Many materials and components are fundamentally suitable for use in a circular economy. In practice, however, only a small part of this potential is currently being realized. At the same time, the pressure is mounting. New regulatory requirements, scarce raw materials, and rising customer expectations for transparent and sustainable products are forcing companies to rethink their products and processes. To address this challenge, the “SOLVE” project brings together the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, the Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management IAT at the University of Stuttgart, and other partners from industry and research in Germany, Austria, Sweden, and South Korea. The project is developing a practice-oriented framework that enables companies to assess the environmental impacts, technical feasibility, and economic viability of circular strategies.
“The focus is on the question of how so-called Circular Value Creation Networks can be established and operated—that is, networks of manufacturers, suppliers, logistics companies, service partners, and other stakeholders who collectively enable a functioning circular economy,” explains Dr. Lukas Block, team leader of “Mobility Transformation” at Fraunhofer IAO.
The international consortium brings together key expertise. Fraunhofer IAO, Fraunhofer IBP, the IAT at the University of Stuttgart, the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and the University of Graz are developing methods for circular value creation networks, which FLAVIA IT will integrate into a software platform. The industry partners Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center GmbH, Hyundai Motor Company, AVL List GmbH, UP Designstudio GmbH, and Hermann Bock GmbH contribute data, practical experience, and use cases from the automotive and healthcare sectors. This results in solutions that can be applied across national, industry, and market boundaries.
Tools for Businesses
The project is developing methods, models, and digital tools to support companies in designing and managing circular value creation networks. The results will be demonstrated and validated using several real-world use cases. These include solutions for vehicle seats, battery housings, vehicle design, and nursing and hospital beds. In this way, SOLVE addresses both core industrial sectors and areas of particular social relevance, such as healthcare.
SOLVE makes an important contribution to advancing circular economy practices beyond isolated recycling measures toward a comprehensive and economically viable model of value creation. Companies gain a more solid basis for decision-making, enabling them to target investments more effectively, develop new services and business models, and meet regulatory requirements early on.
Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO