Manufacturers are prioritising sustainability not just for environmental benefits but to comply with a growing range of regulations. Frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, Environmental Product Declaration, and the Digital Product Passport impose stringent requirements, with significant penalties for non-compliance.
Fortunately, advancements in manufacturing software are making it easier to address these challenges. These cutting-edge solutions empower manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint at every stage of the production process. In this article, we’ll explore four key areas where software can drive impactful change, all unified through the power of a digital thread.
1 – Design
Research by The Ellen McArthur Foundation found that 80% of a product’s environmental impact over its lifetime is determined at the design stage. To boost your sustainability results, design is the stage you have to get right.
Designers can use tools like CAD and PLM to optimise sustainability at the early stages of development. These tools can analyse embodied carbon, experiment with lightweighting and adopt AI-powered generative design processes to create resource-efficient and sustainable solutions.
2 – Product development
PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) is the most effective way to track, analyse and balance sustainability at the product development stage. By holding all the data for every component within a product in a single system, you can experiment with different configurations that may reduce the product’s environmental impact.
PTC’s Windchill integrates with lifecycle analysis systems such as Makersite to deliver a complete CO2 footprint for a product’s bill of materials. Designers can then look for improvements in sustainability metrics, including carbon footprint, recyclability and water usage.
3 – Manufacturing
You can boost sustainability at the manufacturing stage in two ways:
- Working with engineering to make your production processes more efficient
- Improving circularity through greater reuse of parts and remanufacturing
Manufacturers have found that improving circularity is the key to more sustainable production. Remanufactured parts are typically 60-90% more carbon efficient than mining-sourced products and require less processing and transportation.
Utilising software that enables modular and configure-to-order systems gives components a greater chance of being reused in the future. This has been proven in the auto manufacturing industry, which switched to modular designs 20 years ago and now has thriving secondary markets for remanufactured parts.
4 – Service
At the service stage, manufacturers can use lifecycle management tools to boost sustainability. They are great at monitoring products to predict when they need maintenance, reducing unnecessary visits (and their associated emissions) and improving customer relationships. PTC’s Servigistics uses AI technology to smooth out the parts supply chain, so the correct parts are where they need to be when required.
Digital thread – the secret to sustainability
A digital thread consolidates data across the lifecycle of a product. It streamlines access to critical sustainability information at every stage, from design to development, from manufacturing to service and end-of-life.
Your sustainability journey begins with your digital thread, which you create with PLM software. With the right software – like PTC’s Windchill – in place, your designers can focus on circularity and other environmental goals as part of their everyday workflows. Beyond the design stage, you can identify and implement footprint reductions at every stage of the manufacturing process.
To find out more, and get started, take a look at our Digital Transformation Guide:
