BIZ4GREEN – Green Business Models in the Production of Energy-Intensive Industrial Goods

In the face of rising carbon and energy costs, it is crucial for companies to develop innovative and sustainable business models in order to stay competitive. The pressure on German and European industry to innovate and transform is increasing. New and more sustainable ways of creating value must be found. The BIZ4GREEN project aims to support the domestic industrial sector, in particular energy-intensive production companies, in their transformation to a climate-neutral economy. This requires both new green business models and corresponding digitalization solutions in order to create sustainable value potential.

Digital twins for product-specific life cycle assessment

A central element of the project is the introduction of a “green digital twin”. This is intended to show correlations between the production technology used and individual process parameters. It also aims to visualize and actively influence the resulting CO2 footprint. In contrast to existing solutions, the green digital twin enables companies to analyze and specifically optimize the ecological impact of production on an individual product. In addition to implementing the technology, it is essential to develop new business models that integrate data generation and carbon footprinting as part of value-adding activities.

Digital business models for sustainable value creation

Based on the green digital twin, the project focuses on the development of new business models for energy-intensive yet competitive production in Germany. Companies with high energy consumption can use the transparency generated not only for their own process optimization, but also to open up new business opportunities. The aim is to identify potential for added customer value, such as through CO2 certification of products. The project will show which innovative business models can be developed, and which options exist for monetization. Successful business models are characterized by a decoupling of value creation from resource and energy consumption. They enable energy-intensive manufacturers to scale their business activities and at the same time promote an ecologically sustainable economy for the future.

Blueprint for the sustainable transformation of industry.

The BIZ4GREEN project creates the basis for transferability to other products in energy-intensive industries using standardized interfaces and proven methods for CO2 balancing. This creates a blueprint for ensuring that domestic, energy-intensive production can remain competitive in Germany in the future by using digital solutions. In addition to the specific application of digital twins, the business models developed should also have general validity for the relevant industry. Only by combining them with sustainable monetization opportunities can the potential of a digital twin be fully unleashed.

‍Project Consortium

- Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT, Aachen (Coordination)  

- Thiele GmbH & Co. KG, Iserlohn  

- gemineers GmbH, Aachen  

‍Funding

The project is funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.  

Funding reference EFRE-20800199

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