Until recently, initiatives to advance sustainability and combat climate change have primarily focused on improving product performance to minimize energy usage and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is enabling technologies and supporting that are contributing to a greener global economy in many ways.

For decades, product development organizations and manufacturers were often forced to choose between product performance and environmental stewardship without regard to externalized costs or long-term harm to the planet.  As a result, sustainability practices were often implemented at the minimum levels required to satisfy regulatory requirements and shareholder expectations.

Today many organizations are taking initiative to an ailing planet. Designing sustainability into a product’s lifecycle offers holistic and integrated solution – and PLM is a critical tool.

Read the complete article in the February issue of Digital Engineering.