2013 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
Sustainability Evaluation of Mass Customization
Authors : Thomas Ditlev Brunø, Kjeld Nielsen, Stig Brink Taps, Kaj A. Jørgensen
Published in: Advances in Production Management Systems. Sustainable Production and Service Supply Chains
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
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This paper addresses the issue whether the concepts mass customization and sustainability are fundamentally compatible by asking the question: can a mass customized product be sustainable? Some factors indicate that mass customized products are less sustainable than standardized products; however other factors suggest the opposite. This paper explores these factors during three life cycle phases for a product: Production, Use and End of Life. It is concluded that there is not an unambiguous causal relationship between mass customization and sustainability; however several factors unique to mass customized products are essential to consider during product development.