Welcome to the latest edition of PLM & Sustainability, a news digest from the PLM Green Global Alliance chronicling the role of Product Lifecycle Management enabling technologies in helping companies and industries transition to a more sustainable, low-carbon circular economy. In this newsletter you will find a compilation of recent news about PLM Green, solution providers, industry references, people and jobs that is fast to scan for what might have been missed in your own feeds.

For those new to PLM Green, it was co-founded in 2019 by Richard McFall in North America and Jos Voskuil in Europe with the goal of building a community of professionals who use, develop, research, market, teach, consult or support PLM business strategies, supporting technologies and software solutions (e.g. PDM, CAE, MBSE, 3DP, PPM, AR/VR, CFD, CM, etc.) that can contribute to sustainability.

Our vision was to create an international network where professionals who care about products, the planet and people can freely share information and inspiration with each other in an open non-politicized venue.  Learn more about the mission and goals of our informal coalition HERE.

What a difference two years makes since we started. It was not that long ago that few if any across the PLM profession were willing to talk openly about green topics like climate change and sustainability, as if “green” was somehow a risky word! We, among other groups and individuals, made the effort to help normalize the green PLM conversation in professional circles.

Likewise, the past few years has seen a rapidly growing acceptance among the public, government bodies, NGOs, and private-sector businesses that climate change is real, it is happening now due to human-generated greenhouse gas emissions, its affects are being felt across the world harming rich and poor nations alike, and we need to take urgent action this decade to head off the worst consequences. The science is now quite clear and the time for debate is over, actually long over. Yet, despite all the worsening climate-related news from the past few years, there is growing trend in good news and progress as the world tackles decarbonization of energy and makes sustainability a priority across so many industries.

Now, most of the long-time leading PLM solution providers, new startups like those in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), consultants, media, and market analysts are adding to or pivoting their products, services, marketing, and thought leadership towards the sustainability needs of the industries and customers they serve.  While we’d like to think the PLM Green movement played some small part in reaching this tipping point, it was going to happen with or without an initiative like ours.

That’s because the technology challenges in decarbonizing our economies will unleash massive levels of investment in green technologies for energy, manufacturing, transportation and infrastructure that will likely precipitate the greatest innovations and largest opportunities most of us will ever witness in our careers. Tech visionaries and investors John Doerr and Bill Gates have written about these opportunities in their respective new books “Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now” and “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need.”

As a result, we can’t imagine a more exciting time to be working at the Intersection of PLM and Sustainability whether you are a recent grad, midcareer, or approaching retirement. If you have not yet joined our informal coalition, please do so on LinkedIn and then also register to receive this newsletter.

For those who are still unsure about the role of PLM-enabling technologies in sustainability, we invite you to start with this previous article on the Intersection of PLM and Sustainability then read what Product Lifecycle Management and the other more important PLM,  Planet Lifecycle Management, have in common.

Read on for the latest news roundup about PLM Green, Solution Providers, People, Resources, and Industry, then follow our LinkedIn group feed for weekly updates.

PLM Green Global Alliance News

PLM Green co-founder Jos Voskuil and moderator Klaus Brettschneider participated in an interview and panel discussion with Sustaira’s CEO and Founder Vincent de la Mar. Sustaira, a Siemens Mendix partner, provides the infrastructure platform and expertise to create sustainability apps such as those for measuring individual product footprints and supply chain carbon emissions. An executive summary and recorded video is now available HERE.

Jos Voskuil will speak about Sustainability and Data-Driven PLM at CIMdata’s PLM Road Map and PDT EMEA conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Oct. 19. More information HERE.

University professor and PLM Green contributor Patrick Hillberg published a thought-provoking article on “What if Gas was $100” that explores how the external costs of fossil fuels have impacted innovation. In his article, Patrick makes a good case for recasting Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) to Managing Product Lifecycles (MPL) which he writes about HERE. Patrick also participated in a recent Digital Enterprise Society podcast on the Economic Side of PLM and product development available at Economic Side of PLM.

