In the context of stricter regulations and growing social expectations, many companies are striving to achieve ambitious targets for reducing emissions. In doing so, they face considerable challenges, particularly in the product development phase, which largely determines the subsequent environmental impact. Studies show that around 80% of future environmental impacts are already determined in the planning and development phase. Two approaches have particular potential to reduce emissions and conserve resources: the circular economy and efficient product operation. The circular economy makes it possible to close material and resource cycles, minimize new production and use resources sustainably. At the same time, the operation of products requires optimization in terms of efficiency and resource conservation. Digital technologies play a key role in both areas, as they enable innovative approaches and solutions. This is precisely where the GoProZero project comes in: The aim is to design the product creation process holistically in order to develop resource-efficient and recyclable products that meet the requirements of a modern, sustainable and digitalized industry. To this end, approaches to strategic planning, the design of processes and organizations and the use of digital technologies such as model-based design, data infrastructures and AI-supported systems are being developed. At the same time, the implementation of the project goals is ensured in practical lighthouse projects in order to address specific problems of the partner companies and establish innovative solutions. Through this comprehensive approach, GoProZero supports companies in reducing emissions, using resources efficiently and strengthening their competitiveness in a more sustainable industry.

Motivation and need for action

The climate crisis and current geopolitical and social challenges are key problems of our time that affect politics, society and the economy in equal measure. The United Nations 2030 Agenda has defined 17 goals for sustainable development, which are intended to point the way towards a sustainable, resource-conserving and fair world. Companies are under increasing pressure to reduce their emissions and use resources more efficiently. Regulations such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol oblige companies to consider emissions along the entire value chain - including the use of their products. The use of products ("downstream") poses a particular challenge, as it is outside the direct sphere of influence.

Digital technologies offer immense opportunities to create transparency and minimize both emissions and resource consumption. The combination of digitalization and sustainability - as a "dual transformation" - opens up innovative opportunities to implement sustainable solutions in an efficient and structured manner. In particular, the circular economy, which aims to achieve a closed material cycle for products, offers an effective approach to reducing emissions and waste. At the same time, it requires a rethink in product development towards circular processes and resource-efficient design.



Engineering paradigm: The traditional concept of eco-design, which encompasses principles such as durability, reparability and recyclability, is often too generic and falls short of meeting the requirements of the circular economy and digitalization. The key challenge is to design resource-efficient and recyclable products that are sustainable throughout their entire life cycle. New approaches that tap into the potential of digital technologies such as digital twins and data-driven optimization must also be integrated.





Engineering management: Companies are faced with the task of aligning their development organizations and business models with circular value creation. A key problem is that there are currently no overarching solutions that comprehensively link value creation systems, processes and business models. The transformation to a circular organization also requires an understanding of the interactions between product development, business model innovation and value creation networks. There is often a lack of clear guidelines and measurable goals to support companies during the transition.



Model-based design, analysis and evaluation: The growing complexity of developing sustainable products poses a significant challenge. There is a lack of systematic approaches to holistically manage the multitude of requirements - from sustainability to technical specifications and economic aspects. The use of model-based methods (MBSE) can make this complexity manageable, but has so far rarely been used in the context of the circular economy and resource efficiency. Another problem is the lack of connection between MBSE and technologies such as digital twins, which could play an important role in implementation.



Lifecycle data management (digital twin and data spaces in Industry 4.0): Access to lifecycle data is essential for an effective circular economy. However, there is currently a lack of standards and interoperable platforms that enable the sovereign exchange of data along the value chain. Although approaches such as digital twins and data rooms exist, they are not yet sufficiently used to ensure transparency and efficiency across the entire product life cycle. There is also a lack of robust systems to meaningfully evaluate this data and make it usable for decision-making.



AI-supported engineering: The multitude of requirements - such as sustainability, costs, producibility and technical performance - leads to enormous complexity in product development. There is currently a lack of integrated AI approaches that can generate and evaluate cross-disciplinary design alternatives. Existing AI solutions often focus on individual phases of the life cycle, such as production or operation, without taking the entire product development process into account. The challenge is to use AI in such a way that it not only supports the development of resource-efficient products, but also integrates findings from the use of previous product generations.

In order to enable companies to address the identified need for action, the aim of the project is to develop a system for the development of recyclable and resource-efficient products using digital technologies. The goal can be detailed in six sub-goals:



WP1 Engineering Paradigm: Investigation of current and future needs, best practices and potentials for resource-efficient and circular products.

WP2 Engineering Management: Development of value creation structures, processes and business models in the context of the circular economy.

WP3 Model-based design, analysis and evaluation: Creation of methods and tools for the development of resource-efficient products.

WP4 Lifecycle Data Management: Development of a prototype data infrastructure for the evaluation of design decisions.

WP5 AI-supported engineering: Integration of AI-supported systems for generative designs with a focus on circularity and resource efficiency.

WP6 Project management and transfer: Project coordination and communication of results.