This 9-page Thought Leadership paper, the first in a series, discusses the impact of sustainability on all our products-how we design, manufacture, operate, reuse, refurbish, and recycle them. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is central to sustainability. CIMdata believes there’s a tremendous opportunity in an economy that rewards carbon-free sustainability, enabling profitability while respecting people and our planet.
All life on Earth is vulnerable to the sustainability and global warming issues we are experiencing. Sustainability and the Energy Transition, moving away from fossil fuels and harmful greenhouse gases (GHG) toward clean and renewable energy, is the defining issue of our time. Sustainability is not just an energy problem but impacts all our products—how we design, manufacture, operate, reuse, refurbish, and recycle them. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is central to sustainability.
Earth’s average temperature is about 1.2°C (2.2°F) above pre-industrial levels, and we’re currently on pace to reach between 2.4°C and 2.8°C by the end of the century. This trajectory far exceeds the targets set by the Paris Agreement of limiting global warming to well below 2.0C, much less the preferred 1.5°C. The 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change concluded with 154 nations agreeing this was “the beginning of the end of the use of fossil fuels.”
The obvious problem is that the use of fossil fuels continues to rise, setting a record high of 57.4 GtCO2e in 2022. Some countries, such as the United Kingdom, have decreased their fossil fuel use in the energy sector to the lowest level in 66 years. This is mainly due to increases in the use of renewable energy and a plan to have a fully decarbonized grid by 2035. Despite the COP28 commitments to reduce the use of fossil fuels and the projection that fossil fuels may peak as early as 2024, the challenge globally is that they’re still on the rise, with approximately 374 coal-fired units and 505 gas-plant units under construction. This and other non-energy use of fossil fuels results in higher global warming.
How Can PLM Help?
This is an exciting time for people involved in PLM as we’re in the midst of tremendous change related to product-related technology enhancements, sustainability, and the efficiencies gained in a circular product lifecycle. Just as PLM can manage the product through life, it’s also ideal for managing its sustainability, including its embedded carbon and other sustainability data.
This paper touches on the following key areas, which will be explored in greater in additional thought-leadership articles on the topic of Sustainability and PLM:
- Embedding Sustainability in PLM
- Sustainability Goal Setting & Measurement
- Design for Sustainability
- Reducing CO2e from Product Carbon Footprint
- Decarbonizing the Supply Chain
- Circular Economy
- Digital Twins, Digital Thread, IoT, and More
- Systems Thinking
- People and Education
Ultimately, the driving force behind any change is awareness. Without it, you can’t begin to form a clear, compelling vision or strategy that people can buy into. While many stakeholders are involved in transitioning to a more sustainable and net-zero future, people’s awareness of the problem and actions create the movement.
Today, many CEOs are under pressure to reduce their company’s carbon footprint and meet their net-zero and sustainability commitments. Any major change within an organization will always require leadership, but if people don’t understand the issues, the employees will struggle to execute. This is a lot of what we’re seeing today. Clearly, investors, the board, and CEOs have a vested interest in reducing their carbon footprint and becoming more sustainable; the question they are wrestling with is how.
Education spreads awareness and is the catalyst that sustains movements, both inside and outside a company. Today, any company serious about reaching its net-zero goals must have an educational component that empowers its people to change how they think and design and collaborate on their products to be more sustainable.
As companies strive to meet net-zero commitments and navigate regulatory requirements, integrating sustainability into PLM becomes imperative for long-term success.
We all inhabit the same planet and atmosphere, breathe the same air, and want a sustainable Earth for our children. I believe the desire and the intent are there, but the impact is not. The ability to execute is just starting to be learned now. CIMdata believes sustainability needs to be embedded into PLM to reduce a product’s PCF, decarbonize a company’s supply chain, and engage in more sustainable design practices, circular processes, and business models. We believe there is a tremendous opportunity as our economy transitions to one that rewards carbon-free sustainability, and lack of waste—one that enables profitability while respecting both people and the planet.
PLM and Sustainability is a 9-page CIMdata-authored Thought Leadership paper.
