Sustainability in Product Models: Leveraging Adjacent Information for CO 2 Profiling in Configurations

This paper introduces the concept of Sustainability Adjacency as a framework for integrating adjacent information into CO₂ profiling and product configuration systems. By leveraging supplementary data, such as supplier emissions, logistics, and lifecycle assessments, the framework enables a comprehensive evaluation of a product’s sustainability impact. Current sustainability initiatives often operate in silos, neglecting broader trade-offs like transportation emissions in refurbishment or end-of-life scenarios. The proposed framework addresses these gaps by centralizing critical data, ensuring its propagation across organizational functions to prioritize low-emission configurations. Through an action research approach, the study highlights systemic barriers, including data quality issues, supplier transparency, and misaligned workflows, that hinder CO₂ profiling efforts. The findings emphasize the importance of dynamic data integration and cross-functional collaboration in aligning sustainability with operational and financial goals. This paper contributes to advancing sustainable product models and outlines actionable steps for organizations to embed sustainability into product lifecycle management effectively.