Life cycle assessment of an automotive factory: Identifying challenges for the decarbonization of automotive production – A case study

Gebler, Malte; Cerdas, Juan Felipe; Thiede, Sebastian; Herrmann, Christoph

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122330

Cited by 37 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…This approach guides the development of automobiles with markedly reduced environmental footprints, factoring in material choices, recycling potential, energy efficiency, and other critical considerations. 89,90 Driving further momentum towards sustainability are industrywide initiatives and government regulations. Numerous automotive manufacturers have made resolute commitments to sustainability goals, setting ambitious targets for the incorporation of recyclable materials in their automobiles and the reduction of overall carbon emissions.…”

Section: In-mold Decoration and In-mold Electronicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By considering factors ranging from raw material extraction and manufacturing to product use and end‐of‐life scenarios, LCA empowers informed decision‐making in eco‐design. This approach guides the development of automobiles with markedly reduced environmental footprints, factoring in material choices, recycling potential, energy efficiency, and other critical considerations 89,90 . Driving further momentum towards sustainability are industry‐wide initiatives and government regulations.…”

Section: Sustainability and Recyclabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Applications of plastics in the automotive industry: Current trends and future perspectives

Abedsoltan

2023

Polymer Engineering & Sci

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Plastics have transformed the automotive industry, contributing substantially to automobile design, weight reduction, fuel efficiency, safety, and sustainability. This review paper examines the applications of plastics in the automotive sector, evaluates the present trends, and describes the future plastic consumption possibilities, emphasizing emerging technology and sustainable practices. The paper delineates how plastics have become an essential component of automotive innovation and illustrates the possibilities for additional breakthroughs in this dynamic industry.Highlights Advances in plastics, bioplastics, and smart materials in the auto industry. Plastic role in design, safety, and sustainability in the auto industry. Recycling and the circular economy of plastics in the auto industry. Collaboration of stakeholders to drive change in the auto industry.

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Section: In-mold Decoration and In-mold Electronicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sustainability and Recyclabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of plastics in the automotive industry: Current trends and future perspectives

Abedsoltan

2023

Polymer Engineering & Sci

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“…All steel used at NTU and part of the steel at UCB (0.6-1.8 kg CO 2 e/m 2 •y) comes on top of the impact caused by reinforced concrete constructions. Various literature sources identified concrete as adding the highest single embodied CF within the lifecycle of a building (e.g., Gebler et al [54]: in an automobile factory; Huang et al [55]: among university dormitories in China, Mahler et al [56]: Housing concepts in Germany). Decarbonizing the cement industry [57,58] and largely replacing cement by wood in buildings [59] is seen as one of the most important future tasks.…”

Section: Single Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon Footprinting of Universities Worldwide Part II: First Quantification of Complete Embodied Impacts of Two Campuses in Germany and Singapore

2022

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Universities, as innovation drivers in science and technology worldwide, should attempt to become carbon-neutral institutions and should lead this transformation. Many universities have picked up the challenge and quantified their carbon footprints; however, up-to-date quantification is limited to use-phase emissions. So far, data on embodied impacts of university campus infrastructure are missing, which prevents us from evaluating their life cycle costs. In this paper, we quantify the embodied impacts of two university campuses of very different sizes and climate zones: the Umwelt Campus Birkenfeld (UCB), Germany, and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. We also quantify the effects of switching to full renewable energy supply on the carbon footprint of a university campus based on the example of UCB. The embodied impacts amount to 13.7 (UCB) and 26.2 (NTU) kg CO2e/m2•y, respectively, equivalent to 59.2% (UCB), and 29.8% (NTU), respectively, of the building lifecycle impacts. As a consequence, embodied impacts can be dominating; thus, they should be quantified and reported. When adding additional use-phase impacts caused by the universities on top of the building lifecycle impacts (e.g., mobility impacts), both institutions happen to exhibit very similar emissions with 124.5–126.3 kg CO2e/m2•y despite their different sizes, structures, and locations. Embodied impacts comprise 11.0–20.8% of the total impacts at the two universities. In conclusion, efficient reduction in university carbon footprints requires a holistic approach, considering all impacts caused on and by a campus including upstream effects.

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“…Once the necessary data is at the concerned industry s disposal, the LCI process [13,15] shall move on to the next stage, which in this paper consists of the pertinent calculations that lead to estimating the CF [16] of the scenarios at stake (Table 2).…”

Section: Main Hypothesis Assumptions and Considerations Of The Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The LCA methodology is a standardized procedure (ISO 14,040 [12] and ISO 14,044 [12]) [20] that offers a tool to properly assess the impact of an entire product life cycle on a certain factor generally linked to the environment [21]. It has been already applied to different products and branches [15,22,23]; however, there is still some lack of knowledge within the industry for what the LCA utility concerns [24].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the Impact of Production Globalization through Application of the Life Cycle Inventory Methodology and Its Influence on Decision Making in Industry

Prado-Galiñanes

Domingo

2021

Processes

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Industries are nowadays not only expected to produce goods and provide services, but also to do this sustainably. What qualifies a company as sustainable implies that its activities must be defined according to the social and ecological responsibilities that are meant to protect the society and the environment in which they operate. From now on, it will be necessary to consider and measure the impact of industrial activities on the environment, and to do so, one key parameter is the carbon footprint. This paper demonstrates the utility of the LCI as a tool for immediate application in industries. Its application shall facilitate decision making in industries while choosing amongst different scenarios to industrialize a certain product with the lowest environmental impact possible. To achieve this, the carbon footprint of a given product was calculated by applying the LCI method to several scenarios that differed from each other only in the supply-chain model. As a result of this LCI calculation, the impact of the globalization of a good’s production was quantified not only financially, but also environmentally. Finally, it was concluded that the LCI/LCA methodology can be considered as a fundamental factor in the new decision-making strategy that sustainable companies must implement while deciding on the business and industrial plan for their new products and services.

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Life cycle assessment of an automotive factory: Identifying challenges for the decarbonization of automotive production – A case study

Cited by 37 publications

References 46 publications

Applications of plastics in the automotive industry: Current trends and future perspectives

Applications of plastics in the automotive industry: Current trends and future perspectives

Carbon Footprinting of Universities Worldwide Part II: First Quantification of Complete Embodied Impacts of Two Campuses in Germany and Singapore

Quantifying the Impact of Production Globalization through Application of the Life Cycle Inventory Methodology and Its Influence on Decision Making in Industry

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