DemaNET project brochure - VTT

DemaNET

DEMATERIALIZATION THROUGH NEW MODELS FOR INDUSTRIAL NETWORKING

The goal of the DemaNET-project is to create future preparedness and knowledge for the Finnish industry about business concepts and networking models that advance dematerialization. The concepts to be studied are: • Remanufacturing, • Strategic eco-industrial networks, both supported and enabled by value networks, and • Sustainable business models. Remanufacturing means radical rethinking of physical products, their lifecycle and the production and service system. Strategic eco-industrial networks advance dematerialization through symbiotic forms of inter-industry collaboration. The objective of the project is to research, assess and promote innovative operational concepts which support dematerialization in industry. The main research questions can be consolidated as: • How the concept of remanufacturing can be applied in Finnish industry? • What kind of strategic eco-industrial networks can be built to advance dematerialization, for example across different industrial fields? • How these dematerialization concepts can be promoted in Finnish industry, what are the challenges, prerequisites, incentives and drivers? • How the principles of value-based competitiveness can support the dematerialization and success of companies? • What kind of actions of different stakeholders are needed to support the development towards radical dematerialization, what is the development path? The long-term vision of DemaNET: • Sustainability becomes an increasingly important driver of competitiveness at a global, national, industry, and firm level. Sustainability challenges have a major influence on societal-, industrial- and consumer decision-making. New concepts, business models and nextpractice platforms are needed to facilitate the value change. • Product concepts will undergo a radical change from “planned-to-age” to “eternal”, long-life, renewable products with reuse in the form which is most ecoefficient. To support the vision, new ultimate reuse concepts, such as remanufacturing, are needed. • Eco-efficiency is becoming increasingly important driver for industrial collaboration. New types of strategic ecoindustrial networks will be created across different industrial fields to advance competitiveness and dematerialization.

Remanufacturing

is one form of contributes, enables

Strategic eco-industrial networks

creates potential

Dematerialization

requires, creates new

Sustainable business models, competitiveness supports acceptance

Need

Approach

Economic, societal and ecological drivers call for radical shifts in thinking to improve material efficiency: • Improved material efficiency through new production concepts, network-based operational models that decrease environmental impacts, and value-based business models creating sustainable competitive advantage for companies. • Understanding the possibilities, prerequisites and applications of new operational models that improve material efficiency in the Finnish industry are key issues in addressing the sustainability gap. • The operational environment of firms is changing: value-based competitiveness, material scarcity. • The role and effects of regulation in adopting the new operational models. Potential for change: • Radical change of thinking in production and business models. Incorporating new understanding of the mechanisms of valuebased competitiveness into business models. • More efficient re-use of materials, “infinite life-cycle” • New functions and roles in networks, new services and forms of cooperation. Decreasing environmental impacts can become a central driver of networking.

The research questions are focused on dematerialization concepts: remanufacturing, eco-industrial networks and value-based business: • How these concepts can be applied in Finnish industry? • How the concepts can be promoted in Finnish industry, what are the challenges, prerequisites, incentives and drivers? • What kind of strategic eco-industrial networks can be built to advance dematerialization, e.g. across different industrial fields? • How the principles of value-based competitiveness can support the dematerialization and success of companies? • What kind of actions of different stakeholders are needed to support the development towards radical dematerialization? Expected results: • Identified impacts on firm/network/society/scientific levels • Solutions that are the most suitable for the Finnish industry: operational and business models, materially efficient products • The project is grounded on international research and cooperation. Novelty is provided by a systemic approach to remanufacturing, cross-industry strategic eco-industrial networks and value-based business models, applied to the Finnish industry. • A development path towards sustainability, consolidating the results of the different research questions of the project.

Benefits

Competition & Resources

Society • Radical change and contribution to eco-efficiency by: saving materials and energy, decreasing waste, giving goods a new life. • Potential for large scale job creation. • Instead of subsidies to recycling transfer to remanufacturing. • Potential of eco-industrial networks to reduce environmental load and increase sustainable competitiveness. Firms • Response to expectations on sustainability and green growth. • Sustainable competitive advantage through dematerialization and networking. New business opportunities. • Products have a longer lifecycle, durable products. • Cost savings through increased utilization of material and energy. • Development path to an industrialized remanufacturing system. Industrial networks • Strategic understanding about the mechanisms of the ecoindustrial network development. Insight to the overall cohesion of the network to further co-develop existing network structures. • Understanding of the company’s possibilities and role in addressing environmental challenges and advancing dematerialization in a network. • Operational models and frameworks to create new strategic ecoindustrial networks and manage the existing ones. Research • State-of-the-art knowledge. Knowledge sharing. International collaboration. • Strengthen current and create new international relationships. • Industrial assignments.

Contact [email protected]


The project is carried out by three collaborating research partners, including as a whole 5 research groups from different disciplines: • VTT Industrial Systems – Enterprise networks, Sustainability assessment • Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), Industrial management – Industrial marketing, supply chain management • University of Jyväskylä (JYU) – Corporate environmental management International collaboration: • VTT: Japan AIST; Bayreuth University, Germany; University of Berlin, Germany • LUT: Fraunhofer IAO Stuttgart, Germany; St Petersburg State Polytechnical University, Russia; UNNC Ningbo, China • JYU: École Polytechnique of Montreal, Canada; Technical University of München’s Business School, Germany Industrial partners: • Valtra Oy Ab, John Deere Forestry Oy, Fortum Oyj, UPM Oyj, Kemira Oyj, Pöyry Finland Oy, Martela Oyj, Tana Oy, Turku Repair Yard Oy, Benet Oy ,and The Federation of Finnish Technology industries Supporting / parallel projects: • Green Growth • reCORE (Bayreuth University)
