Synergy mechanisms behind sustainable mass customisation: A theory-testing study

This study represents the first step in the process of testing the synergy mechanisms that underlie the building blocks proposed by prior qualitative research for the business model of sustainable mass customization, which combine environmental-sustainability enablers and mass-customization enablers. The parallel, mediation and moderation model capturing the synergies between product stewardship and parts commonalization capabilities is tested via partial least squares structural equation modelling and survey data from 330 manufacturers in three industries and 16 countries. The analysis results imply that bundling these two capabilities leads to sub-additive costs and super-additive benefits in the process of implementing sustainable mass customization.