Start - iPoint Blog

Sustainable Production & Manufacturing

Written by Jan Horst Schnakenberg | 07/31/2023

Industrial engineering and manufacturing of products is always accompanied by the extraction and consumption of raw materials from nature and the use of land. Furthermore, pollutants are emitted into the soil, air and water during the production process and along the entire supply chain.

The aim of sustainable manufacturing is to ensure that the production of goods conserves resources and preserves the regenerative capacity of the environment. Sustainable products secures the natural foundations of life for future generations. This requires a new approach to research, design and manufacturing.

Goals of Sustainable Manufacturing

An environmentally compatible production pursues several interdependent individual goals:

  • Avoidance of harmful emissions into the environment
  • Efficient use of energy and resources
  • Switching to renewable energies
  • Use of sustainably produced resources
  • Waste avoidance and creation of material cycles & recycling
  • Restoring and maintaining the biological diversity of ecosystems

Opportunities and Advantages for Companies

Sustainable product policy offers a wide range of opportunities and advantages for companies:

  • Cost reduction through improved material and energy efficiency
  • Competitive advantages over the marketplace
  • Adaptation to changes in consumer behavior
  • Increasing the attractiveness for skilled workers
  • Sustainable products ensure the long-term success of the company

Environmental and Efficiency Technologies

Achieving the sustainability goals requires an all-encompassing modernization of production systems and the entire economy. New environmental and efficiency technologies play a key role here. Below are some examples:

  • Electric and fuel cell drives
  • Electro-chemical and thermal storage of energy
  • Combined heat and power
  • Bioplastics and composite materials
  • Digital networking of systems and supply chains

Concepts & Methods

In the literature as well as in practice there are various concepts, methods and instruments to make the production of goods more environmentally friendly:

The Product Life Cycle – from Cradle to Grave

To achieve sustainable products, it is not enough to look only at the manufacturing phase of the product. Rather, the entire life cycle must be included in the analysis and evaluation.

  • Product development & design
  • Procurement of raw materials
  • Production
  • Distribution & logistics
  • Product use
  • Disposal & Recycling (End of Life)

We Support You to Enable Sustainable Production

 

Umberto - the LCA Software for Experts

Using our LCA software Umberto, you can create clearly and transparently life cycle assessments of your products. With integrated cost accounting - partial and full cost accounting as well as material flow cost accounting (MFCA) - you not only increase the sustainability but also the efficiency of your production system.

Take the next step and automate the creation of PCFs and LCAs, and integrate the results into other business processes with our holistic product sustainability software.

Alternatively, our team of experts of LCA consultants and environmental engineers is at your disposal. We are happy to support you individually step by step up to the complete analysis of the environmental impacts of your products. Contact our sustainability consulting team now to make the manufacture of your products more sustainable.