A New QFD-CE Method for Considering the Concept of Sustainable Development and Circular Economy

The idea of sustainable development (SD) forces companies to combine the quality development of products with the simultaneous care of the natural environment. These actions should start with the product design process. The aim of the study was to create a modified method of Quality Function Development (QFD-CE), which will support the design of new products or improve the existing products on the market. In the proposed method (QFD-CE), the method integrates techniques such as: SMARTER method, brainstorming (BM), the method of selecting a team of experts, kinship diagram, fixed sum scale, and Likert scale. A novelty compared to the traditional QFD methodology is that design goals are set not only based on customer expectations, but also considering the impact on the natural environment. The originality of this proposition comes to the practical inclusion of including sustainability development criteria. The proposed method can be used in companies that design new products and are focused on caring for the natural environment. The QFD-CE method test method was performed for photovoltaic panels (PV). As part of the proposed QFD-CE method, the sequence of design activities was determined so that they meet customer expectations and can be simultaneously implemented according to the idea of SD. This method can be used for any product, mainly those that have a significant impact on the natural environment.