LCA & Design for the Circular Economy

1 | Mission & Positioning
PSQ is part of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering & Safety Technology and advances the science of product safety, quality and sustainable innovation along the entire life cycle. Working at the interface of engineering, management and environmental sciences, the chair develops methods, tools and training formats that translate academic insight into industrial practice—ensuring products are safe, compliant and circular.

2 | Deep Expertise in LCA & Ecodesign
Our Sustainability & Innovation group offers a full Life-Cycle Assessment service portfolio—covering LCA studies, product & corporate carbon footprints, material flow analysis, and design-for-X.

3 | Flagship Circular-Economy Projects
With bergisch.kompetenz (2024 – 2027), PSQ contributes to a regional competence centre that helps SMEs in the metalworking heartland of Wuppertal–Solingen–Remscheid adopt circular business models. Together with Fraunhofer UMSICHT, CSCP & Wuppertal Institute, we design more circular products.

4 | Research Infrastructure & Methods

• Model-Based Systems Engineering & PLM platforms link requirement management, digital twins and LCA data, enabling eco-scenario simulations early in design.

• Natural-material labs investigate reliability and circularity of bio-based composites through mechanical testing + cradle-to-gate LCAs.

• Compliance & Safety lab (CE, risk assessment, usability) allows integration of safety-by-design with eco-design, ensuring products meet both regulatory and environmental performance targets.

5 | What We Offer to Collaboration Partners

• Holistic project support: from idea screening with circular design sprints to ISO-compliant LCA baselines.

• Access to regional living labs for rapid prototyping and real-world piloting within the Bergisches Land industrial cluster.

• Funding leverage & proposal leadership: successful coordination of EU EFRE, BMBF and DFG proposals with TRL-oriented work-package design.

• Capacity building: customised workshops on ecodesign, carbon accounting, and digital product passports—available in German or English, on-site or virtual.

Let’s turn sustainable design ambitions into measurable impact.
Get in touch to discuss joint research, contract studies or consortia proposals.