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

Humberto J Prado-Galiñanes,Rosario Domingo

doi:10.3390/pr9081271

Humberto J Prado-Galiñanes, Rosario Domingo

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9081271

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Journal: Processes	Publication Date: Jul 23, 2021
Citations: 5	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: National University of Distance Education

Abstract

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.

Highlights

In rapidly changing industries, making the right decisions at the right time may establish the difference between a successful and a disastrous enterprise
After compiling the equations output and splitting it into the different fields described throughout the paper, the results of the life cycle inventory (LCI) applied to the carbon footprint (CF) calculation can be presented
It has been proven that the search for strategies and new technologies to meet the Sustainable Development Goals requires an understanding of the real impact that the production of industrial goods and services causes to the well-being of the environment and living beings [95]. To achieve this level of comprehension within the industry, companies are in need of a suitable methodology that can be applied to their day-to-day business, helping to boost sustainable initiatives [96] that will reduce their overall manufacturing footprint and mitigate the impact of CO2 emissions on the environment wherever it is most efficient and effective [97]

Summary

Introduction

In rapidly changing industries, making the right decisions at the right time may establish the difference between a successful and a disastrous enterprise. In this regard, one of the crucial decisions of the moment concerns the role of every industry in environmental preservation [1]. Suitable tools must be provided to industries by the scientific community in order to facilitate the appropriate collection of facts and data, as well as to accelerate the analysis of different production alternatives to understand the financial, and the environmental risk of a certain decision [5]

Methods

Results

Conclusion