Concept for Narrowing Technical Solution Spaces in the Fuzzy Front End of Innovation in the Context of Ecological Sustainability Based on Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis

Taking ecological sustainability into account when developing new products is not only demanded by society today but has also recently been legally anchored in the European Union through the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. To comply with the newly formulated regulations, it is essential to consider them during product development. Along the value chain, decisions made in the early stages of product development – the so-called Fuzzy Front End of Innovation (FFE) – have the greatest influence on a product’s sustainability impacts throughout its entire life cycle. At the same time, knowledge about the impact on environmental sustainability is minimal when deciding for or against technical solution alternatives for realizing a product idea. As a result, many stakeholders and experts with different opinions must often be additionally involved in the decision-making process. Wrong decisions can usually be changed only with great effort or not at all. This article presents a method for collecting and structuring the limited qualitative and quantitative information available in the FFE regarding the sustainability impacts of technical solution alternatives to systematically narrow the solution space. Not only the high level of uncertainty and typical information deficits of this phase are considered, but also the integration of multiple stakeholder perspectives. The method is based on an algorithm from the field of multi-criteria decision analysis, extended by fuzzy logic and sensitivity analysis to meet the requirements of the FFE. The result is a prioritized list of possible technical solution alternatives for realizing a product idea with low ecological impact. This list can be continuously adapted based on newly gathered information, allowing unpromising alternatives to be eliminated already in the FFE.