Life Cycle Inventories for Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing Processes

Obiettivo

A.BACKGROUND

Life Cycle Assessment is a powerful methodology for analysing the environmental impacts of materials, processes and products throughout their Life Cycle. There is no doubt amongst the experts about the mighty possibilities for the analysis and interpretation of processes, products or systems using a life cycle perspective. Many years of research, scientific discussion and standardisation in the ISO 14040 series helped in developing LCA. LCA has the potential to become a very efficient tool for guiding the environmental management of companies and leading to the development of environmentally responsible new materials, processes and products.

However, LCA has still not been established as a widely used tool for industrial decision making. A survey of German companies showed the discrepancy between the willingness of (mostly manufacturing) companies to develop environmentally responsible products and the actual application of measures to achieve the targets. While 90% of the responding companies claimed to pay great attention to environmental criteria in their product development and production, LCA was used by only about 13% of the companies. Three times more corporations did not even know about life cycle-based tools, and another 10% did not even answer the question. The application was examined by another 19% of the enterprises, but they either saw no sense in the application or considered LCA to be too expensive. Large companies made significantly more use of LCA than small and medium-sized enterprises.

Another survey in four European countries showed that SMEs have great difficulties in carrying out LCA, stating that it is too complicated for them. The help of external consultants was successful when complemented by company-internal knowledge about LCA. Other findings were that LCA studies were rather retrospective, leading to a company internal learning process and so to more long-term benefits, based on the implementation of LCA results in strategic decisions. Expectations about using LCA proactively in design and optimisation processes on an operational level with short-term benefits were not fulfilled.

A.1. State of the art

The above highlight just a few of the obstacles for companies willing to make use of LCA and could be continued. It can be summarised as follows:

Research on LCA so far has made the method more precise, more reliable, more transparent, but also more complex. For the use in public funded studies or research projects, all this progress has been necessary.

Another restriction of LCA application is the high data demand. Public and commercial databases have been developed for basic commodities like energy supply and transportation as well as for basic materials. Manufacturing processes are very case specific and rely on many technical parameters. Therefore it is difficult to collect and supply general data sets for manufacturing processes. Further research is necessary in order to increase knowledge about the treatment of manufacturing processes in LCA.

Most producing companies deal with manufacturing processes. Environmentally friendly product design and production processes cannot only be based on material selection. The enterprises need infrastructure and advice in order to collect data and apply LCA to their manufacturing processes. Complementarily, they need reliable and accepted LCA data models for manufacturing processes considered relevant in decision making.
Also, environmental data must be expressed in terms that are understandable to in-firm decision makers, and compatible with economic information on the subject to be decided upon, to allow for practical decisions on R&D, implementation and marketing.

The proposed COST Action aims at promoting basic academic research in the interdisciplinary field of Life Cycle Assessment and modelling. At the same time, the useful
application of the advanced knowledge in manufacturing industries is targeted. To integrate these two goals, it will be necessary to address the needs and expectations of European manufacturing industries in the field of LCA. This can be achieved with the thematic application of projects performed under this umbrella. They will demonstrate the efficiency of the advanced methodologies and tools to provide the desired answers in industries.
Thus, the development of new methodologies for life cycle modelling and interpretation will go hand in hand with metal manufacturing processes, providing a case study for testing the practicable applicability of the concepts.

A.2. Synergy with EU RTD programs

The proposed COST action will be an ideal framework for an European cooperation in the field of LCA, since a long term concerted action in the interdisciplinary field of LCA is needed to maintain Europe's leadership in the environmental sector. Europe has to defend this position actively, since other countries like Japan have started intensive programs to foster sustainable production processes and products. Applied LCA is one of the cornerstones of this strategy. Related developments in the US are also gaining momentum.

The experiences and backgrounds of research groups in European countries with a long tradition in LCA research and application and from countries with a short history will lead to fruitful networking and new approaches.

This COST Action provides the opportunity to work coherently in different European countries on different aspects of a defined problem field and exchange information in a pre-competitive stage. In this way, duplication of work can be avoided and advanced knowledge can be promoted and structured in a helpful manner. The proposers see the main advantage of this Action compared with thematic networks in the possible harmonisation and coordination of the national research activities and in a strong focus for the work.

A.2.1.Complementarity of proposed COST Action and EU 5th Framework Programme

The proposed COST Action can be considered complementary to the 5th Framework programme "competitive and sustainable growth" which supports new technologies for materials production and manufacturing. In many proposed or running projects under the EU 5th Framework programme, LCA studies are integrated in order to evaluate the environmental benefit of new solutions. Method oriented LCA projects are not funded under this programme. The proposed COST Action will provide a platform to collect and structure the achieved progress in LCA knowledge and make it available to researchers and practitioners.

A.2.2.Complementarity of proposed COST Action and other COST Actions

The proposed COST Action intends to network with other Actions dealing with life cycle aspects. Actions E1 on paper recyclability and E9 on LCA of forestry products deserve a special mention. Contacts with these Groups already exist and will be extended. The goal is to exchange information in order to create synergies and avoid duplication of work. However, the themes of these Actions are not close to materials and so the direct benefits will be at a quite general level.

Another initiative to be mentioned here is the envisaged ad hoc COST TC on Environment. The planned TC will deal with environmental science themes like water management, climate, etc. This Action deals with relations between manufacturing processes and potential environmental impacts from a micro-economic point of view. So it can be considered complementary to the planned TC. Contacts with key persons in the new TC exist and will be extended in the future.

