Article
Model Supporting Development Decisions by Considering
Qualitative–Environmental Aspects
Dominika Siwiec and Andrzej Pacana *
Citation: Siwiec, D.; Pacana, A.
Model Supporting Development
Decisions by Considering
Qualitative–Environmental Aspects.
Sustainability 2021, 13, 9067. https://
doi.org/10.3390/su13169067
Academic Editor: Paolo Renna
Received: 7 July 2021
Accepted: 3 August 2021
Published: 13 August 2021
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Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, Rzeszow University of Technology, al. Powstancow
Warszawy Rzeszow 12, 35-959 Rzeszow, Poland; d.siwiec@prz.edu.pl
* Correspondence: app@prz.edu.pl; Tel.: +48-17-8651-390
Abstract:
Dynamic changes in customers’ expectations and unfavorable climate changes have gener-
ated the need to consider such aspects in the process of creating new products and the modernization
of existing products. Simultaneously including customers’ expectations and environmental impact
is a key element of the sustainable development of products. Enterprises attempt, within their
awareness and possibilities, to apply the idea of sustainability; they do this more or less methodically.
As such, an instrument to support decision-making in the area of product development is still needed
because it would both be desirable for customers and have less of a negative effect on the natural
environment. The purpose of this study was to develop a model that supports decision-making in
the development of products while considering sustainability. The model determines the key criteria
of the product, criteria states (current and future), and their positive correlations (e.g., achieving
high levels of product quality and no (or a reduction in) destructive impact on the environment).
To reduce the fuzzy decision-making environment, multiplicative decision methods with the fuzzy
Saaty scale were implemented. These methods were the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP)
and the fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (FTOPSIS). The model
is able to support qualitative–environment decisions in the development of any product.
Keywords:
prediction; sustainability; quality; environment; mechanical engineering; production en-
gineering
1. Introduction
In well-developed enterprises, improving product quality while simultaneously taking
care of the natural environment is important. It mainly manifests itself as customer-
orientated product development [
1
–
3
] and concerns the customization of products to
customers’ expectations while also considering reductions of the negative impacts of these
products on the natural environment [
4
,
5
]. This requires the development of products
that are safe for the environment (ecological) and simultaneously satisfactory in terms of
quality [
6
–
10
]. The product quality level—the level of product compliance with customers’
expectations, referring only to the specific intended use of the product—is determined
for this purpose. From a pro-environment standpoint, the quality level should include
environmental aspects, i.e., the consideration of all organization activities and products
that can impact the environment [
11
]. However, the dynamics of the market, including
the industrialization of enterprises (Industry 4.0) [
12
,
13
], have generated the need for
the sustainable development of products ahead of the competition [
1
]. This requires the
prediction of product quality level and its possible impact on the natural environment.
Accordingly, acquiring customers’ expectations (their guesswork and desires) based on their
opinion of existing products is beneficial [
3
]. This allows for a more precise expression of
customers’ expectations and reduces negative environmental aspects. Various instruments
are used for this purpose, but it remains a challenge to anticipate a product that is both
qualitatively and environmentally satisfactory.
Sustainability 2021, 13, 9067. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169067 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
