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.
Sustainable design becomes powerful when it moves from aspiration to engineering requirement. That is where product teams can make better tradeoffs, reduce lifecycle impacts, and create business value at the same time.
This summer, PTC is collaborating with the University of Vermont Grossman School of Business’s Sustainable Innovation MBA program to advance our Codebeamer Design for Sustainability Requirements Template. The goal is practical: help engineering teams bring sustainability guidance into part, product, and product-service-system decisions earlier in the design cycle, when choices are less costly to change and more valuable to get right.
To make that work real, we are looking closely at manufacturers that treat sustainability as an engineering opportunity rather than a reporting obligation. One standout example is Ryvid, an electric motorcycle manufacturer featured in PTC’s Impact Report, a PTC case study, and the Third Angle podcast.
I also have a personal lens on the story: I’m in my second year riding a Ryvid Anthem. That makes the sustainability strategy tangible. The bike is a joy to ride, but it is also a useful case study in how “Design for X” thinking can connect environmental performance, customer experience, serviceability, and revenue opportunity.
I shared a less structured LinkedIn post last year on the Ryvid design. Building on that, here are four design-for-sustainability patterns from the Anthem that can apply broadly across discrete manufacturing.
Design for longevity
How Ryvid applies it:
- Durable aluminum chassis and electric motor designed for a long service life.
- Removable, modular battery architecture that anticipates future upgrade paths as battery technology improves.
- Modular cosmetic covers that allow color and style changes without replacing the core product.
- Open design sharing that supports third-party accessory providers.
- Electric drivetrain with regenerative braking that avoids many high-wear internal combustion components.
How it creates environmental and business value:
- Lower total cost of ownership through longer-lived major components.
- Higher utilization of durable assets by avoiding premature replacement.
- Modular upgrades that extend product life, create upsell opportunities, and reinforce brand loyalty.
Design for repairability
How Ryvid applies it:
- Fastened aluminum frame design, rather than a heavily welded structure (and this fastened approach enables a differentiating user-adjustable seat height).
- Public parts catalog and repair/service videos that make maintenance more accessible.
How it creates environmental and business value:
- Broader customer reach through ergonomic adjustability.
- Better readiness for right-to-repair regulations.
- Increased service parts revenue.
- Easier customer self-service experience that can geographically scale sales and operations.
Design for disassembly and circularity
How Ryvid applies it:
- Mechanical fasteners on the frame reduce reliance on permanent joining methods.
- Accessories also use mechanical fasteners, simplifying removal and replacement.
- Modular subassemblies and field-replaceable units support service, refurbishment, and reuse.
- Cleaner separation between aluminum structural components and plastic cosmetic parts.
How it creates environmental and business value:
- Globally scalable manufacturing because regional operations can focus on assembly rather than welding or other complex industrial processes.
- Economies of scale across supplier components and field-replaceable units used in multiple variants.
- Greater potential for profitable reuse, refurbishment, and remanufacturing through module swaps.
- More efficient separation of materials that may be recycled or recovered at higher value.
Design for sustainable behavior
How Ryvid applies it:
- Eco and sport modes give riders a clear choice between efficiency and performance.
- A central console displays power usage and regenerative braking feedback in real time.
How it creates environmental and business value:
- Eco mode can help attract newer riders while encouraging efficient use.
- Energy feedback helps riders manage range and reinforces lower-impact behavior without sacrificing the riding experience.
The bigger lesson: Sustainability belongs in the requirements conversation
Ryvid’s Anthem is compelling because its sustainability story is not limited to electrification. The product shows how durability, modularity, repairability, disassembly, and user feedback can become design choices with measurable business value. These choices can reduce lifecycle impact while also supporting lower ownership costs, service revenue, customer loyalty, supply chain flexibility, and future product upgrades.
That is the opportunity for engineering and sustainability teams: translate sustainability goals into clear requirements, connect those requirements to customer value and commercial outcomes, then drive them with traceability through the design process. When sustainability is designed in early, it becomes less of a constraint and more of a product strategy.
Learn more about product sustainability with our free book: Product Sustainability for Dummies download
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