The paper “An Approach to Sustainable Product Lifecycle Management (Green PLM)” is one of the earliest references to the concept of Green PLM. The paper was first presented at the 2015 Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference (MESIC) and subsequently published in the journal Procedia Engineering.
The authors C. Vila, J.V. Abellán-Nebota, J.C. Albiñanaa, and G. Hernández write in the abstract “Sustainable development has been, is and will be one of the worldwide main issues. Many initiatives have been launched to drive global conscientiousness to the problem of the impact of manufactured products. In order to become a “green company”, eco-brands and recycling are well understood but many initiatives are in silos and the unintended wasteful impact to other activities in the company is not always noticed. The key of sustainability also covers all the in-between activities and it depends on a real commitment of society, research and manufacturing firms. The factory of the future must have a Green Product Lifecycle Management strategy sharing responsibilities within the whole supply chain that must be achieved through committed people. The present work describes an approach to green product lifecycle involving mainstay phases: design, manufacturing and service, including usability and renewal. The contribution suggests a framework for sustainable product development that takes the whole product lifecycle into account.”
The paper examines the mission, vision, and objectives that a green or sustainable PLM strategy should have. From this approach a framework model is developed for use in the assessment and implementation of green strategies. This includes discussion of the knowledge, architecture, methodologies, tools, and processes needed over the product lifecycle stages of design, manufacturing, and service.
Download and read the paper from Science Direct HERE.