More sustainability with the digital twin
The topics of sustainability and circular economy are currently the central themes of the economy. Earth Overshoot Day makes us aware that humans consume more resources than are actually available on our planet. Therefore, it is important for every company to handle the available resources sustainably in its products and processes.
Digital twins hold great potential for sustainability assessment
The potential of the digital twin in terms of sustainability is considered to be very high. According to the msg study on the Digital Twin, which was published in 2020 in cooperation with Fraunhofer IPK, the Digital Twin represents a good basis for the analysis of material and energy flows for sustainability assessment in the view of the respondents. The first applications for energy monitoring already exist. The digital twin can therefore form the digital basis for increasingly sustainable value creation.
Definition of the Digital Twin
But what is meant by a digital twin and how can it be used for sustainability assessment? A Digital Twin is an exact digital 1:1 mapping or relation to a real product, process or production. For a complete digital twin, a digital master (target state) and a digital shadow (actual state) are needed. A sensor system captures and controls the data and its transfer to the virtual world. The processing of the data by business analytics or artificial intelligence can take place in the real world, for example in the vehicle, but primarily happens in the digital twin.
Fig. 1: Definition and dimensions of the digital twin
Use cases of a Digital Twin for sustainability assessment
We will show how the Digital Twin can be used for sustainability assessment using exemplary use cases from the areas of product, process and production in the manufacturing industry. Sustainability is made up of the dimensions of ecology, economy and social issues. The ecological dimension looks at the efficient use of resources to protect our environment. The economy deals with the reduction of CO2 emissions, waste and energy, among other things, within the framework of the circular economy. The social dimension includes the social responsibility for the sustainable use of resources - by private individuals and companies.
Fig. 2: Use cases and influence of the digital twin on ecology, economy and social issuesErhöhung der Produktwertschöpfung durch konsequente Wartung und Wiederverwendung
The 1:1 relationship between the real product and the digital twin makes product-specific monitoring possible. Based on data from actual use, it is possible to make precise statements about the wear and tear and the service life of the product or its components. The exact individual point in time when a repair or replacement of a component is necessary can be determined. This saves resources by extending the useful life of the product. If a product is no longer usable, it is possible to extract parts or components in order to reuse them as spare parts in other products. The digital twin provides data on the usage history. This allows an assessment of the extent to which the specific component can be safely reused in another product. Through simulation, the "second life" use can be secured and, if necessary, confirmed by warranty certificates. If data from the supply chain and manufacturing of the product are taken into account, the resource use or CO2 footprint, for example, can be determined and used as a sales argument.
Reduction of the CO2 footprint through transparent processes along the supply chain
With a digital twin, processes such as the supply chain can also be mapped digitally. From raw materials to suppliers and sub-suppliers to distributors and transport routes, the supply chain is digitally recorded end-to-end. Not to be neglected is the recording and management of packaging materials. With digital twins, packaging materials can be transparently traced. The transparency of the packaging means that a high proportion can be recycled, which in turn conserves resources. On the basis of the digital twin, it is not only possible to identify supply bottlenecks at an early stage or to optimise transport costs. It is also possible to design the supply chain according to sustainability aspects. This makes it possible to identify an energy- and emission-optimised delivery model that reduces the CO2 footprint of a product. To ensure tamper-proof recording and management of CO2 data along the supply chain, the digital twin is used in combination with blockchain.
Optimal use of resources in production through the Digital Twin
Many companies face the challenge of making their production more sustainable. This includes efficient use of resources as well as optimising emissions. The first step is to create an exact digital representation of physical plants and production lines as a digital twin. This makes it possible to realistically simulate and optimise the settings of the machines. A major ecological advantage that arises from the use of digital twins is the monitoring or control of production plants in terms of optimal resource utilisation. This makes it possible, for example, to automatically reduce waste or idle time. The next major development stage will be that decisions in the production process are made and implemented independently by a digital twin. Only six percent of the respondents in our study share this assessment.
Summary and conclusion
Our study shows that the Digital Twin is becoming increasingly important in sustainability assessment. There are use cases in product, process and production for sustainable resource use. When collecting and evaluating data for sustainability assessment, the focus must be on the task and the target picture. Otherwise, there is a risk that the effort for data provision will exceed the expected benefit. You do not know whether a sustainability assessment is worthwhile for you and your company? Then we would be happy to help you.