Support for Life Cycle Decision-Making in Sustainable Manufacturing – Results of an Industrial Case Study

Materials play a central role in product manufacturing, contributing to each phase of product development in the form of either a component or process material. As the product revolves around materials, so does much of the product information. Material information plays a significant role in the decision making process at any stage of the product life cycle, especially with respect to the sustainability of a product. Material information in the manufacturing stages of a product’s life cycle will relate to the processes used in manufacturing and assembling individual components. The material properties may determine what processes can be used and how these processes should be controlled. To support sustainable manufacturing, the impacts of material choice should be considered during design, when resources are being committed. When comparing material alternatives at design time, it is not as simple as saying one material is “more sustainable” than another. Many different factors determine the sustainability of a product, and each of these factors may be influenced by multiple material properties represented through various information requirements. In order to develop a material information model that can satisfy these information requirements, we need to carefully study the requirements from an information modeling perspective. In this paper, we use activity models to describe design and manufacturing scenarios that rely on the availability of proper material information for sustainability decision making. We will use these models to first define specific scenarios and then to identify the types of material information that is typically required in these scenarios, and collect and categorize key concepts. Based on this study, we will make recommendations that will aid the development of a useful material information model for sustainable decision making.

Download Full-text

The Role of Structural Context in Making Business Sense of Investments for Sustainability–A Case Study

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12177006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (17) ◽

pp. 7006

Author(s):

Josefine Rasmussen

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Energy Efficiency ◽

Investment Decision ◽

Sustainable Manufacturing ◽

Manufacturing Companies ◽

Improve Energy Efficiency ◽

Structural Context ◽

Investment Decision Making

Energy efficiency is an important means for sustainable manufacturing. One action for manufacturing companies to improve energy efficiency is through investments. While these investments often are profitable, opportunities remain unexploited. This paper explores the structural context of the investment decision-making process by examining the associated activities, procedures, and the role of information. While the structural context may limit complex investments that do not fit predefined rules and controls, such as energy efficiency and other sustainability-related investments, it remains a scarcely studied aspect of investment decision-making for energy efficiency investments. Method-wise, the paper is based on a case study of a major investment at a pulp and paper company, motivated and justified based on productivity, strategic, energy, and sustainability rationales. The paper contributes with illustrating how configurations of internal investment activities and procedures may be crucial for sustainability-related investments to pass through the investment process. Moreover, the configuration of activities and procedures is also indicated as influential for the way in which an investment is executed. Hence, for energy efficiency and other sustainability-related investments to make business sense constitutes more than achieving desirable payback periods; the structural context should be considered.

Download Full-text

A CASE STUDY IN PARTICIPATORY ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS ASSESSMENT WITH THE USE OF MULTIMEDIA MATERIALS AND QUANTITATIVE LCA

Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management ◽

10.1142/s1464333207002871 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 09 (04) ◽

pp. 399-421 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

P. SINCLAIR ◽

S. COWELL ◽

R. LÖFSTEDT ◽

R. CLIFT

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Life Cycle Assessment ◽

Life Cycle ◽

Effective Means ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Active Engagement ◽

Environmental Decision Making ◽

Environmental Systems ◽

Structuring Knowledge

While participation in environmental decision-making is widely recognised and valued in democratic countries as beneficial, its format and scope have not always been the source of agreement. The use of environmental systems assessment (ESA) offers the opportunity for structuring knowledge and decision-making systematically and appropriately to decision makers' concerns, to enable lay publics to participate in development of policy and implementation in public sector initiatives. In order to perform participatory ESA, effective means of involving lay people are required. This paper describes the development and testing of an innovative interactive multimedia package (WOMBLE), written for non-experts to enable them to use the expert tool WISARD, a quantitative life cycle assessment package, to enable involvement in developing and assessing options for management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). It was shown that this combination of tools can reduce the time needed to achieve effective communication, learning and active engagement.

Download Full-text