Sustainability in logistics
The concept of the circular economy has received increasing attention in recent years. In view of the increasing scarcity of raw materials and the challenges of climate change and environmental protection, the circular economy is intended to help create a sustainable, low-CO2, resource-efficient and competitive economy. At Fraunhofer IML, we are working on numerous research projects and initiatives to ensure that logistics is fit for the circular economy.
In German, the term “Circular Economy” is often used synonymously with “Kreislaufwirtschaft” or translated accordingly. However, the circular economy usually only covers waste disposal and recycling. The circular economy approach goes beyond this and pursues a holistic, circular economy. The guiding principle is to keep raw materials in the economic cycle for as long as possible, largely free of waste and emissions. To achieve this, used products and materials must be kept at the highest possible level of value creation after their original use. The return and processing of materials is a core task of logistics.
In a circular economy, the relationships between producers and suppliers in (global) value creation networks no longer focus primarily on the production processes and the end product, but are planned from the perspective of circularity. One of the biggest hurdles for the circular economy is therefore the organization of cooperation between all stakeholders across different stages of the value chain. A common understanding of the partners' processes is therefore the basis for successful collaboration.
In addition to approaches for recycling-friendly product design and new business models, adapted logistics concepts for coordinating material and information flows are on the research agenda for implementing a circular economy. Individual research projects are dedicated to specific areas of application or use, such as sustainable plastic value chains or ecological IoT-based concepts for ports.
The major initiatives and research projects at Fraunhofer IML look at the topic of sustainability from a holistic perspective: economically, ecologically and socially.
With the Silicon Economy - one of the institute's largest research projects - the call for greater sustainability is underlined by a technology-centric and technology-optimistic approach. AI-based platform ecosystems serve as tools and instruments for sustainable logistics. “The consistent implementation of the Silicon Economy leads to greater sustainability in logistics and supply chain management,” says Christian Prasse, Head of Strategic Institute Development. The focus here is on software applications for data collection and process optimization using AI. Exemplary projects include a new type of volume measurement of load carriers in transport or the tracking of logistical objects. Simulation, AI and innovative sourcing strategies are becoming the starting points for resilient supply chains and security of supply.
The projects for the human-oriented design of tomorrow's economy as part of a “social networked industry” also take the concept of sustainability into account. “Modern technology such as decision support systems, robots and exoskeletons, which support people in physically demanding or stressful work, as well as digital technologies such as virtual or augmented reality, which are used to train employees, ensure that work adapts to people,” says Dr. Veronika Kretschmer, psychologist and specialist in cognitive ergonomics, explaining her understanding of social sustainability. At the institute, companies now have the opportunity to get to know and test numerous support services for their employees, particularly in the field of intralogistics, as part of so-called “quick checks”.
The innovation laboratory for battery logistics in e-mobility, InnoLogBat for short, looks at the relationships between producers and suppliers in the automotive industry with a view to the entire cycle and is thus exemplary of the circular economy. “Used and defective materials must be kept at the highest possible level of value creation after use,” says Dr.-Ing. Arkadius Schier, Deputy Head of the Software & Information Engineering Department at Fraunhofer IML and Head of InnoLogBat. ”We are therefore developing adapted logistics concepts for the circular economy to coordinate the flow of materials and information.”
As one of six partners in the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE, the institute is also researching how the sustainable transformation of an entire value chain can take place under the principles of the circular economy.
In our publicly funded research projects, we develop solutions for specific logistics challenges. In order to ensure the practical relevance of these solutions, we are regularly looking for companies - especially small and medium-sized enterprises - to provide requirements or for pilot projects. Interested companies can contact us at any time.
Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML
