Barriers and stimuli for ecodesign in SMEs

In order to learn which factors stimulate SMEs towards greening their products and which factors hamper them, an empirical study on the ecodesign behaviour of 77 Dutch SMEs was executed in 1997. This article summarises the main findings of the empirical study. A comparison of the 33 possible solutions distinguished to improve the environmental performance of products showed that the 10 most frequently suggested ecodesign solutions were the most successful ones as well. The four most successful solutions implying their realisation within 3 years were: ‘Recycling of materials’, ‘High reliability/durability’, ‘Recycled materials’ and ‘Low energy consumption’. The article analyses which stimuli and barriers played a role in the success or failure of the various ecodesign solutions. Contrary to prevailing literature on environmental management in SMEs, it is concluded that internal stimuli are a stronger driving force for ecodesign than external stimuli. The most influential internal stimuli were the opportunities for innovation, the expected increase of product quality and the potential market opportunities. The research revealed quite clearly that the most influential external stimuli for ecodesign are ‘Customer demands’, ‘Governmental legislation’ and ‘Industrial sector initiatives’. Furthermore, it can be derived from this study that three of the 11 barriers distinguished must be characterised as ‘no-go’ barriers; their existence obstructs the ecodesign improvement options in question from being implemented. These were the following barriers: ‘No clear environmental benefit’; ‘Not perceived as responsibility’ and ‘No alternative solution is available’. The other eight barriers were only ‘initial’ barriers. In sum, an ecodesign improvement option only stands a chance, if it is supported by stimuli other than the expected environmental benefit alone. Those ecodesign improvement options were most successful that were supported by several strong internal and external stimuli, and not blocked by any no-go barriers. Enhancing ecodesign in SMEs does not only depend on finding alternative solutions for technical problems. Even more important are economical and social factors like the acceptance of environmentally improved products in the market, and the way in which the SMEs studied perceive the market perspectives of these products.