New Expert Voices Opinion Article – Advancing Sustainable Manufacturing with Digital Life Cycle Assessment

By Vasiliki Papatheologou, Thanasis Karagkounis & Artemis Lavasa

DRAXIS – 25 February 2025

As part of our Expert Voices rubric, this article explores the role of digital tools in sustainable manufacturing, focusing on the DiMEC-LCA tool developed within the DiMAT project. The tool is designed to help companies, particularly SMEs, assess both the environmental and economic impact of their production processes through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC).

While LCA and LCC are widely used for sustainability evaluation, many smaller businesses face challenges in implementing these methodologies due to high costs and complexity. The DiMEC-LCA tool addresses these barriers by offering a cost-effective and user-friendly solution that enables manufacturers to:

Identify hotspots in production where resource consumption, waste, or emissions are highest.
Optimize material usage and reduce energy consumption.
Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and avoid potential carbon-related taxes.
Use visual data insights to simplify decision-making in sustainability strategies.

The tool is currently being tested in four key industrial pilot cases: synthetic textile production, UAV manufacturing with advanced composites, innovative glass forming, and graphite material development. It integrates key performance indicators (KPIs) from the materials value chain, allowing systematic benchmarking and process optimization.

As sustainability becomes a core focus for industry competitiveness, digital LCA tools like DiMEC-LCA will be crucial for improving efficiency and regulatory alignment in European manufacturing.

🔗 Watch the preliminary demo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIrheGQVjGk

Know more: