Strategies for development of smart and green products using Blockchain-IoT integrated architecture

The extensive use of Air Conditioners (AC) has significantly contributed to the adverse environmental impacts during the global warming era. To mitigate this, governments are mandating AC manufacturers to redesign products for environmental protection. Consequently, there is a growing need to prioritize and address various stages of AC design and development to ensure environmental sustainability. This research aims to identify critical barriers and develop a blockchain-IoT integrated architecture for the design and development of smart and green Air Conditioners (AC). Critical barriers are identified through a systematic literature survey and the application of the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. The top 5 barriers for smart AC design and development include lack of awareness of integration of its technologies, lack of funds for investment, lack of stakeholder’s engagement, lack of training, and lack of security and privacy protection. Similarly, the top 5 barriers for green AC design and development encompass lack of waste management, lack of technical training to employees, less information on green energy, design complications to recycle or reuse products, and high cost of eco-friendly disposal techniques. A set of 9 strategies has been formulated using the blockchain-IoT integrated architecture to mitigate the impact of critical barriers in the development of Air Conditioners (AC). This architecture enables comprehensive monitoring of the AC development process, ensuring security at every level. Consequently, it optimizes the product development process, reduces employee fatigue and stress, minimizes product development time, and mitigates the effects of critical barriers. By reducing the likelihood of critical barriers and product development time, there is a corresponding decrease in resource consumption, resulting in a reduced environmental impact.