Textile companies are facing a grand challenge towards achieving circularity in their business models. With a growing demand by customers for more sustainable textile products and the increased worldwide attention on how much the textile industry contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and water pollutions, this challenge needs to be addressed.    Therefor the purpose of this master thesis is to investigate the state-of-art regarding recycling options and possibilities for textile industry. Recycling options both refers to how recycling is performed of textiles and how recycled materials are used. Following the aim is also to investigate if the industry’s demands on recycling options and recycled materials are aligned with what can be found from scientifically sources. Further, the study aims to explore re-cycled textile materials, and how (or if) these materials are competitive on the market.   The research questions where: [1] What criteria is important for companies when considering using recycled textile materials?   [2] What technologies are used for re-cycling of textiles today? a.     Are the textile materials that are used today supported by these recycling technologies? This thesis has used a qualitative approach through data collection. Data was collected through interviews and literature review. The interviews were conducted online, with representatives from different textile companies. The structure of the interviews was semi-structed. The literature review was performed based on the research question.   The main requirement companies had on recycled materials were related to quality and cost. The materials were expected to have the same standard as virgin materials. Two recycling technologies was identified, mechanical recycling and chemical recycling.    Limitations in this master thesis is towards recycling technologies and requirements/criteria on recycled materials set by companies. The study takes a comprehensive approach and conclusions that needs to be further investigated. / CircuTex

An increasing number of manufacturing firms are developing new business models to improve sustainability in the face of growing environmental and social challenges. Product-service systems (PSS) are regarded as promising sustainable business models with significant potential to synergise economic, environmental and social value, together termed ‘sustainable value’. This research investigates ways in which manufacturing firms can identify opportunities for sustainable value creation in PSS business models. The research aims to make theoretical and practical contributions to the fields of sustainable business models, sustainable PSS and sustainable value. The research adopts a qualitative theory building approach, in which theory can be transformed into practice. It involves eight case studies and one focus group formed of manufacturers who provide PSS solutions. A practical-research tool, the Sustainable Value Analysis Tool, is developed to collect data and to provide business support. The key research findings and contributions to theory and practice are: · The research proposes a new PSS classification system based on the ownership of products and changes in ownership. This classification distinguishes the potential for sustainability of each PSS type more clearly than existing PSS classifications. · The research introduces a new concept, value uncaptured, and identifies four forms of this. The introduction of this concept provides a novel perspective of studying value exchange in business models. · The research identifies 26 sources of value uncaptured throughout the product life cycle. These can be used to help industrial practitioners to identify value uncaptured in a structured way. · The research proposed that the act of turning value uncaptured into value opportunities is an effective approach for improving sustainable value creation in business models. This has been empirically demonstrated. · The research proposes a model to understand how and where value uncaptured can be turned into value opportunities. This model comprises two mechanisms, two directions, and fourteen key tactics. The model improves theoretical understanding of the sustainable value creation system and can be applied in practice to help companies search for value opportunities in a systematic and strategic way. · The challenges of turning value opportunities into value are identified. The findings have been used to develop a framework for sustainable value creation in PSS business models. The proposed tool has been validated and used in workshops for purposes including research, consultancy, business education and university education. This research thus makes contributions to both academic knowledge and industrial practice.

