Sustainable Value Chains
Mission
In the research group "Sustainable Value Chains" we derive strategies for a more sustainable design of value chains and production systems as well as all related logistical, organizational and IT functions from our research work.
We understand sustainability as the simultaneous consideration of economic, ecological and social aspects.
In order to do justice to the manifold problems involved, we use various approaches from the economic sciences, as well as engineering, environmental and social sciences. We further develop methods for specific problems and then transfer them to concrete problem situations.
One of our focal points is the development of computer-aided planning systems, which enable an integrated analysis, evaluation and optimization of material flows, complex interconnected plants or even entire production networks. Further focal points are empirical stakeholder and acceptance analyses.
The work aims at developing sustainable concepts for material flow management and decision support at regional, national and global level. The investigations currently focus on industrial plants and production networks in the metal, energy, chemical and automotive industries as well as on the use of renewable raw materials.
Overview of methods:
- Investment and cost estimation
- Investment assessment
- operations research
- Empirical social research (especially questionnaire design and statistical methods)
- Life cycle assessment (LCA)