Exploring the role of collaboration capability in ENPD team of notebook industry in Taiwan

Environmental protection is considered one of the hottest issues. Following the implementation of three directives of European Union, including: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE), Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), and Energy Using products (EuP), practitioners are expected to take responsive actions to stay in the market and remain competitive. Taiwanese notebook companies, as major manufacturers in the world, are advised to integrated green concepts into the process of new product development to alleviate the burden to the earth. The paper aims to explore the role of collaboration capability in the process of ENPD (Environmental New Product Development). Members of product development teams from different companies in notebook industry were interviewed. Documentary analysis, in-depth interview, and content analysis were used to collect and analyze data. The results indicated that practitioners do pay more and more attention to the idea of ENPD; however, the authors also found that the concepts of LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) and EMS (Environmental Management System) are still in their early stages that need to be integrated in formal business processes. Supplier management and green procurement are main approaches utilized by companies investigated in the current study. It is also noticed that OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) companies adopt different approaches to become environmental friendly.