The PLM Green discussion group on LinkedIn, which began with a handful of participants, has now surpassed 500 members. Viola Hasani was our 500th member, and ever so appropriately she is co-founder of Sustamize which provides data-driven footprint management as a new partner of PLM solutions provider Siemens Digital Industries.

Aras recently became the fifth solution provider to participate in PLM Green’s frequent panel discussions, joining Autodesk, Dassault Systèmes, SAP, and Sustaira with more to come soon. This time, Jos Voskuil and Klaus Brettschneider met with Aras representatives Patrick Willemsen, Director of Technical Community EMEA and Matthias Fohrer, Director of Global Alliances EMEA. Aras was one of the first PLM solution providers to promote sustainability and resiliency, and continues to make these topics a priority. View the recorded interview HERE to learn how a cloud-based platform that supports digital collaboration across the global supply chain supports greener products.

LinkedIn recently bestowed upon the PLM Green Global Alliance recognition of being one of the most engaging LinkedIn Groups by inviting us to its Inner Circle program. The credit for this goes to all of our followers around the world who have posted, shared, liked, commented upon and even respectfully debated what they saw in our feeds over the past two years.

PLM Green is a non-commercial volunteer-run professional group and as such welcomes input and participation from its members. Climate Activist Greta Thunberg reminds us that no one is too small to make a difference and if everyone did something, huge differences can happen to even insurmountable challenges like climate change. Explore how you can make a difference by using the PLM Green platform to combine your professional skills with your personal values as discussed in our recent blog post.

Solution Provider News

• Ansys has been selected to provide simulation capabilities to support research into sustainable aviation, as the aviation industry is reported to be responsible for 3% of global GHG emission. Ansys is one of several providers of PLM-enabling technologies that has elevated the importance of simulation-driven sustainability both internally in its own operations and with products that help customers and their products to be more energy efficient. Learn more HERE.
• Aras has announced the webinar “A Sustainable Future – Seize Opportunities When Someone Else Sees Costs” on October 25 in which PLM Green co-founder Jos Voskuil will participate as a guest panelist.

• Dassault Systèmes has announced a series of three webinars on sustainable economic development. The participants will discuss business transformation strategies for sustainable innovation, the implementation of eco-design methods in product development and the integration of lifecycle assessment into the daily work of the design of more sustainable products. Learn more and register HERE.
• PTC has published a new e-book “The Sustainability Imperative: PLM and Green Engineering”.
• SAP product manager and PLM Green group member Nico Wattke offers an update on SAP’s Product Footprint Management solution. View PLM Green’s previous interview with SAP about the circular economy.
• SharePLM and their partner QCM have announced a series of webinars, to be recorded, on PLM and Sustainability that examines the role of PLM-enabled digitalization to drive sustainability initiatives. Learn more HERE.

• Siemens Digital Industries Software announced a collaboration with Sustamize GmbH which provides technology, data and software solutions that enable companies to measure, optimize and manage CO2 emissions. Data from Sustamize’s Product Footprint Engine will be accessible through the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio and its new Teamcenter Carbon Footprint Calculator software.
• TrusTrace business manager and PLM Green contributor Hannes Lindfred recently participated in a panel discussion hosted by Centric Software, a leading provider of PLM solutions for the fashion and apparel industry, on “Get Ready for Profitable Sustainability”. TrusTrace accelerates sustainable transformation in global brands by digitally tracking the movement of materials in the value chain with the data needed to reach their sustainability goals.

Have announcements, events, or other news to share? Send them to info@plmgreenalliance.com.

People and Roles in PLM & Sustainability

• The global PLM consultancy CIMdata has announced a new practice on Green Energy that former Aras product executive Mark Reisig has joined the firm to lead. Mark published his first post on PLM Going Green. Welcome CIMdata and Mark to the green PLM revolution!
• Dave Duncan has started a new position as Vice President for Sustainability at PTC where he joins Catherine Kniker who is EVP and Chief Sustainability Officer. We have invited PTC to participate in a future PLM & Sustainability panel discussion.
• Florence Verzelen, Dassault Systèmes EVP of Industry Marketing & Sustainability, spoke about Built-In Sustainability at the 3DExperience India Forum, and then participated in the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce & Industry conference focused on Achieving Sustainability in Changing Times.

