Investigating mass customization and sustainability compatibilities

Abstract

This paper examines the relationships between sustainability and mass customization in the business field. First a literature review investigates their enablers. This section ends with empirical conclusions about the impact of mass customization on sustainability highlighting some complementarities between these two concepts. Then three case studies illustrate the relevance of the identified enablers to different business sectors. The case studies show that several sustainability and mass customization enablers are deployed within same industrial contexts, thus pointing out potential synergies between them. The lack of sustainability and mass customization frameworks at the operational level is a major barrier for further investigation of the above synergies.

Keywords: Mass customisation, sustainability, enablers, sustainable mass customisation.