercial (SPCC) surfaces, and adhesively bonded joints were prepared using the treated SPCC sheets. The effects of the treatments on the characteristics of the SPCC surfaces and strength of the adhesively bonded joints were investigated. The characteristics of the SPCC surfaces were analyzed using laser microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. The static shear strength and fatigue properties of the adhesively bonded joints were examined. Blasting was found to be effective for increasing the static shear strength and fatigue properties of the adhesively bonded joints formed with the SPCC adherends because of the creation of surface asperities and generation of an anchor effect. Although atmospheric-pressure plasma irradiation decreased the contact angle of the SPCC surfaces owing to the elimination of the organic pollution layer, it did not increase the static shear strength and fatigue properties of adhesively bonded joints with the SPCC adherends. Therefore, the effect of the surface morphology on the static shear strength of the SPCC adhesively bonded joints was investigated in detail. Surface asperities with considerable height, narrow width, and several fine valleys were found to be effective for realizing adhesively bonded joints with higher static shear strength.

Acoustic emission (AE) waves in milling are measured by mounting an AE sensor on the workpiece owing to the need of a signal line for the AE sensor. However, if the distance between the AE sensor and the machining point is excessive, attenuation may hinder the measurement of AE waves. Therefore, AE waves in milling should preferably be measured at the tool side. This study developed a device for monitoring cutting tools using a wireless AE sensor. The proposed device measures the amount of chipping at the cutting edge of the end mill during milling. This study specifically focused on the milling of narrow grooves with a small-diameter end mill using a machining center. With the developed device, the AE waves generated from the chipping of the cutting edge are measured at the tool, and the measured data are transmitted wirelessly. Three different methods were tested for attaching the AE sensor to the tool holder, confirming that the AE waves could be measured. Then, an end mill was placed in contact with a diamond, and the AE waves generated by chipping of the cutting edge were measured. Narrow grooves were milled with an end mill to demonstrate that the device could measure the AE waves generated from the cutting edge when chipping occurred. Observations suggest that the developed device can monitor the size of chipping of cutting edges.