The global increase of manufacturing activities and the need for sustainability, calls for manufacturing strategies and technologies with reduced environmental impact. This paper presents a part of a strategic research initiative in Sweden, established by an ambitious industry-academic collaboration. A cross-organizational and cross-disciplinary focus area has been formulated to develop leading-edge production research for the future: Life cycle approaches on product realization. The research considers the total life cycle of the product and production system on three levels: (1) On a process level, with manufacturing technologies supporting products with high energy efficiency and low materials usage. (2) On a system level, with an extended production system design for the total life cycle of the production and product portfolio. (3) On an information level, with methods and tools covering the life cycles of products and production.