Alternative function fulfilment: incorporating environmental considerations into increased design space

The focal point of this paper is the relatively unknown concept of alternative function fulfilment (AFF), which is a design strategy that can be used to generate new ways of fulfilling a certain function and is referred to in the context of ecodesign. It can be considered an attractive environmental innovation strategy, provided that the increased design space is used to create more sustainable products and services. This paper explores the AFF concept and discusses the implications of adopting this concept. It thus focuses on how design and business processes may need to change to allow the radical shift towards AFF, in order to facilitate the envisaged significant environmental improvements.