Multi-criteria sustainable purchasing decisions using a life cycle analysis approach for fiber optic cable selection in telecommunications industry

Abstract

Sustainable purchasing requires the consideration of the three pillars of sustainability simultaneously, namely the economy, the environment and the society. From a practical perspective, it can be challenging to quantify and integrate the environmental and societal considerations into day-to-day purchasing decisions. In this paper, a multi-criteria sustainable purchasing decision framework is applied where the environmental and societal criteria are obtained using a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) approach. For this purpose, an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) model has been developed in conjunction with LCA to solve a sustainable purchasing problem from a large internet service provider (ISP) in the telecommunications industry, where the aim is to select the best jacketing option for fiber optic cabling. The jacketing options evaluated include Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC). The results show that while PVC is the most economical viable option, HDPE emerges as the most sustainable option. A detailed sensitivity analysis indicates that even for highly cost-centric perspective (with relatively low weights on the environmental and social criteria) the results would hold. An impact analysis shows that switching to a sustainable jacketing option can reduce the related carbon emissions by 29% and particulate matter by 40%.