Q: When people talk about sustainability in logistics, the discussion often centres on zero-emission logistics and reducing transport emissions. Where else do you see room for improvement?
Dr.-Ing. Kerstin Dobers: A key lever is resource efficiency – in other words, alongside the question of whether we need to use resources at all, there is the question of how we can use materials, energy and products for as long as possible and in the most sensible way. After all, sustainability begins long before transport. When companies make greater use of secondary rather than primary raw materials and close material loops, this can reduce not only emissions but also cuts down natural resource consumption. At the same time, it is important to keep products and components in use for as long as possible, for example, by updating or modernising existing products, machines or systems – so-called retrofitting – through software updates, or through services such as predictive maintenance. Those who consider the entire life cycle, from the design stage of products and services, lay the foundations for a genuine circular economy.
Q: Which measures are particularly relevant at the moment?
Dr.-Ing. Kerstin Dobers: A key component of the circular economy in the coming years will be the Digital Product Passport, or DPP for short. It is being introduced as part of the EU’s circular economy framework and will become mandatory. From 2027, manufacturers and importers of certain products in the European Union will be required to provide such passports, starting with resource-intensive goods such as batteries, textiles, and electronics, as well as intermediate products such as steel. The Digital Product Passport will document information on materials, origin, reparability and recycling options. This means significantly greater transparency regarding products and materials throughout their entire life cycle. At the same time, new opportunities are opening up for data-driven services in logistics, such as return processes, reuse or recycling. However, establishing these data structures is technically and organisationally challenging, as many stakeholders must jointly define processes. Various research projects are currently underway at Fraunhofer IML in this area, in which companies are also involved. However, there are also fundamental points of contact with OLF-eCMR, the Open Logistics Foundation’s software solution for the digital consignment note.
Q: What role do open source approaches and standards generally play in the context of sustainability?
Dr.-Ing. Kerstin Dobers: We achieve sustainable business practices through the collaboration of various stakeholders. Open standards and interoperable platforms are particularly crucial when it comes to exchanging data across organisational boundaries. Open source approaches can help to establish a common technical foundation that can be used and further developed by a wide range of stakeholders. This not only facilitates data exchange but also lowers barriers to entry for companies that lack significant in-house development resources.
