In project area A pathways for sustainable technologies shall be systematically identified by analyzing potentials in technology scenarios and requirements in field scenarios in project A1.

In addition, valuing environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability in manufacturing is enabled by specifying respective indicators. Long-term goal is to provide a globally valid, integrated method for sustainability assessment on micro- and macroeconomic level in projects A2, A3, A4. Exemplary validation is ensued in cases of value creation modules and networks to be specified in project area B.

By developing innovative multi-criteria optimisation algorithms mathematical science contributes to practically developing decision support tools for categorization and evaluation of sustainability criteria in project A5.

System dynamics as a mathematical method to describe and simulate time-dependent effects of complex influence networks with feedback loops is applied as powerful means for functional modelling the transition from traditional to sustainable value creation in project A6.

By fruitful interdisciplinary interaction in research between manufacturing and environmental engineering, economical and mathematical science, design of sustainable value creation as a process of collaborative negotiation can be usefully developed for proving the superiority of the sustainability approach.

The main research goal is to provide a broad systemic reference frame in project area A for effectively implementing strategies of sustainable value creation.