A sustainability strategy for HTS BeSafe

Abstract

The graduation project, which is recorded in this report, was initiated to explore the possibilities for BeSafe, a long-time manufacturer of child safety seats for (automotive) transport, to become sustainable. As the knowledge regarding the subject within the company was of insufficient, Delft University of Technology was contacted to extend the knowledge, and lay the foundation of a future sustainability strategy for the company. The outcome of this project is a sustainability strategy (BeSafe & Sustainable) and a sample case demonstrating how this strategy could be implanted. The project has three main phases;

During the analysis phase, insights are gathered to uncover possibilities to add value to the company through sustainability. The analysis covers the context of company, its products and their footprint, and the market the company is operating in. Different stakeholders that influence, are affected by, or are influenced by any way the company is operating are then investigated. Apart from the customer, which has a major influence on the demand and used of the product, the environment and society are two important stakeholders.
To finalise this phase, the sustainability strategies of multiple companies were analysed to see how other they strategise their efforts to be sustainable.

In the synthesis phase, the insights gathered during the analysis are combined, with input from the New Product Development of BeSafe, using the value mapping tool by Bocken et al. (2013). The value map helps to gives an overview of the values captured, and helps to generated value opportunities based on missed, destroyed and wasted values.
Based on the analysis and the value map, a sustainability strategy for BeSafe is developed. ‘BeSafe & Sustainable’ covers; safety provided by products; the use of materials and energy; the ability of employees to deploy change within the company; how design could help to BeSafe become more sustainable; the involvement of partner; adaption of the business model; and transparency about sustainability efforts.
In the sustainability roadmap, an overview is given of possible goals and actions that the company should pursue to follow the set strategy.

To illustrate how the implementation of the sustainability strategy could be done, a sample case was performed. The case shows how an existing lease service could be adjusted to fit the new strategy. Analysis of the existing lease model uncovered that the logistics and refurbishment of seats could be optimised. Therefor recommendations are given to update the design of a baby seat to better fit the refurbishment process and allow for extended product lifetime and better recycling of materials.
The sample case is closed off with a product packaging redesign. In the present system, products are retrieved using a plastic bag. Due to this form of packing, the products get damaged during transport, thereby reducing the ability to refurbish the product. To reduce the impact of transportation on the product, the packaging of the toddler seat, which is send to the customer to replace a used baby seat, is adjusted in such a way it can be used to retrieve the baby seat, increasing the possibility of the seat to be used again refurbishment.