Driving Decarbonization Through Collaboration: Insights from a SMAR3TS Secondment at ARENA2036

By Associate Professor Aleksandra Andjelkivic, Faculty of Economics - University of Niš, Serbia

Decarbonizing automotive supply chains is a complex challenge that requires collaboration among different stakeholders, including automotive manufacturers, suppliers, research institutions, and technology providers. Understanding their interrelationships, dependencies, and challenges was at the core of my secondment at ARENA2036 e.V., a unique industrial research ecosystem dedicated to developing future solutions for sustainable mobility.

During the secondment, the research focused on identifying key bottlenecks and barriers that may slow down the decarbonization of automotive supply chains, with particular attention to the roles of different stakeholders, production processes, technological dependencies, and organizational challenges. Through meetings and the exchange of experiences with ARENA2036 representatives, valuable insights were gained into the challenges faced by industry in the transition towards sustainable production and mobility.

Based on a review of scientific literature, European strategic documents, and industry reports, a research framework and survey questionnaire were developed to identify key stakeholders and factors that enable or constrain the decarbonization of automotive supply chains. The data collection process was initiated during the secondment, and the results will provide a basis for further analysis and the development of recommendations aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience and accelerating the implementation of decarbonization solutions.

The research directly contributes to WP3 – R3 Transport Systems and INNOVATE3X Initiative No. 3 – Assessment of Scalability Processes for Industrial Decarbonization by identifying challenges and opportunities for scaling decarbonization solutions from individual technologies to entire supply chains.

The next steps include the preparation of a scientific paper, presentation of the research findings at an international scientific conference, and continuation of joint research activities focused on the sustainable transformation of automotive supply chains and transport systems.

• 

• 

•