Sustainable Products

The manufacturing industry faces the challenge of reducing the ecological footprint throughout the entire product life cycle – even where no direct influence is possible. ROI-EFESO helps companies to holistically analyze the sustainability footprint of physical products, software, and services and to develop and implement improvement approaches.

Sustainable Product Development

• Transparency: evaluation of the product design regarding repairability and upgradeability, useful life and recyclability; use of life cycle engineering (LCE) methods to evaluate the ecological product footprint from procurement and production to consumption, recycling and reuse.
• Organization: integration of sustainability and EHS (environment, health, safety) functions into the development and industrialization of products.
• Sustainability by product design: aligning product design on the development of products that are low in emissions and consumption and allow for sustainable use – for example by using renewable and biodegradable materials, developing products for dismantling and repair, and reducing the use of harmful materials.
• Digitalization of product development: use of digital "sustainability twins"; simulation and virtualization of prototyping to reduce physical waste.
• Material consumption: reduction of the proportion of critical and non-recyclable materials in products and packaging in favor of renewable and biodegradable materials as well as the use of standard, carry-over or recycled parts and components (frugal development).
• Compliance Management: ensuring technical and ecological compliance (REACH, digital product passport, etc.), certification of products and development processes and consideration of material compliance criteria.

Sustainable Product Use and Recycling

• Life cycle analysis: estimating the price elasticity of customers with regard to sustainable functions and simulating corresponding customer experiences and added value.
• Optimization of scope 3 downstream: development of approaches to reduce emissions generated on the customer side through the transport, use and recycling of products.
• Predictive maintenance & refit: identification and integration of sustainability potential for predictive maintenance and environmentally friendly upgradability of products.
• Circular economy: expansion of the value creation analysis to include sustainability criteria and consideration of the potential of the circular economy as well as the development of an infrastructure for recycling.
• Product lifespan: extending the period of use, e.g. through effective and cost-efficient approaches for repairing, refurbishing and reusing products or components.