Resource Conservation through the Usage of IT (RSI)

Problem and Objective

The increasing use of IT in the information society has a strong impact on the consumption of resources. On the one hand, resources are needed for developing and using information systems. On the other hand, there is potential for designing operational processes and products in a way that resources are conserved (IT for Green).

This conflict is the most recent object of this research area at the institute. In this area of research, for example, the ecologic impact of increased RFID-use is examined by comparing and analyzing negative consequences (resource consumption, recycling problems) and the potential for saving resources (e.g. through the availability of detailed object data in recycling processes).

Other projects focus on the industrial use of renewable resources. Substituting non-renewable resources by resources from agriculture or forestry has a lot of potential for conserving resources. However, this raises a challenge for supporting IT-systems (e.g. PPS-systems) as there are problems such as fluctuating quality and availability of resources. This area of research also examines the IT-supported reporting on sustainability. The focus lies on collecting relevant ecological data in value-added processes, which can improve the data set for these reports. This enables the effective controlling of the operational resource efficiency.


Completed research topics

  • IT-systems for reporting on sustainability
  • IT-supported production planning with renewable materials in consideration of uncertainties
  • Tracking & tracing systems in value-added networks for the material usage of renewable resources in industry



Publications