Fraunhofer Center of Circular Economy for Mobility (CCEM)

Sustainable mobility

With regard to climate-neutral mobility, the industry is currently facing enormous challenges. In the past, these have been met primarily by reducing the consumption of drive units and vehicle weight. In the course of the worldwide political and social climate discussion, the demand for a holistic evaluation of the CO2 footprint isincreasing.. Along the vehicle life cycle, energy conservation and, above all, resource conservation play a decisive role. The circular economy of materials, components and systems at the highest possible level of the value chain can make a major contribution to this.

The research campus Open Hybrid LabFactory e.V. (OHLF) is considered to be one of Germany’s leading addresses for the research and development of solutions as to how industrial vehicle production can be designed sustainably and in the sense of a Circular Economy in the future. The Fraunhofer Center of Circular Economy for Mobility (CCEM) combines the expertise of the Fraunhofer Institutes IST, IFAM, IWU and WKI on various research topics in the field of Circular Economy with the aim of developing and evaluating new materials, production techniques and digital methods in an economically and ecologically sustainable manner. For this purpose, researchers develop methods for automated disassembly and assembly processes, Re-X processes such as ReManufacturing, ReUse as well as ReFurbishment but also large-scale production technologies for the processing of bio-based or recycled plastic materials. 

Within the CCEM, Fraunhofer IWU focuses on the areas of fully automated disassembly and assembly processes of vehicle components and systems or production technologies for sustainable lightweight construction.

In addition to automotive engineering, Fraunhofer CCEM primarily addresses aviation, shipping and rail transport. With its research expertise, Fraunhofer CCEM supports national and international manufacturers and suppliers of the respective industries in developing sustainable solutions and bringing them to the market: from sustainable raw materials to resource-efficient manufacturing to the most complete possible recycling.