Product Quality and Sustainability
- Credits: 3
- Ending: Examination
- Range: 2C
- Semester: summer
- Year: 2
- Faculty of Commerce
Teachers
Included in study programs
Teaching results
By completing the course, students gain knowledge about the importance of quality and sustainability of products, and their quality, environmental and safety aspects from the perspective of the manufacturer, marketer and consumer. They will get acquainted with the principles and methods of evaluating the performance of products. They will get acquainted with the European strategy of a fair, healthy environmentally friendly food system - "from farm to table" and with the negative effects of food waste.
They will gain knowledge about product traceability, about the quality and safety of selected food and non-food products from the consumer's point of view, about mandatory and voluntary labeling of products and consumer rights and obligations on the market. They will be able to evaluate the societal benefits of ecodesign, circular design, the transition to electromobility, a more sustainable approach to textiles and clothing and plastic products.
Graduates of the course will be able to use methods of evaluating the performance of products in real life business situations. They will be able to propose utility features of products for further elaboration focusing on qualitative, safety, environmental and societal aspects with respect to consumer preferences, expressed and unexpressed needs. Critically analyze societal issues in the areas of sustainable production and consumption and consumer protection in relation to food and non-food products.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will acquire competencies that will enable them to make managerial decisions about products based on knowledge of technological, environmental and societal trends, effectively cooperate in work teams in product creation and decisions related to managing individual phases of product life cycle, support decisions on vertical or horizontal integration based on insights.
Indicative content
Introduction to the course Product Quality and Sustainability. Quality, environmental and safety requirements. Usability features. Evaluation of usability features. Sustainability and sustainable development. Designing products based on circular design, involving product reuse and recycling. Quality and safety of food and non-food products from the consumer's point of view. Consumer rights and obligations on the market (warranty, product complaints, withdrawal from the contract). Organic food, traditional and regional food, functional food. Food waste. Food waste reduction initiatives. Ecodesign of products with a focus on electrical appliances. Electromobility and its technological, environmental and social aspects. Plastics, their use in products, safety and environmental aspects throughout the product life cycle. Textiles and clothing. Issues of fast fashion and sustainable fashion, change in consumer behavior, the impact of the textile industry on the environment throughout the product life cycle.
Support literature
1. Baker, C. (2022). Design for sustainability survival guide. Bis Publicatios. B.V. Netherland
2. Blum, P. (2021). Circular fashion. Orion Publication Co. UK
3. Chomová, K. (2022). Udržateľný marketing – nová éra marketingu. Vydavateľstvo EDUCATION.SUSTAINABILITY.BRATISLAVA. Bratislava
4. Chomová, K. (2023). Spoločenská zodpovednosť firiem. Vydavateľstvo EKONÓM. Bratislava
5. Krnáčová, P.- Jarossová, M.A. (2020). Tovaroznalectvo potrevinárskeho tovaru: praktikum. . Vydavateľstvo EKONÓM. Bratislava
6. Koopmans, V.D. (2021). Ecodesign: A life cycle approach for a sustainable.future. Hanse Publications. Germany
7. Norman, D. (2023). Design for better world. MIT Press. USA
Syllabus
1. Introduction to the course Quality and sustainability of products. Product quality as a tool of product policy. Quality, environmental and safety requirements in the European single market and in exports and imports. Product traceability. 2. Utility features of products. Evaluation methods of utility features. 3. Sustainability and sustainable development. Principles and models of circular economy, product creation based on circular design, product reuse and recycling. Ethical side of sustainability and consumption. 4. Quality and safety of food and non-food products from the consumer's point of view (threats to product safety, mandatory and voluntary labeling of products, nutritional and energy value, sensory properties of products). Consumer rights and obligations on the market (warranty, product complaints, withdrawal from the contract). 5. Quality of organic food and non-food products from the consumer's point of view (product features, their impact on the environment, labeling). 6. Organic food, traditional and regional food, functional food. A European strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system - "farm to fork". 7. Wasting food. Food losses and food waste. Causes of food waste. Consequences of food waste. Food waste reduction initiatives. 8. Ecodesign of products with a focus on electrical appliances. The societal significance and consequences of labeling electrical appliances with energy labels, consumer perception of new energy classes. Product end-of-life management. Producer responsibility for electrical waste. 9. Creation of utility properties of the product for selected target groups of consumers. 10. Electromobility and its technological, environmental and social aspects. Trends in the development of electromobility in the EU. 11. Plastics, their use in products, safety and environmental aspects throughout the product life cycle. Initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of plastics. 12. Textiles and clothing. Competitiveness of the EU textile and clothing industry, focusing on high value-added products. Origin of textile raw materials, production of textile materials and clothing, distribution, sale, use, waste generation and their impact on sustainability. 13. The issue of fast fashion and sustainable fashion, a change in consumer behavior, the impact of the textile industry on the environment throughout the product life cycle.
Requirements to complete the course
40% continuous semester assessment
60% written test
Language whose command is required to complete the course
Slovak
Date of approval: 06.03.2024
Date of the latest change: 17.10.2023