As empresas não mais podem pensar em desenvolvimento econômico sem a paralela preservação do meio-ambiente e do benefício mútuo da sociedade. É importante que as condições econômicas e sociais sejam melhoradas ao longo do tempo, sem exceder a capacidade de suporte do planeta. As indústrias podem contribuir para melhorar esse cenário aplicando uma gestão sustentável de manufatura, uma vez que estes são um dos principais agentes causadores de impactos. No entanto, para que consigam aprimorar a sustentabilidade de seus processos, é indispensável, antes de tudo, conhecer o seu real desempenho. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal desenvolver um método estruturado e simples para a avaliação de desempenho em sustentabilidade de processos de manufatura, permitindo a construção de relatórios de sustentabilidade mais precisos, periódicos e que venham a apoiar o processo de tomada de decisão gerencial. Embora modelos para a avaliação de desempenho em sustentabilidade tenham sido apresentados nos últimos anos, como o guia GRI, estes ainda carecem de critérios e regras para realizar análises mais precisas e integradas. O método proposto pode ser aplicado em dois processos de manufatura distintos, comprovando a sua eficácia e robustez. Ele é usado para analisar e comparar o desempenho em sustentabilidade de dois processos de usinagem, Retificação e Torneamento de Metais Endurecidos. Esses processos concorrem entre si em algumas faixas de atuação, tornando difícil a decisão sobre qual dos dois processos é o ideal para a produção de determinadas peças. Por meio do trabalho, foi possível comprovar a superioridade do processo de retificação em termos de ganhos econômicos, com a contrapartida de pior desempenho ambiental / Companies can no longer consider economical development without the parallel preservation of the environment and mutual benefit of the society. It is important that the economic and social conditions are improved over time, without exceeding the planet carrying capacity. Industries can contribute to improve this scenario by using cleaner and more efficient technologies, since they are one of the main sources of impacts. However, for them to improve their processes sustainability, it is essential to use an assessment tool which is able to evaluate their performance properly. The main goal of this work is to provide a structured and simple method for assessing sustainability performance of manufacturing processes, allowing the construction of more accurate and frequent sustainability reports, that may support the managerial decision making process. Although sustainability performance assessment models have been presented in recent years, as the GRI, there are still a lack of criteria and rules for carrying out more accurate and integrated assessments. The proposed method was able to be applied in two different manufacturing processes assessments, proving its effectiveness and robustness. It was used to analyze and compare the sustainability performance of two machining processes, grinding and hard turning. These processes compete with each other on some applications, making it difficult to decide which of the two processes is ideal for the production of certain parts. Through the study, it is demonstrated the grinding process superiority in terms of economic gains, at the cost of a higher environmental burden

Thesis (MScEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The objective of this study is to develop a tool to enable manufacturing enterprises to develop a sustainability strategy suited to their specific business. In the study, the business reality that faces enterprises is discussed from a systems perspective. The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development are explored. Specific attention is paid to building mental models of what these concepts entail and the application thereof in individual manufacturing enterprises. Specific strategies and concepts, such as the Five Capitals Model, the Natural Step and Industrial Ecology, are highlighted. These tools and strategies are then consolidated into a ―Sustainable Roadmap‖, a tool to facilitate the development of a sustainability strategy. The ―Sustainability Roadmap‖ is tested by applying it to a case study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: maatskappye sal help om ‗n onderneming spesifieke volhoubaarheids strategie te ontwikkel. In die studie word die besigheids realiteit van vervaardigingsmaatskappye bespreek van sistemiese perspektief. Die konsepte van volhoubaarheid en volhoubare ontwikkeling word verken. Spesifieke aandag word gegee aan die bou van modelle van wat hierdie konsepte behels. Spesifieke strategieë en modelle soos die ―Five Capitals Model‖, ―Natural Step‖ en ‖Industrial Ecology‖ word uitgelig. Hierdie konsepte en strategieë word dan saamgevat op ‗n sistematiese manier in ‗n ―Volhoubaarheids Padkaart‖, ‗n padkaart wat maatskappye kan volg om ‗n volhoubaarheids strategie te ontwikkel. Die ―Volhoubaarheids Padkaart‖ word getoets deur dit toe te pas op ‗n gevallestudie.

