Systematically embedding sustainability in toolmaking

Toolmaking companies are increasingly faced with the challenge of reconciling ever-stricter requirements regarding resource efficiency, climate protection and the circular economy with economically viable production processes. The ‘SustainTool’ research project therefore aimed to make sustainability practical along the entire toolmaking value chain by using concrete data, key performance indicators and recommendations for action.

Practical methods and digital tools developed

The project produced various practical solutions for businesses. These include a guide to sustainable tool manufacturing, a guide to conducting climate risk analyses, tools for energy simulation in the injection moulding process, a morphological framework for developing resource-efficient tool concepts, and a CO₂ calculator for injection moulding tools. The methods developed help companies to systematically record, evaluate and specifically optimise emissions, energy and material consumption, as well as the potential offered by the circular economy.

A key factor in the project’s success was the close collaboration between research and industry. The results were developed in conjunction with the companies on the project steering committee through workshops, validation rounds and regular project meetings, and were continuously adapted to meet the requirements of industrial practice. This enabled the tools developed to be evaluated and further refined under real-world conditions.

From research to industrial application

The Chair of Production Management at the WZL Machine Tool Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University contributed its expertise, particularly in the areas of sustainable tool manufacturing, CO₂e assessment, collaborative emissions management and the circular economy. As part of the project, strategies and recommendations for action towards more sustainable tool manufacturing were developed, along with approaches to increase the use of reuse and remanufacturing concepts in toolmaking.

“SustainTool demonstrates that sustainability in toolmaking need not remain an abstract concept. With robust emissions data, practical methods and concrete recommendations for action, companies are provided with the tools to tap into both environmental and economic potential in equal measure,” says Helen Baumert, research assistant at the Chair of Production Management at the WZL Machine Tool Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University.

Successful project conclusion in Austria

The project concluded on 23 June 2026 with a hybrid project meeting at RICO Elastomere Projecting GmbH in Thalheim near Wels (Austria). Representatives from the participating research institutions and the companies on the project steering committee discussed the project results and their potential for industrial application.

The SustainTool research project ran from 1 March 2024 to 30 June 2026. In addition to the WZL Machine Tool Laboratory at RWTH Aachen University, the plastics cluster of Business Upper Austria – OÖ Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH, the Forschungsgemeinschaft Werkzeuge und Werkstoffe e. V. (FGW), the Montanuniversität Leoben, Fraunhofer Austria Research GmbH and Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences were involved as research partners.