Advancing Circularity Through Digital Transformation: Harnessing Life Cycle Assessment

In the pursuit of sustainable production and supply chains, integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) within digital platforms has been identified as a critical strategy for industries aiming to reduce their environmental footprint. As an example, the integration of LCA and other key tools within eMT Cluster's Metaplatform tailored for diverse sectors, provides a holistic strategy for assessing and ameliorating the environmental performance throughout the complete value and supply chains of products. Metaplatform enables this integrated approach through its advanced digital architecture, which is distinguished by interoperability, automation, and a suite of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as Internet-of-Things (IoT), data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and machine learning. This comprehensive framework facilitates a thorough environmental impact assessment from the extraction of raw materials to the end-of-life of products, directing stakeholders across different industries towards more sustainable and circular practices. Specifically, the platform supports the identification of efficient and environmentally friendly product designs, the optimization of production processes, and the enhancement of supply chain operations. The integration of components such as Metaplatform with LCA enhances their effectiveness, fostering sustainability and circularity throughout the production and supply chain. This approach provides significant environmental benefits, including the monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and resource use. Such advancements significantly contribute to the development of more sustainable industrial ecosystems.