Alignment of the functional structure with sustainability aspects in product development – combining the strengths of the functional structure with the MECO matrix

Many of the methods and tools proposed in the literature for validating product concepts are matrix-based, but they do not allow the results to be communicated easily and comprehensibly. This is a major obstacle to the integration of such methods. The poor communication of the results of a method therefore represents great potential for better integration of sustainability aspects in product development. In this article, an approach is proposed on how the results of the MECO matrix can be converted into a clear visualization of the reduced environmental assessments.