Following the idea of absolute sustainability, the conceptual frameworks for Positive Impact Products (PIP) and Positive Impact Factories (PIF) have been introduced as two visionary approaches for eco-effective value creation. While PIP focuses on the integrated design and engineering of product systems with net-positive sustainability impacts across the entire life cycle, PIF aims to realize factory systems that actively contribute to net-positive sustainability gains. Both frameworks have shifted the focus from minimizing negative impacts to maximizing systemic benefits across multiple levels and sustainability dimensions. This research examines how the PIP and PIF frameworks can be systematically integrated into a unified framework by contrasting them based on defined criteria, highlighting conceptual overlaps, complementary potentials, and methodological differences. A combined model is proposed to map interrelations and support the joint design and engineering of products and factories for net-positive sustainability impacts. The discussion explores the added value of a joint PIP-PIF perspective, including an improved alignment between product and factory design, while also addressing challenges such as increased complexity and the need for novel assessment methods. Findings underscore the potential of integrating PIP and PIF, while also identifying gaps that call for further research on impact interactions, boundary definitions, and system-level design strategies. By bridging PIP and PIF, this research outlines an approach to support the overarching pursuit of absolute sustainability across the life cycle of a product and all its factory systems.
Mörsdorf et al. (2026) studied this question.