Making Product Creation Sustainable

In the coming decade, sustainable product creation will become an absolute imperative. So, it’s understandable that many OEMs and suppliers are already deep into the rollout of their own digital transformation.

For those who are still in the planning phase: now is the time to act. But the first step toward more sustainable product creation is often the hardest to take.

Choosing the right tools for the task can hold your organization back. And, in the case of industrial digitalization through Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), it’s not just about selecting the tools you need. It’s also about deciding on the right partner for your digitalization journey.

Digital Twins are gaining recognition and popularity as a solution for digitally representing a product, building or even a human being. This is enabling new opportunities to improve performance, operations, productivity, or quality of life.

A Digital Twin strategy to drive sustainability programs can be profoundly effective.

Digital Twins offer significant benefits when planning, implementing, and realizing reduced energy consumption and the switch to more sustainable materials.

Digital Twins also provide several advantages in the recycling of a product based on a comprehensive and digital description, allowing for strong traceability and the efficient and controlled dismantling and recycling of material.

Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) provides a cohesive overview of the effect your company’s products and services have on the environment. It asks questions about product design and material choice optimization, energy sources, manufacturing processes, and distribution methods.

Embedding LCA within digital twin technology opens up a slew of new approaches for achieving a net-zero economy.

The 3DEXPERIENCE Sustainable Innovation Intelligence solution accesses the Ecoinvent lifecycle database to provide decision-makers with consistently accurate insights.

Companies that tether this actionable intelligence to a digital twin can assess and ensure the sustainability of all product-related decisions before implementing them.

We strongly believe a PLM system can be the best solution for managing a product’s lifecycle as part of a circular economy.

So, we’re developing new solutions that will make that a reality. For instance, a full overview over which materials are reusable will help companies make better decisions at an earlier stage of the manufacturing process.

To come up with the best solutions possible, we’re cooperating with companies and certification institutions to understand which features will best support a circular model.

We know many companies that are making the switch gradually, and we want to create modules that will help them schedule that work in the most efficient way possible.