Application of product sustainability evaluation tool (ProSET) on car seat design configurations

Abstract

In current global sustainability trends, so far, measuring on sustainability impacts of a product lifecycle is necessary as a preparation towards more sustainable products in the future. However, most of the proposed tools in literature have not been used effectively as a tool in decision-making on the scale that is needed. This paper reports on the application of Product Sustainability Evaluation Tool (ProSET) that was developed to assess the sustainability level of a product at the design stage. In this study, ProSET was used to evaluate car seat design configurations that taking into consideration various factors required for ensuring sustainability. The ProSET uses weighted decision matrix as the platform and computes the sustainability index, known as Weighted Sustainability Score (WSS) using neural network model. Four alternatives design configurations of car seat were assessed accordingly. Based on the case study presented, it was evident that the application of ProSET at the design stage, facilitates the design engineers to make a quick decision on the future part configurations. In conclusion, the main goal of the ProSET to provide decision-making of measuring sustainability at an early stage in the product development through the application on a car seat has been successfully reported and other engineered products is suggested to be applied for continuous improvement of research.