An Approach for Idea Generation on Sustainable and Circular Products in the Early Phase Exemplified by a Vehicle Component

Sustainability and circular economy are becoming increasingly important for new products due to new EU legislation and serve as orientation for product development. This is particularly significant for the automotive industry, as “new” products such as electric vehicles present new challenges. This sustainability orientation influences fundamental requirements of a product, such as material, construction, joining techniques, design, production and R-strategies. Some of these requirements are determined particularly in the early phases of the innovation process. Decisions are made almost exclusively based on theoretical data, while the inclusion of physical prototypes in the evaluation and decision-making process often only takes place at later stages. In particular, early, disruptive, sustainability-oriented idea generation, which is not only based on a data-based evaluation but is also supported by physical realization in the early phase, contributes significantly to well-founded decision-making processes. An approach for idea generation on sustainable and circular products in the early phase is presented in this article, which was applied and evaluated by a sustainable and circular vehicle component (center console).