Dave Duncan is VP of Sustainability at PTC. He is responsible for the sustainability capabilities of PTC’s product portfolio to help customers sustainably design, manufacture, and service products. He also leads PTC's internal environmental programs to ensure environmental improvements are aligned with financial goals, both for PTC and our customers. Prior to PTC, Dave held various product leadership roles at Servigistics, Kaidara, GE Healthcare, and JD Edwards. Dave holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Operations Research from Princeton University and received a Blended Professional Certificate: Chief Sustainability Officer from MIT.
For years, sustainability in discrete manufacturing was compliance-led and carried an uncomfortable label: necessary, admirable, and expensive.
That era is ending.
What used to look like a margin sacrifice is now showing up as a business advantage. Burning fuel and wasting materials are increasingly uncompetitive activities. Circular business models build margins and customer loyalty.
Cleaner technologies, markets, and programs are scaling faster than even most optimists expected. The green premium is being replaced by financial advantage. And in 2026, the economics are moving fast.
- Electrified ground transport is becoming a total cost of ownership (TCO) decision, not just a climate decision. For high-utilization fleets operating around predictable locations, the math increasingly favors electrification: lower energy cost, lower maintenance intensity, and improved reliability.
- Solar, wind, and batteries are turning energy from a cost risk into a resilience strategy. Battery costs have fallen over 90% since 2010, addressing intermittency concerns and making distributed clean energy more practical for lowering electricity costs, reducing peak demand, stabilizing energy prices, and keeping operations running when the grid is stressed.
- Digital product passports are becoming more than compliance paperwork. Done well, they enable connected sales and service models, strengthen customer loyalty, and create professionally managed end-of-life experiences. Asset Administration Shell, a leading passport standard, evolved from compliance-led to business-led as circular business models became evident (this is a groundbreaking topic and will be the focus of a follow-up post).
- Supplier sustainability is becoming supply-chain insurance. Suppliers that improve decarbonization, circularity, and material transparency are better positioned to manage critical material exposure, oil volatility, tariffs, and shifting customer requirements.
The sustainability job has changed. It is no longer about defending green premiums. It is about helping the business move earlier toward cleaner, more profitable, and less risky value chains.
Compliance still matters. But increasingly, compliance becomes the byproduct of business-led data, design choices, energy decisions, and supplier engagement.
The companies that move fast will not just look more sustainable. They will be more competitive.
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