"New pathways, strategies, business and communication models for bioplastics as a building block of a sustainable economy"

Fraunhofer IBP

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Research of practical utility lies at the heart of all activities pursued by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Founded in 1949, the research organization undertakes applied research that drives economic development and serves the wider benefit of society. Its services are solicited by customers and contractual partners in industry, the service sector and public administration. The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP focuses its work on research, development, testing, demonstration and consulting in the various fields of building physics.

The Life Cycle Engineering Department was established in 1989 at the Institute for Polymer Testing and Polymer Science (IKP) at Universität Stuttgart. In 2006 it changed to the Chair for Building Physics (LBP) at Universität Stuttgart, and thereafter, beginning in 2008 at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP. The department’s key research area is life cycle engineering and analyses of products, processes and services in terms of their ecological, economic, technical and social aspects, providing a basis for decision-making throughout the entire life cycle.

The focus of research in the Life Cycle Engineering Department is upon methods in sustainability assessment. Working together with partners from the areas of policy-making, industry and research institutions, specific projects with a pronounced international orientation pursue life-cycle-related topics involving overriding questions in the areas of technical feasibility, capacities, infrastructure and materials management. To make the daily work of sustainability assessment easier, a practice-oriented software and database system, called "GaBi", is being developed in cooperation with partner firm thinkstep. At a reasonable cost, users can set up system models – even complex models – and evaluate them under various criteria, such as environmental impacts or the life cycle costs of a product system.

The Life Cycle Engineering method has been and currently is applied in a multitude of projects in the department. Customers include industrial firms and public sector clients. The existing expertise is passed along in lectures for students in technical disciplines. The engineering background, extensive project experience and the successful combination of research and practical industrial applications all lead to high-quality, reliable and customer-oriented solutions. The tools and databases developed along the way are in use in all sectors of industry worldwide, as well as in research and consulting in sustainability assessment.

Website:
http://www.ibp.fraunhofer.de/en/Expertise/Life_Cycle_Engineering.html

Contact:

M.A. B.Sc. Eva Knüpffer
E-Mail: eva.knuepffer@ibp.fraunhofer.de
Tel.: +49 711 970-3178
Fax.: +49 711 970-3190

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Albrecht
E-Mail: stefan.albrecht@ibp.fraunhofer.de
Tel.: +49 711 970-3170
Fax.: +49 711 970-3190

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