Use of Ecodesign Principles in Chemical Product Innovations

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility in accordance with the concept of sustainable development plays an increasingly important role in the existing business and competitive environment. This trend together with more strict environmental legislative requirements forces companies to implement various activities in the environmental field of corporate social responsibility. One of the voluntary preventive tools of company environmental policy is use of eco-design techniques within product development. The paper presents the findings of a qualitative study focused on possibilities of eco-design implementation within medium sized Czech chemical company, a producer and distributor of chemical compounds. The survey was conducted through personal interviews with company employees, especially with people on manager and technologist positions. Various types of potential innovations for improvement of environmental product profile are discussed. At the same time, perceived benefits are shown together with potential barriers for eco-design implementation within these companies. The contribution of this paper lies in the detail analysis of eco-design application within Czech chemical company in the form of case study.