Sustainability Resources and Industry News Roundup

• A recent Digital Engineering article from contributing editor Beth Stackpole referenced a Protolabs survey of engineers who reported that less than half of the respondents felt that sustainability was incorporated into their engineering culture. Read more about some of the obstacles to making sustainability a priority in Crafting a Sustainable Engineering Culture.
• Similar to PLM Green, professional groups all around the world are now being formed and offering events in response to climate change, including this new initiative in one of the greenest nations of the world, New Zealand, that already generates over 80% of its electricity from renewable sources.
• Engineering.com as part of their series on “The Digital Path to a Greener Planet” released a short video introduction to Life Cycle Assessments (LCA or e-LCA) and its emerging importance in digital engineering.
• CIMdata has released a white paper on “Vehicle Electrification—Accelerated by Integrated Electrical/Electronic Systems Solutions” that can be downloaded HERE. The market research firm also announced a webinar on “How Electrification is Transforming PLM Strategies”.
• Modelon, a leading systems modelling and simulation software provider, has published a case study on how digital twin technologies can enable predictive maintenance for renewable energy power plants like that of its public utility customer ENGIE.
• This past summer, Boeing unveiled its 777 eco-Demonstrator aircraft that will test some 30 new technologies to increase aviation efficiency and improve sustainability. Previously, the company announced its participation in the First Movers Coalition to speed up the decarbonization of fuel sources in support of the industry’s goal to be net-zero by 2050.
• A new article from Engineering.com on zero-emissions aircraft explores how digital simulation technologies like Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) are contributing to the electrification of aviation.
• Investments and innovation in new technologies to capture and sequester carbon (CSC) emissions, either where they are generated or already in the atmosphere, are gaining momentum. There are several CSC concepts being tested across the world, though most are not without problems and concerns about how well they can scale and whether they will distract from reducing emissions in the first place. Learn more in this short overview of CSC technologies.
• Siemens has made available a podcast in their Digital Industries series on “Sustainability – How Digitalization is Helping Companies to Become Greener” available for viewing HERE.
• Peerless Media has announced its 2022 Digital Engineering Design & Simulation Virtual Summit with a session on Sustainability in Design. Israr Kabir, Senior Manager of Emerging Technologies from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, will discuss best practices that can help designers gauge the environmental impact of their product design choices where typically 80% of lifecycle emissions are locked in.
• As the world falls behind in slowing GHG emissions thru mitigation, more attention and investments are focused on adapting to the impact of a warming planet and creating more resilient communities, infrastructures, and economies that can withstand its impact. But what are the differences between climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and climate resilience? Check out this animated explanation from the Union of Concerned Scientists, created for the public at large and students.
• The volume of news about climate change is staggering, especially after this past summer where so many records were broken around the world, and now entering into a winter where much of the globe is experiencing an energy crisis. Each month PLM Green co-founder and newsletter editor Richard McFall collects the most significant climate news and prepares a summary that is quick to scan for what might have been missed in your own news feeds. Read the most recent Climate Change News Digest here.
• It’s no secret that many of us often feel overwhelmed with the negative impact of climate change despite a greater sense of urgency arising across the globe to manifest a more sustainable economy. Ryan Hagen, founder of Crowdsourcing Sustainability, reminds us of the need for self-care, courageous persistence, and supportive communities (like we hope PLM Green offers) in his recent “Leaders in Sustainability Newsletter”.

PLM Green Welcomes Your Input and Values your Participation

The PLM Green Alliance is a voluntary collaboration among participants from around the world who represent all stages of a career from recent grads to CEOs and the recently retired. Expand your professional network and enhance your credentials by joining our contributors in any one of a number of modest-size activities. In Europe contact Jos Voskuil at tacit@planet.nl and in the Americas, Richard McFall at rich@plmgreenalliance.com.

A reminder to join the PLM Green LinkedIn Discussion Group for the latest news and posts shared by contributors and members working in dozens of countries around the world.

Register to receive our monthly news digest and view previous editions HERE and submit news items to be included with an email to info@plmgreenalliance.com.