Cooperative Research Group “ECO²“

The cooperative research group “ECO²” at Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar) and Fraunhofer IZFP supports industrial transformation toward sustainable and economically viable value creation. The focus is on assessment methods that consider the ecological and economic impacts of products, processes, and technologies together—across their entire life cycle.

Companies are increasingly faced with the task of reconciling ecological requirements with economic goals. Although established instruments such as life cycle assessments exist, these often consider ecological aspects in isolation. There is often a lack of integrated assessment bases that simultaneously reflect environmental impacts and economic efficiency for reliable decision-making. This is where ECO² comes in: The aim is to create transparent and data-based decision-making principles in order to avoid wrong decisions and undesirable rebound effects.

Focus on the circular economy and industrial practice

The research group combines circular economy approaches with non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods. NDE sensor systems play a central role here, as they:

• ensure product quality and safety,
• make processes more efficient,
• reduce scrap and material waste,
• extend product life.

At the same time, the ecological and economic impacts of NDE systems themselves are being systematically evaluated for the first time.

Objectives of the research group

ECO² develops integrated evaluation systems that:

• record ecological and economic effects over the entire product life cycle,
• are compatible with existing LCA and software tools,
• support industrial decision-making processes,
• enable comparable evaluations of technologies and processes.

The results are intended to help both developers and users to select and optimize more sustainable solutions in a targeted manner. (Industrial) companies benefit from:

• well-founded decision-making bases for sustainable products and processes,
• better comparability of alternative technologies,
• support with regulatory requirements,
• practical methods for circular economy and resource efficiency.

At the same time, ECO² strengthens Saarland as a research and business location through competence building, promotion of young talent, and close cooperation between science and industry.