Hürth, February 6, 2024 – Although the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have acted as global guidelines for a sustainable future since 2015, the latest “Global Report on Sustainable Development” from the United Nations reveals that achieving the SDGs is still a long way off. However, the report also shows that artificial intelligence (AI) offers enormous opportunities for the implementation of the SDGs. But this potential is not yet sufficiently taken into account. According to a current ifaa study, less than 20% of study participants who use AI in their companies use these technologies specifically to achieve the SDGs.
“There is clear potential that has not yet been fully exploited. AI can contribute to achieving the SDGs in a wide range of work areas,” explains Jennifer Link, scientific expert at the Institute for Applied Work Science (ifaa) and employee in the “WIRKsam” competence center. Meeting market requirements and delivering on time is not that easy, especially when there are a large number of products, long production and delivery times and rapidly changing trends. In collaboration with the “WIRKsam” competence center, the company “Reiners + Fürst” GmbH and Co. KG, a global supplier of ring runners and spinning rings for the textile industry, is facing the challenge of overproduction. This not only creates financial losses, but also causes significant material waste.
AI enables precise analysis of sales data and reduces psychological stress on employees.
So far, planning for sales and production has been solely in the hands of the employees. However, the high level of uncertainty when making decisions can put a lot of psychological strain on them. “Together with “Reiners + Fürst”, we are developing an AI system that carries out an analysis of historical sales data and seasonal trends in real time,” describes Matteo Tschesche, research associate at the Institute for Mobile Autonomous Systems and Cognitive Robotics at Aachen University of Applied Sciences (MASKOR).
Based on this data, the system is able to make a recommendation for each individual product as to whether it should be produced. This approach enables a significant reduction in the psychological stress on employees. AI offers high potential for achieving sustainability goals. “AI can help companies become more economically, ecologically and socially sustainable in innovative ways. The AI use cases represented in the Competence Center demonstrate this in a variety of ways,” describes Dr. Adjan Hansen-Ampah, scientific expert at the Institute for Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University (ITA).
The “WIRKsam” competence center, together with the company “Reiners + Fürst”, sets a strong example for sustainable production practices and promotes the achievement of sustainability goals 9 “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure” and 12 “Sustainable Consumption and Production” as well as SDG 3 “Health and well-being”. “WIRKsam” thus makes a valuable contribution to the implementation of the United Nations’ differentiated sustainability goals.
Further information about the study can be found at: under the query on the benefits perspective of AI and
About the “WIRKsam” competence center
The “WIRKsam” competence center was founded in November 2021 and has a real laboratory on the euronova CAMPUS in Hürth-Kalscheuren. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funds the Regional Competence Center for Labor Research under funding number 02L19C600ff. “WIRKsam” is made up of five research institutes, three enablers, eleven application companies and 11 value partners. The research institutes involved include the Institute for Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University (ITA) and the Institute for Mobile Autonomous Systems and Cognitive Robotics at FH Aachen (MASKOR) as well as the Institute for Applied Work Science as project coordinator. V. (ifaa) in Düsseldorf. Other research partners are the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, Sankt Augustin (FIT) and the Chair of Technology and Individuals at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (iTec). The “WIRKsam” real-world laboratory in Studio 6 on the euronova CAMPUS provides insights into current research work. Demonstrators using AI can be tested live in the future. Eleven small and large companies from the broader industry have so far taken part in the research project and are supported by the interdisciplinary scientific team. www.arbeitsforschung.net/forschung-projekte/effective We would be happy to arrange an interview with our experts.
Contact for editorial teams:
EFFECTIVE – Regional Competence Center for Labor Research
CONTACT PERSON: Dorothea Dühr
CONTACT: 02233 600371-6, [email protected]
www.wirksam.nrw
www.arbeitswissenschaft.net/forschung-projekte/wirksam
CONTACT PERSON: Sabrina Gellissen
CONTACT: 0241 80-24701, [email protected]
www.wirksam.nrw
The “WIRKsam” competence center was founded in November 2021 and has a real laboratory on the euronova CAMPUS in Hürth-Kalscheuren. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funds the Regional Competence Center for Labor Research under funding number 02L19C600ff. “WIRKsam” is made up of five research institutes, three enablers, eleven application companies and 11 value partners. The research institutes involved include the Institute for Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University (ITA) and the Institute for Mobile Autonomous Systems and Cognitive Robotics at FH Aachen (MASKOR) as well as the Institute for Applied Work Science as project coordinator. V. (ifaa) in Düsseldorf. Other research partners are the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, Sankt Augustin (FIT) and the Chair of Technology and Individuals at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (iTec). The “WIRKsam” real-world laboratory in Studio 6 on the euronova CAMPUS provides insights into current research work. Demonstrators using AI can be tested live in the future. Eleven small and large companies from the broader industry have so far taken part in the research project and are supported by the interdisciplinary scientific team.
Contact
Competence center EFFECTIVE
Dorothea Dühr
At Hasenkaule 10
50354 Hurth
01788913288