A Methodology for Scenario-Based Narrowing of Technical Solution Spaces Under Uncertainty with a Focus on Ecological Sustainability

Abstract

Taking ecological sustainability into account when developing new products is not only demanded by society but has also recently been legally anchored by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. To comply with the newly formulated laws and regulations, it is essential to take them into account during product development. Decisions made in the early stages of product development have the greatest influence on sustainability impacts of a product. At the same time, while trying to realize the product idea, knowledge about the effects on ecological sustainability of the decisions for or against technical solution alternatives is minimal. Wrong decisions cannot be changed at all or only at great cost. This paper presents a method to perform an initial narrowing of possible solution alternatives for a new product under high uncertainty. The aim is to focus on and develop only those solutions that are most promising based on individually selected sustainability goals. To this end, this article develops a method that combines scenario techniques and robust decision-making approaches to narrow down the solution space in a timely manner with minimal effort.

Authors 2

1. Alexander Keuper Aachen Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL of RWTH Aachen University,Aachen,Germany

2. G. Schuh Aachen Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering WZL of RWTH Aachen University,Aachen,Germany