An Empirical Study On Affecting Factors Of Ecodesign Behavior In Manufacturers

Due to the worse global environment, people have to pay more attention to theenvironmental research which is the great challenge to people's survival and development inthe 21st. It was reported that 70% of wastes polluting the environment are produced bymanufacturers, that is, these companies generate a lot of harmless and harmful wastes everyyear. Ecodesign is one of the best ways for "Ecological Management", and it is definitelyimportant strategic significance to facilitate Chinese enterprises to achieve their sustainabledevelopment.However, the development of ecodesign is still in the beginning stage in terms of bothacademic research and practical implementation. Meanwhile, with China's entry into theWTO, Chinese enterprises are facing more and more "Green Barriers". Ecodesign is theimportant means for enterprises to improve the ecological performance, and therefore it isimportant strategic significance for Chinese enterprises to improve the internationalcompetition.The research concept is proposed based on a broad literature review on ecodesign inChina and abroad and a further understanding of the status of environmental management inChina. Data collection has been made with a questionnaire, which is elaborately designedaccording to the literatures and opinions from environmental experts in China and abroad.Statistical package of social science (SPSS) has been used as the software tool for dataanalysis. The main factors of practices and driving and restraining factors in themanufacturers in China have been identified according to the results of exploratory factoranalysis of the data. The sensitiveness of Chinese enterprises to such ecodesign affectingfactors and current level of the real practices have been decided with a describing statisticalanalysis to the main factors. Then the relationship between the above affecting factors andpractical factors have been studied using the correlation analysis. In the following, the focus isturned to the study of the affecting pattern and extent of ecodesign affecting factors topractical ones in accordance with the results of the regression analysis and a comparison ofthe situation in China to its foreign counterparts. The problems and weaknesses currentlyexisting in ecodesign in China have been identified and analyzed in the last paragraph, andsome solutions have been suggested accordingly. This thesis would facilitate Chinese enterprises to improve the practical level ofecodesign and support the decision-making in a scientific way.