Simulating Sustainability

Abstract

This paper highlights specific steps considering the inclusion of a holistic sustainability approach in manufacturing companies by focusing especially on the integration of social criteria in an existing Environmental Management Information System (EMIS). This EMIS combines discrete event simulation (DES), life cycle analysis (LCA) as well as material flow analysis (MFA) and thus already encompasses the main aspects of the economical and the environmental perspective at least for the consideration in the production phase itself. The contribution will focus on the reasons for an integrated approach and the demarcation/mapping of social aspects and indicators for the integration in a single simulation software where the other two perspectives already exist. Moreover, methodologies picking up on holistic approaches on the sustainability assessment of the whole life cycle of products are highlighted.