Toward eco-efficient and circular industrial systems: ten years of advances in production management systems and a thematic framework

Figures & data

Table 1. Keywords used to identify papers addressing eco-efficiency based on the principles defined by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (1996).

Principles	Keywords used for text mining (Number of papers)
Multiple principles	efficiency (188), efficient (176), sustainability (168), sustainable (159), environmental (156), lean (122), life cycle (84), lifecycle (56), green (32), product life cycle (25), ecosystem (18), environmental performance (15), ecosystems (15), sustainable supply (12), eco-efficiency (10), green supply (4), industrial symbiosis (3), natural resources (3), eco-efficient (2), natural resource (1)
EE1. Material intensity	resource efficiency (7), waste management (5), reduce waste (5), resource efficient (4), waste reduction (3), material intensity (1), eliminate waste (1), reduced waste (1)
EE2. Energy intensity	energy consumption (45), energy efficiency (44), energy efficient (21), energy savings (4), energy saving (2), energy reduction (1)
EE3. Toxic dispersion (environmental impact)	environmental impact (32), carbon (22), greenhouse (12), co2 (10), global warming (9), pollution (9), carbon footprint (8), climate change (6), chemical (6), carbon emissions (4), hazards (4), hazardous (3), carbon emission (2), hazard (1)
EE4. Recyclability	recovery (16), recycling (15), recycle (8), recycled (4), recyclability (1)
EE5. Renewable resources	renewable (15), biological (3), regenerative (2), regeneration (1), restoration (1), restorative (1), bio-based (1)
EE6. Durability	circular (26), remanufacturing (17), repair (14), closed loop (12), circularity (8), remanufactured (5), remanufacture (4), durability (3), life extension (2), closing the loop (1)
EE7. Service intensity	service (246), servitization (23), product-service systems (20), service oriented (20), product service system (14), service based (10), product-service system (9)

Table 2. List of APMS conferences included in the analysis.

Conference date, location	Themes	# of papers	# of volumes
26–28 September 2011, Stavanger, Norway	Value Networks: Innovation, Technologies, and Management	66	2
24–26 September 2012, Rhodos, Greece	Competitive Manufacturing for Innovative Products and Services	184	2
9–12 September 2013, State College, PA, USA	Sustainable Production and Service Supply Chains	134	2
20–24 September 2014, Ajaccio, France	Innovative and Knowledge-Based Production Management in a Global-Local World	233	3
7–9 September 2015, Tokyo, Japan	Innovative Production Management Towards Sustainable Growth	164	2
3–7 September 2016, Iguassu Falls, Brazil	Initiatives for a Sustainable World	112	1
3–7 September 2017, Hamburg, Germany	The Path to Intelligent, Collaborative and Sustainable Manufacturing	122	2
26–30 September 2018, Seoul, Republic of Korea	Production Management for Data-Driven, Intelligent, Collaborative, and Sustainable Manufacturing	68	1
	Smart Manufacturing for Industry 4.0	61	1
1–5 September 2019, Austin, TX, USA	Production Management for the Factory of the Future	88	1
	Towards Smart Production Management Systems	73	1
30 August – 3 September 2020, Novi Sad, Serbia	The Path to Digital Transformation and Innovation of Production Management Systems	77	1
	Towards Smart and Digital Manufacturing	87	1
5–9 September 2021, Nantes, France	Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable and Resilient Production Systems	377	5

Figure 1. Number of papers per country (top 15 countries) and international collaborations (MCP: multiple country publication; SCP: single country publication).

Figure 2. Evolution of dominant research topics over time based on indexed keywords.

Figure 3. Thematic map of research topics for APMS conference 2012–2021 based on indexed keywords.

Figure 4. Number of papers (N = 239) addressing eco-efficiency and strength of connection to each principle.

Figure 5. Ratio and number of APMS papers addressing eco-efficiency each year (purple bar) and distribution of across eco-efficiency principles (colourful bars).

Table 3. Updated eco-efficiency principles applied to production systems.

Principles and examples of associated strategies
EE1 Reduce material intensity of goods and services Dematerialization through product design enabled by novel process technology Lightweight materials and structure, product miniaturisation Multi-functionality, software, and service-orientation Material efficiency in production processes Production waste reduction, zero-defect and non-product/by-product/packaging waste Lean and green, waste, and non-value adding process reduction or elimination Material flow modelling and simulation, process optimization Material efficiency in supply chains and value networks Supply chain management and reverse logistics for eco-efficient material handling Waste reduction through industrial symbiosis networks, waste exchange Downstream waste avoidance through sustainable and responsible consumption
EE2 Reduce energy intensity of goods and services Energy intensity at process and factory levels Energy-efficient production through planning and scheduling, simulation, and optimization Energy-efficient processes through technology development Energy intensity at a system level Embodied energy of materials, products and services from a life cycle perspective Energy consumption during product use and end-of-life management (trade-offs across life cycle stages)
EE3 Reduce toxic dispersion (pollution and environmental impact) Impact prevention and reduction Substituting for non-toxic sources Toxic emissions handling/management Impact assessment Trade-offs across the product life cycle Trade-offs between environmental, social and economic aspects
EE4 Enhance recyclability and material recovery Upstream and downstream considerations for circular material flows Eco-design concept – design for the environment, design for disassembly/recycling/remanufacturing, design for X Ensuring recyclability and material recovery at the product end-of-life, downstream circular flows Using circular materials as input for manufacturing, upstream circular flows Supply chain management for the creation of closed and open loops supply chains Material recovery for industrial symbiosis Internal synergies within factories External synergies between factories within regions
EE5 Maximise the sustainable use of renewable sources Renewable energy sources Renewable energy technology Renewable energy storage to foster security of supply Flexible energy management systems to support supply fluctuations Renewable material sources Bio-based products, material sourcing Biodegradable or compostable materials, end-of-life management
EE6 Extend product and component durability Product and component quality Product and material integrity for longevity, spare part availability Robust and simpler product assemblies, fewer components Closing the loop of material flows Product design for disassembly, repair, refurbish, and remanufacture Design of circular processes – repair, refurbish, and remanufacture Retaining control and collect products/components to enable circular strategies Value retention for industrial machines, equipment, and tools Repair, maintenance, and upgradability of industrial assets
EE7 Increase the service intensity of goods and services Product-service systems Design of the service Delivery of the service – sharing, leasing, and renting of products Digitalization of products to design smart products for service delivery Industrial services Asset management, equipment performance monitoring, asset life cycle extension services, leasing, and maintenance contracts, etc. Data management to support environmental impact assessment and resource efficiency Data management for environmental performance management Process digitalization for remote control and monitoring

Figure 6. Thematic framework for eco-efficient and circular industrial systems.

World Business Council for Sustainable Development. (1996). Eco-efficient leadership for improved economic and environmental performance.

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