Towards GreenPLM—Key Sustainable Indicators Selection and Assessment Method Development

Abstract

Regulations, depletion of natural resources and changing customer demands are putting pressure on manufacturing companies to consider environmental issues in the development of new products. Companies are using PLM systems to manage the product lifecycle, but the current generation of these systems is not adequately adapted to product sustainability issues. The research results presented in this article are intended to support two target groups: academia and industry. The main scientific objective is to provide a systematic method for selecting and evaluating sustainability indicators related to the various phases of automotive lifecycle management. The main application goal is to support the industry in its pursuit of greener development by identifying which sustainability indicators are relevant to each phase of the product lifecycle. As a result, the key green indicators related to the automotive industry in line with the GreenPLM concept are identified together with their assignment to the elements of the car’s beginning-of-life stages, as well as their potential data sources. This paper introduces the concept of GreenPLM and its future application possibilities.