Digital Business Solution – Life Cycle Models to create KPIs for industrial decision-making processes – Example of biopolymer PHA as a sustainable packaging concept for the cosmetic industry

Session
TU.2.D || Sustainability Assessments in Industry Creating Meaningful Information

Authors
Harsch, Matthias; Saiger, Maximilian

Abstract
Sustainability has become an essential criterion in today’s corporate decision-making processes. In addition, the EU Green Deal, for example, has set important framework conditions. This additionally increases the complexity of decision-making processes and thus the need to make this clear and feasible through innovative software tools. From this, LCS Life Cycle Simulation GmbH developed a digital solution, i.e. so-called spreadsheet based Life Cycle Models (LCM). This provides operational decision-makers with a flexible and customer-specific tool to independently consider products or technologies across the entire value chain, integrate aspects of ISO standards (ISO 50001, ISO 14040, 14064, etc.), use results from LCA databases, perform scenario analyses, and additionally conduct profitability analyses. The behavior of predefined KPIs can thus be examined in detail, because decision-making processes do not only focus on a fixed point, but future developments are also important. The key to implement LCA in business is to ensure, as detailed as necessary and as simple as possible, what is really essential to execute a high-quality LCA according to today’s standards. Practitioners need a flexible, transparent and manageable tool to handle LCA in adequate timeframe and at reasonable cost. The spreadsheet-based, customized LCM tool represents a practicable, proven solution for any life cycle related investigation. The implementation of the Life Cycle Model approach is exemplified by the BMBF research project SusPackaging, which was completed in February 2021. The goal was to analyze and compare the current development status of biopolymer PHA to the conventional polyester solution of tailor-made sustainable packaging concepts for the cosmetic industry. LCM can be used to change parameters and variate the results to see break even points or most relevant processes or indicators, e.g. with using a normalization to compare all relevant environmental parameters.