Contribution for product analyses to quantify and predict similar or diverse eco-related product perception in the usage phase

From the manufactures point of view, sustainability and environment-related criteria of consumer products become key sales arguments. On the one hand, the customer expects reduced resource consumptions and eco-friendly characteristics of the product within the usage phase. On the other hand, the manufacturer is interested to place the product in the market considering an eco-friendly perception in comparison to competitor products in the same product spectrum. This paper outlines a concept to define continuous, discrete and/or nominal environment-related product characteristics and to estimate product groups for an environment-related comparison based on characteristic combination sets. Different sets of variables are carried out for the detection of product groups with regard to similar or diverse eco-related product perception in the usage phase. The application of the methodology is shown within a case study using the example of electric household appliances. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.