Abstract

To address the growing environmental problems and rising social inequality, many manufacturers and designers are engaging in making more sustainable consumer products. However, launching the wrong sustainable designs may lead to negative consequences. To steer clear of this risk, we need to consider the uncertainties involved in launching sustainable consumer products and avoid launching products with a significant probability of causing harmful effects. To support this task, the paper clarifies the uncertainties associated with sustainable consumer product design. More specifically, the paper defines the concept of sustainability uncertainty in consumer product designs, identifies four types of "product uncertainties" and eight types of "consumer uncertainties," and discusses how to address sustainability uncertainty in these twelve dimensions. Furthermore, the paper provides a set of empirical examples to support the relevance of identified the twelve sustainability uncertainty dimensions.