As empresas não mais podem pensar em desenvolvimento econômico sem a paralela preservação do meio-ambiente e do benefício mútuo da sociedade. É importante que as condições econômicas e sociais sejam melhoradas ao longo do tempo, sem exceder a capacidade de suporte do planeta. As indústrias podem contribuir para melhorar esse cenário aplicando uma gestão sustentável de manufatura, uma vez que estes são um dos principais agentes causadores de impactos. No entanto, para que consigam aprimorar a sustentabilidade de seus processos, é indispensável, antes de tudo, conhecer o seu real desempenho. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo principal desenvolver um método estruturado e simples para a avaliação de desempenho em sustentabilidade de processos de manufatura, permitindo a construção de relatórios de sustentabilidade mais precisos, periódicos e que venham a apoiar o processo de tomada de decisão gerencial. Embora modelos para a avaliação de desempenho em sustentabilidade tenham sido apresentados nos últimos anos, como o guia GRI, estes ainda carecem de critérios e regras para realizar análises mais precisas e integradas. O método proposto pode ser aplicado em dois processos de manufatura distintos, comprovando a sua eficácia e robustez. Ele é usado para analisar e comparar o desempenho em sustentabilidade de dois processos de usinagem, Retificação e Torneamento de Metais Endurecidos. Esses processos concorrem entre si em algumas faixas de atuação, tornando difícil a decisão sobre qual dos dois processos é o ideal para a produção de determinadas peças. Por meio do trabalho, foi possível comprovar a superioridade do processo de retificação em termos de ganhos econômicos, com a contrapartida de pior desempenho ambiental / Companies can no longer consider economical development without the parallel preservation of the environment and mutual benefit of the society. It is important that the economic and social conditions are improved over time, without exceeding the planet carrying capacity. Industries can contribute to improve this scenario by using cleaner and more efficient technologies, since they are one of the main sources of impacts. However, for them to improve their processes sustainability, it is essential to use an assessment tool which is able to evaluate their performance properly. The main goal of this work is to provide a structured and simple method for assessing sustainability performance of manufacturing processes, allowing the construction of more accurate and frequent sustainability reports, that may support the managerial decision making process. Although sustainability performance assessment models have been presented in recent years, as the GRI, there are still a lack of criteria and rules for carrying out more accurate and integrated assessments. The proposed method was able to be applied in two different manufacturing processes assessments, proving its effectiveness and robustness. It was used to analyze and compare the sustainability performance of two machining processes, grinding and hard turning. These processes compete with each other on some applications, making it difficult to decide which of the two processes is ideal for the production of certain parts. Through the study, it is demonstrated the grinding process superiority in terms of economic gains, at the cost of a higher environmental burden

Introduction The economic impact of environmental regulations in the manufacturing sector and the increasing costs of primary resources have pressured companies wishing to obtain competitive advantages to seek ways to rationalize these resources, either through changes in products specifications or in manufacturing process. These actions depend on solutions that should consider the limits set out in the interdependencies between economic, environmental and social areas, which comprise the so-called sustainability tripod. In this case, the guiding principle for decisions should follow the approach of sustainable development. For this purpose, a proper performance indicators evaluation of processes is a great step to improvement actions and decision making for modifications. Continuous improvement approaches and support of mathematical tools, such as the Discrete Event Simulation (DES) have been used for identifying waste on the shop floor and for cost analyses for manufacturing optimization (Standridge et al. 2006). One of the advantages resulting from the application of DES in corporations is its capability to include the impact of randomness in a system. All the dynamics and the non-deterministic nature of the parameters eliminate the use of static tools such as spreadsheets for solving many line design problems. Furthermore, all commercial simulation software provides detailed animation capabilities. The animation of the manufacturing process and flow can help engineers to visually detect problems or bottlenecks and also to test out alternate line designs. For this reason, the DES may be applied to generate requirements and sustainable systems specifications for manufacturing. However, the analyses results performed by using DES are not sufficient for the joint assessment of impacts on the three dimensions of sustainability (Johansson et al. 2010; Kuhl & Zhou 2009; Joschko et al. 2009). A tool widely used in the academic environment and by corporations to calculate pollutant emissions rates in the product life cycle is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This can supplement cost assessments performed with DES in the production process phase. This work discusses the combined use of DES with LCA to analyze production resources utilization in manufacturing systems. Towards this end, it seeks through a case study to analyze this joint use in decision-making for purchasing forklifts, according to sustainable premises.

<div>With the growing importance of the manufacturing sector, there is a tremendous demand for finding innovative ways to design manufacturing systems. Although several design methodologies are available for devising the manufacturing systems, most of the changes do not sustain for a longer period. Numerous elements contribute to issues that impede sustainability in manufacturing industries, such as the common design approach of applying solutions without understanding system requirements and appropriate thinking processes. </div><div>With a Sustainable Manufacturing System Design Decomposition (SMSDD), the precise pitfalls and areas of improvement can be well understood. </div><div>The SMSDD fosters members in the organization to collectively map the customer’s needs, identifying the requirements of the system design and the associated solutions. In this thesis, SMSDD is developed to design manufacturing systems for maximizing the potential of an enterprise to create an efficient and sustainable manufacturing system. </div><div> </div><div>In addition to being able to design new manufacturing systems or to re-design existing manufacturing systems, the SMSDD provides a potent tool to analyze the design of existing manufacturing systems. SMSDD uses the Collective System Design Methodology steps to design a manufacturing system for leading to efficient and sustainable manufacturing system. Therefore, SMSDD can apply to a broad range of manufacturing systems. </div><div><br></div>

