Digital Sustainability

In the Zukunftsprojekt ROKK – Maturity-based Operationalization of the Circular Economy in SMEs, Fraunhofer FIT works with the Mittelstand-Digital Zentren Darmstadt and WertNetzWerke to develop methods and procedures that make it easier for manufacturing SMEs to get started with the circular economy and pave the way for effective operational measures.

The circular economy is an essential building block for achieving the sustainability goals of Agenda 2030, as it conserves natural resources, reduces the environmental impact of resource use and ensures a sustainable supply of raw materials. Implementing the circular economy requires a systemic approach that considers value creation networks and product life cycles in an integrated manner and includes sustainable production and consumption patterns in addition to waste and recycling management.

However, implementing the circular economy poses major challenges for companies of all sizes, as the design of products, processes and services as well as business models and corporate culture need to be rethought.

ROKK – Maturity-based Operationalization of the Circular Economy in SMEs, is a cooperation project between the Mittelstand-Digital Zentren Darmstadt and WertNetzWerke. It aims to pave the way for manufacturing SMEs to achieve a circular economy and remove obstacles.

As a solution, Fraunhofer FIT is developing an approach that introduces SMEs to a continuous process of improving their circular economy maturity level. This is implemented by means of workshops and an interactive software tool, the Kreislaufwirtschafts-Check (Circular Economy Check). It is based on a maturity model developed at TU Darmstadt that is adapted to the needs and specific requirements of manufacturing SMEs – such as limited availability of resources and personnel. The accompanying three-part workshops aim to

1. familiarize with the circular economy concept and to offer motivation for a continuous improvement process,
2. use the Kreislaufwirtschafts-Check to determine the current circular economy maturity level and
3. foster the identification and implementation of measures of improvement.

The human-centered design of the Kreislaufwirtschafts-Check makes it easier for SMEs to use the maturity model and to devise steps for coming closer to a circular economy. The Kreislaufwirtschafts-Check allows to monitor the organization’s development over a longer period of time, thus demonstrating the effects of the implemented measures.