Sustainability

In the course of the shift to electromobility, the use of battery cells as energy storage is facing exponential growth. The goal in research and industry is to design the entire life cycle of these battery cells in the light of global sustainability goals and to ensure the necessary supply of raw materials. In this context, the establishment of efficient recycling technologies plays a central role. In particular, there is a need for research into the further development of process routes according to technological, ecological, economic and social criteria. The competence cluster Recycling & Green Battery (greenBatt) addresses these challenges in 15 research projects. This article presents overarching solution approaches and project highlights.

Managers are still facing significant challenges in implementing Industry 4.0 technologies and many companies have not gone beyond their initial Industry 4.0 lighthouse project to date. In the midst of this ongoing transformation, the European Commission published a white paper in January 2021 dealing with the “Industry 5.0 concept”. This paper investigates the term “Industry 5.0” with regard to the contribution of the European Commission and illustrates the connection with current Industry 4.0 initiatives.

In lean management implementations, processes are improved and causes of problems are sustainably eliminated. However, in areas with a lot of data, such as logistics, root cause analysis on the shopfloor becomes confusing and complicated. Supporting application systems can help with analysis and shopfloor management. Using the example of supply logistics in the automotive industry, a simple digital solution is demonstrated that creates transparency, saves time and contributes to sustainable problem solving.

When selecting a new refrigerator, energy efficiency is a decisive selection criterion. However, in the strategic and tactical planning of value-added networks, this is not yet the case. The E²-Design-toolbox enables energy efficiency to be considered in the planning process of production and logistics networks, in addition to the classic performance and cost variables. The early integration allows to draw on the overall potential. This paper presents the underlying energy data, the optimization modules, and the user’s perspective.

Carbon footprints are a widely discussed topic impacting the individuals as well as companies. A company can be transparent in their actions, by publishing a carbon footprint. These footprints can be calculated for a single product or the whole company. However, there is a variety of different carbon footprint standards. The internationally most recognized ones are the publicly available specification 2050, Greenhouse Gas protocol (2011) and ISO 14067. This paper compares the standards and gives a recommendation for the application of product carbon footprints.