Sustainability and sustainable production methods are becoming more important in the manufacturing industry all around the world. Within this trend, United Nations’ formulated 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are used as a target and guideline for developing a roadmap in manufacturing companies’ schedules. For this purpose, there are some existing methods used in practice such as Triple Bottom Line (TBL) management, which is based on the environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability. The purpose of this study is aiming to provide insights into the role of the TBL management approach in supporting companies to achieve the UN 2030 sustainability goals. As well as contributing to the ongoing discussions on the importance of sustainable practices in achieving the significance of the study. The findings of this study, gathered through a combination of qualitative primary and secondary data collection, show that there are some similarities and differences between the sustainability practices depending on the SDGs. Approaches of the companies vary with factors such as legislations, culture, and other formal and informal institutions of the country. It is found that most of the Dutch companies act more proactive regarding the SDGs whereas Turkish organisations are more reactive to change. It can be seen that Turkish organisations are very much still primarily focused on the economical perspective of TBL. Dutch organisations tend to prioritise the social and the environmental aspects more than their Turkish counterparts. It can also be identified that Turkish organisations tend to be incredibly focused on legislations, whereas Dutch organisations are more often moving towards their own visions and how they want to position themselves in the market. Even though there is a significant difference between the Dutch and Turkish organisations, it can be identified that the economical aspect plays a major role in both cases. Yet the way they work towards this differs strongly.

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This research focuses on effective decision-making for sustainable manufacturing design and management. The research contributes to the decision-making tools that can enable sustainability analysts to capture the aspects of the economic, environmental and social dimensions into a common framework. The framework will enable the practitioners to conduct a sustainability impact analysis of a real or proposed manufacturing system and use the outcome to support sustainability decision. In the past, the industries had focused more on the economic aspects in gaining and sustaining their competitive positions; this has changed in the recent years following the Brundtland report which centred on incorporating the sustainability of the future generations into our decision for meeting today's needs (Brundtland, 1987). The government regulations and legislation, coupled with the changes in consumers' preference for ethical and environmentally friendly products are other factors that are challenging and changing the way companies, and organisations perceive and drive their competitive goals (Gu et al., 2015). Another challenge is the lack of adequate tools to address the dynamism of the manufacturing environment and the need to balance the business' competitive goal with sustainability requirements. The launch of the Life Cycle Sustainability Analysis (LCSA) framework further emphasised the needs for the integration and analysis of the interdependencies of the three dimensions for effective decision-making and the control of unintended consequences (UNEP, 2011). Various studies have also demonstrated the importance of interdependence impact analysis and integration of the three sustainability dimensions of the product, process and system levels of sustainability (Jayal et al., 2010; Valdivia et al., 2013; Eastwood and Haapala, 2015). Although there are tools capable of assessing the performance of either one or two of the three sustainability dimensions, the tools have not adequately integrated the three dimensions or address the holistic sustainability issues. Hence, this research proposes an approach to provide a solution for successful interdependence impact analysis and trade-off amongst the three sustainability dimensions and enable support for effective decision-making in a manufacturing environment. This novel approach explores and integrates the concepts and principles of the existing sustainability methodologies and frameworks and the simulation modelling construction process into a common descriptive framework for process level assessment. The thesis deploys Delphi study to verify and validate the descriptive framework and demonstrates its applicability in a case study of a real manufacturing system. The results of the research demonstrate the completeness, conciseness, correctness, clarity and applicability of the descriptive framework. Thus, the outcome of this research is a simulation-based impact analysis framework which provides a new way for sustainability practitioners to build an integrated and holistic computer simulation model of a real system, capable of assessing both production and sustainability performance of a dynamic manufacturing system.