Avnet Insights: Driven by Customer Demand, Engineers are Designing for Sustainability

Rhea-AI Summary

A pulse survey by Avnet, a leading technology distributor, found that 78% of respondents who view sustainable product design as an opportunity have made progress in implementing it into their business strategy. The survey revealed that visibility around availability and lead times, as well as component end-of-life management, are important to respondents. Tactics being implemented include designing for longevity, low-power design, leveraging connectivity, software that prolongs product efficiency or life cycle, designing for recycling or reuse, avoiding non-renewable resources, edge computing, and artificial intelligence. Customer demand is the most effective driver behind the use of sustainable design tactics. The survey was conducted among 149 global respondents.

Positive

• 78% of respondents have made progress in implementing sustainable product design into their business strategy
• Visibility around availability and lead times is important to 81% of respondents
• Component end-of-life management is important to 77% of respondents
• Designing for longevity and low-power design are being implemented by 77% of respondents
• Leveraging connectivity, software that prolongs product efficiency or life cycle, designing for recycling or reuse are being implemented by 64%, 62%, and 60% of respondents respectively
• Avoiding non-renewable resources, edge computing, and artificial intelligence are being implemented by 50%, 48%, and 47% of respondents respectively
• Customer demand is the most effective driver behind the use of sustainable design tactics

Negative

• None.

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rising customer demands for sustainability are playing a key role in engineers’ design efforts coming out of two-plus years of pandemic-driven disruption and the ongoing components shortage. A newly released pulse survey from leading technology distributor, Avnet (Nasdaq: AVT), found that majority (78%) of respondents who view sustainable product design as an opportunity have made progress in implementing it into their business strategy.

Globally, respondents found many sustainable design solutions to be important, especially visibility around availability and lead times (81%) and component end-of-life management (77%). Additionally, the survey uncovered what tactics are being implemented:

• Most are currently using or plan to implement designing for longevity (77%) and low-power design (77%).
• Nearly two-thirds are or plan to leverage connectivity (64%), software that prolongs product efficiency or life cycle (62%) or designing for recycling (60%) or reuse (57%).
• Around half are or plan to avoid non-renewable resources (50%), edge computing (48%) or artificial intelligence (47%).

“Our latest research indicates that efforts around sustainable design are further ahead than we may have anticipated, especially given the disruption to component availability and supply chains which have been a stringent focus these last couple of years,” said Stacy Mendez, Director of Global Strategic Planning and ESG, Avnet. “It is encouraging to see companies redirecting that focus to efforts that can help promote sustainable design in components and, beyond that, their end products.”

Avnet found customer demand is, by far, the most effective driver behind their customers’ use of sustainable design tactics. Four-in-ten (40%) say customer pressure will be the most effective catalyst. Less than one-fifth believe government regulations (15%) or the desire to gain a competitive advantage (10%) will be an effective catalyst for advancing the use of sustainable design tactics.

“It is clear that customers are seeking sustainable options, which means demand for sustainably designed products will only continue to grow,” added Mendez. “Engineers should seek opportunities to incorporate sustainable design from the very start of the product development process. Therein lies the opportunity for customers to leverage the design and engineering capabilities of an end-to-end distributor to guide them from ideation to product development, even through to end-of-life, with sustainability priorities top of mind.”

The Avnet Insights pulse survey was conducted among n=149 global respondents. Regionally, respondents were based in the Americas, EMEA, Asia, and Japan. The survey was fielded online from June 1-16, 2023, using Avnet’s global customer database.

About Avnet

As a leading global technology distributor and solutions provider, Avnet has served customers’ evolving needs for an entire century. We support customers at each stage of a product’s lifecycle, from idea to design and from prototype to production. Our unique position at the center of the technology value chain enables us to accelerate the design and supply stages of product development so customers can realize revenue faster. Decade after decade, Avnet helps its customers and suppliers around the world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. Learn more about Avnet at avnet.com.

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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230726485832/en/

Media Contact

Jeanne Forbis

Avnet

jeanne.forbis@avnet.com

480-643-7499

Lauren Levinson

Brodeur Partners, for Avnet

llevinson@brodeur.com

202-899-4639

Source: Avnet

FAQ

What did the Avnet pulse survey reveal about sustainable product design?

The survey found that 78% of respondents who view sustainable product design as an opportunity have made progress in implementing it into their business strategy.

What are the important aspects of sustainable design according to the survey?

According to the survey, visibility around availability and lead times, as well as component end-of-life management, are important to respondents.

What tactics are being implemented for sustainable design?

The survey revealed that designing for longevity, low-power design, leveraging connectivity, software that prolongs product efficiency or life cycle, designing for recycling or reuse, avoiding non-renewable resources, edge computing, and artificial intelligence are being implemented.

What is the most effective driver behind the use of sustainable design tactics?

According to the survey, customer demand is the most effective driver behind the use of sustainable design tactics.