Abstract
The product-level carbon footprint (PCF) is a comprehensive and widely accepted metric for sustainable product development. However, since a full PCF study in general is time and cost intensive, it is not feasible for the product development team to synchronize the activity to the main product development process. In addition, the current dedicated life cycle assessment (LCA) tools for calculating PCF, separated from the main product data management systems, have limitations to provide timely PCF information for design decision makings and collaborations between design and environment engineers. This paper examines the possibility of the extension of the current product data model that can support the PCF calculation with PDM (Product Data Management) databases. The product data model can represent not only the content of products but also context or system information of the products. The product data model can be implemented as a PDM database that can satisfy the needs for handy and timely PCF calculations from the consistent product data for dynamic design decision makings and engineering collaborations.