Loading…
Thumbnail Image

On improving the product sustainability of metallic automotive components by using the total life-cycle approach and the 6R methodology

Zhang, X.; Badurdeen, F.; Rouch, K.; Jawahir, I. S.

This paper presents a novel methodology involving the use of total life-cycle approach, including the Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) method, for improving the product sustainability performance of metallic automotive components. This involves consideration of all four life-cycle stages (pre-manufacturing - PM, manufacturing - M, use - U and post-use - PU), and integration of the 6R activities (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Redesign and Remanufacture). Various end-of-life (EOL) product scenarios - reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling - are modeled and analyzed within the chosen SimaPro LCA software environment. By using the recently established metrics-based Product Sustainability Index (ProdSI) methodology, final aggregated product sustainability scores for different product EOL options are generated. The validated ProdSI results provide options for improving the overall product sustainability by using the new evaluation methodology. This work also shows that a closed-loop material flow, and multiple life-cycles can be achieved through the use of this new methodology.
Published in: Innovative solutions : proceedings / 11th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, Berlin, Germany, 23rd - 25th September, 2013, Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin
  • Part of: Seliger, Günther (Ed.): Innovative solutions : proceedings / 11th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, Berlin, Germany, 23rd - 25th September, 2013. - Berlin: Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin, 2013. - ISBN 978-3-7983-2609-5 (online). - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-40276. - pp.194-199.