Workshop on the Design of Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains September 12–13, 2011 Arlington, Virginia Final Report ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Troy Hawkins, Chair Maria Burka Heriberto Cabezas Bruce Hamilton Darlene Schuster Raymond Smith ADVISORY COMMITTEE Ignacio Grossmann Thomas Theis Eric Williams Bert Bras Raj Srinivasan Bhavik Bakshi Saif Benjafaar Alan Hecht SUPPORT STAFF Susan Anastasi Michelle Nguyen Erin Chan Dan Tisch Donna Jackson Sonia Williams TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………1 About the Workshop, Goals, and Overview………………………………………………….......3 Workshop Schedule………………………………………………………………………………4 Summary……………….………………………………………………………………………....7 Appendix A: Goals of the Workshop............................................................................................................... A-2 List of Participants...................................................................................................................... A-3 Biosketches................................................................................................................................. A-5 Position Statements................................................................................................................... A-26 Notes from Breakout Group Sessions....................................................................................... A-69 Appendix B: “Welcome to the Design of Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains Workshop”..................................................................................................................... B-2 Bert Bras, “Design of Sustainable Products Systems and Supply Chains: Some Concepts, Cases, and Lessons from an Engineering Perspective”........................................... B-11 Thomas Theis, “Consumption, Sustainability, and Social Benefits”.........................................B-25 Bill Flanagan, “LCA from an Industry Perspective”.................................................................B-37 Joseph Fiksel, “EPA Sustainability and the Design of Sustainable Product Networks and Supply Chains”......................................................................................B-46 Bruce Hamilton, “Funding Opportunities at NSF for Proposals on Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains”................................................................... B-57 Cynthia Nolt-Helms, “P3 (People, Prosperity and the Planet) Award Program: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability”.................................................... B-70 Ignacio Grossman, “Discussion of Session II Breakout Questions”........................................ B-81 Eric Williams, “Orientation for Session III”............................................................................. B-93 Workshop on the Design of Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains, September 12-13, 2011 Final Report, February 29, 2012 2 Workshop on the Design of Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains September 12–13, 2011 National Science Foundation Arlington, VA ABOUT THE WORKSHOP The Workshop on the Design of Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains was held September 12–13, 2011 at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) offices in Arlington, Virginia. The Workshop was co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD), the National Science Foundation, (NSF) and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Center for Sustainable Technology Practices. The purpose of the Workshop was to foster collaboration and promote the development of a research community focused on sustainability and supply chains. This was accomplished by bringing together a diverse group of researchers and other professionals with experience relevant to sustainable supply chain design. GOALS OF THE WORKSHOP The goal of the workshop was to engage experts with experience in several areas. From experts with experience working within a broad, systems perspective, the goal was to elicit understanding of the key shortcomings of current practices and identify practical ways in which new or repurposed approaches could be integrated within existing frameworks. In the case of experts with experience working within a narrower focus, the goal was to work together to understand how these approaches could be integrated within existing frameworks or larger-scale models. Finally, the goal was also to explore opportunities for applying discipline-specific approaches to other problems related to the design of sustainable supply chains. OVERVIEW The following report provides the agenda of the meeting events, an executive summary of the reports back from the Breakout Groups, as well as additional perspectives. The report includes two Appendices: the first provides the notes from the Breakout Group sessions, as well as meeting materials, including the goals of the meeting, a list of participants, biosketches and position statements of the participants, and complete contact information on the participants; the second provides the PowerPoint presentations given at the meeting. Readers are advised to refer to these resources for more detailed information. Workshop on the Design of Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains, September 12-13, 2011 Final Report, February 29, 2012 3 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 WORKSHOP SESSION I: PERSPECTIVES ON THE DESIGN OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT SYSTEMS AND SUPPLY CHAINS Introduction of Organizing Committee & Staff Support Troy Hawkins, ORD, EPA Welcome to NSF Bruce Hamilton and Maria Burka Introductions of Participants Workshop Goals and Overview Troy Hawkins PRESENTATIONS Design of Sustainable Products Systems and Supply Chains: Some Concepts, Cases, and Lessons from an Engineering Perspective Bert Bras, Georgia Institute of Technology Consumption, Sustainability, and Social Benefits Thomas Theis, University of Illinois, Chicago Avoiding Unintended Consequences in the Design of Sustainable Supply Chains Sherilyn Brodersen, Kraft Foods LCA from an Industry Perspective Bill Flanagan, GE Global Research EPA Sustainability and the Design of Sustainable Product Networks and Supply Chains Joseph Fiksel, U.S. EPA, The Ohio State University SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING RESEARCH THROUGH NSF AND EPA Funding Opportunities at NSF for Proposals on Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains Bruce Hamilton, NSF P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) Award Program: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Cynthia Nolt-Helms, National Center for Environmental Research (NCER), EPA Workshop on the Design of Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains, September 12-13, 2011 Final Report, February 29, 2012 4 SESSION II: DISCIPLINARY DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES Discussion of Session II Breakout Questions Ignacio Grossman, Carnegie Mellon University Participants were provided with the following series of questions to discuss in their Breakout Groups: 1. What are the challenging industry and societal problems to be solved? What are the future drivers for design of sustainable products, manufacturing systems and supply chains? What are the next generation sustainable design-enabled strength areas in the U.S.? 2. Where are the gaps in knowledge? What are the problems faced by existing sustainable design capabilities? 3. What are the opportunities for design of sustainable products, manufacturing systems, and supply chains? SESSION III: WHAT ARE THE COMMON PROBLEMS, COMMON AREAS OF NEED, COMPLEMENTARY AREAS TO BE INTERFACED, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR CROSS-DISCIPLINARY FERTILIZATION FACILITATED BY DESIGN OF SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT SYSTEMS AND SUPPLY CHAINS? Orientation for Session III Eric Williams, Rochester Institute of Technology The Breakout Groups were asked to discuss the following specific questions within their groups: Group 1: How does sustainable design affect or impact economic drivers? Group 2: What technologies/tools and their integration are needed, where is the expertise, and what is the state of technical capability? Group 3: What are the respective roles of industry, government, and academia and how should they interrelate? What partnerships/coalitions are needed? Group 4: How will new and emerging technologies and capabilities need to affect organization roles and responsibilities (academia/industry, researcher/research teams)? Group 5: Where education and training are needed? BREAKOUT GROUPS REPORT BACK Workshop on the Design of Sustainable Product Systems and Supply Chains, September 12-13, 2011 Final Report, February 29, 2012 5 TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 SESSION IV – WORKSHOP DELIVERABLES On the second day of the workshop, the participants were asked to work within their groups to discuss the following issues and develop recommendations in the context of near-term and long- term, priority, and reality: 1. Identify and exemplify major application impacts, directions, and the potential for design of sustainable product systems and supply chains 2. Identify and recommend research areas that aim toward the fulfillment of this potential 3. Identify associated areas of needed emphasis with sustainable design education and training, interdisciplinary development, and support and approaches to collaboration. The Breakout Groups were also asked to answer the following questions: 1. What investments are needed by whom, financial and other? 2. What are the key learnings and take-aways from the workshop? SESSION IV BREAKOUT GROUPS REPORT BACK WRAP UP AND