Abstract
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.
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Brunø, T.D., Nielsen, K., Taps, S.B., Jørgensen, K.A. (2013). Sustainability Evaluation of Mass Customization. In: Prabhu, V., Taisch, M., Kiritsis, D. (eds) Advances in Production Management Systems. Sustainable Production and Service Supply Chains. APMS 2013. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 414. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41266-0_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41266-0_22
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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