Capability needs for sustainable product development in aerospace: A systematic literature review

Review article, 2026

Carbon emissions of the aviation sector are expected to double by 2050, and there is an urgent need to change the approach to product and system design to enable a sustainability transition. Through a systematic literature review, this paper analyses 51 studies and provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of sustainable product development in the design of aircraft systems and sub-systems. A taxonomy of challenges across six categories is proposed, ranging from socio-ecological issues, regulations, economic context, design process, cognitive barriers, and technological limitations. This taxonomy supports clarifying the nature of problems practitioners may encounter when implementing sustainable product development. While aerospace companies face systemic challenges, this study argues that they can overcome structural, human, and technical barriers. But to overcome this, sustainable product development capabilities need to be developed, which this study maps across product development phases and organisational levels. Fourteen aerospace-tailored support methods are reviewed through the lens of these capabilities, showing gaps in enabling cross-functional communication, managing trade-offs systematically, and mitigating sustainability risks. This study advances the field of Sustainable Product Development by offering a sector-specific synthesis of challenges, capabilities, and support methods in aerospace. The findings align with broader sustainability literature and provide a foundation for future cross-sectoral research and methodological development. Together, these contributions support aerospace practitioners in navigating sustainable product development challenges, developing critical capabilities, and calls for further research to accelerate sustainability integration in product development.