Leveraging manufacturer-designer synergy for sustainable commercial furniture design: a hybrid multi-criteria evaluation of value drivers

Integrating sustainability is vital for the commercial furniture industry, yet business-to-business enterprises often struggle with fragmented value prioritization during green innovation. This study develops a synergy-based framework to evaluate value drivers using a hybrid approach integrating the Grey-Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory and the Analytic Network Process. Key insights include: (i) knowledge sharing, green brand image, and supply chain collaboration are top strategic priorities; and (ii) sustainable transformation is driven by the formal institutionalization of user demands through mandatory standards. Discussions highlight that collaborative knowledge sharing resolves inherent conflicts between production costs and aesthetic requirements. Consequently, manufacturers should shift toward proactive regulatory anticipation, while designers utilize quantitative assessment tools for empirical justification. The scientific value of this paper lies in providing a quantifiable decision-making model that bridges institutional theory and industrial design. Findings offer a tool for formulating data-driven sustainable strategies.