The proposed Action desires to network with other COST Actions in the COST Materials domain, dealing with materials processing and modelling (e.g. COST Action 512).

Furthermore, the proposed COST Action is willing to be a competent partner for all other COST domains dealing with environmental topics.

B.OBJECTIVES AND BENEFITS

B.1.Scientific objectives and benefits

The main objective of the Action is to increase the knowledge of environmental impacts of manufacturing processes in order to develop and implement environmentally conscious processes, reduce environmental impacts, and take knowledge based decisions. This will be reached by fostered application of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology within the manufacturing industries. Thus, the knowledge of Life Cycle Inventories of important processes has to be increased. Further, industry tailored models of these processes and specific operational software tools are required make this information available to decision makers in industry. To achieve this goal it will be necessary to coordinate basic and applied research efforts of European scientists and industries working in this field.

Secondary objectives and benefits are to:

- increase the knowledge about material - manufacturing process interrelations,
- support development of environmentally conscious technologies,
- lead to profitable and sustainable production,
- support development of environmentally conscious and innovative products,
- optimise use of resources,
- optimise end-of-life operations related to the manufacturing technologies.

B.2.Industrial and social objectives and benefits.

The credibility and precision of the required data and processing methods will be enhanced by the joint initiative. By bringing together recognised experts from all over Europe, and working in this concerted action in a coordinated way, it will help to eliminate existing problems that create obstacles for the application of the methodology.

The aim is to broaden the application of LCA for sustainability oriented decision making in manufacturing industry and to improve its operational applicability through increased
knowledge and advanced methods. More specifically, the purposes are to:

- solve data problems by improving modelling and data management,
- solve interpretation problems by improving impact assessment,
- solve decision making problems by integrating the broader sustainability aspects, especially economic and performance considerations (Eco Efficiency, Life Cycle Engineering),
- solve operational applicability problems through their integration into existing industrial decision-making processes (Design for Environment).

This will strengthen European industries by:

- enabling manufacturing companies to identify relevant environmental aspects of their own processes,
- reducing the environmental risks faced by manufacturing companies,
- improving the competitiveness of EU companies in the global market through sustainable products,
- identifying cost saving potentials,
- identifying efficient mechanisms for integrating environmental life cycle impacts into industrial decision making processes.

The proposed Action will bridge national frontiers and practices in LCA research by enhancing networking possibilities. The improved mobility of involved researchers within Europe will foster international and inter-disciplinary collaborations and strengthen the cohesion of Europe. The high interest of research groups in the collaboration and coordination provided by the COST umbrella is shown by the Provisional List of COST participants. The number of represented countries willing to participate is at present 15.

The Action will be the framework for:

- contributing to coordination of scientific efforts in the field of LCA by working in a European team,
- avoidance of duplication of work,
- supporting improvement of quality of life in the EU,
- supporting an interdisciplinary scientific approach,
- supporting European integration,
- building a basis for better specification of Best Available Technologies,
- improvement of intra-European communication and mobility.

C. SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME

The proposed COST Action will achieve the aforementioned objectives through the following working group structure of the scientific research programme:

The two horizontal working groups will address methodological questions such as availability of data and quality aspects, the generation of material and energy flow models of manufacturing processes, and research on operational tools for application of information in industrial decision making.

The three working groups dealing with the application of the research to different manufacturing processes are vertically illustrated. These working groups should preferably accommodate projects with industrial contributions. Close cross links between the vertical and the horizontal working groups are important for keeping the problem oriented direction of the research work.

The exemplary application is focused on metal and alloy manufacturing processes to ensure concentrated in-depth research work. This focus could be widened where necessary during later phases of the Action, e.g. to evaluate possibilities for transformation of the models to other branches like plastics or ceramics.

The working groups will form the scientific framework of the Action. The suggested structure enables method oriented projects as well as application/verification oriented projects. Cross links between the working groups will be set up by multiple memberships of research groups.

Projects under this umbrella will contribute to the objectives of this COST Action as outlined in Section B.

1.Data collection, data quality and documentation

Availability of credible Life Cycle Inventory data sets for a specific situation and for the specific goal of a study forms the baseline of every LCA study. Projects related to this working group cover the themes dealing with generation, quality aspects, data handling in-and between different data base structures, and the field of documentation.

The goal of the coordinated research efforts in this cluster is to create a harmonised state of the art on these topics. The new methods will lead to less time consuming data generation procedures within manufacturing industries while keeping a high quality standard. Research work carried out in this working group should be related to the following research topics mentioned below:

- Definition problem of functional units of manufacturing processes
- Reliability and representativity of collected data
- Interrelations between Inventories and impact assessment methods
- Streamlining approaches and completeness of data
- Process type specific interactive guidelines for efficient data collection by industry
- Using of BAT documents as data sources and for benchmarking
- Adapting Input-Output models for use as background data in manufacturing
- Cost structures, connection of specific costs to inventory data
- Risk structures, connection of risks to the inventory
- Analysis of existing efforts to make data available
- Developments for harmonisation and structuring of data sets like hierarchical structures, common understanding of names, measurement methods and grouping of environmental and material flows
- Methods for data generation and publication, dealing with confidentiality affairs, averaging, generalisation of data
- Methods for LCI data transfer along supply chains
- Rules and procedures for industry internal cooperations and industry-research cooperations.

Research and Development of common data structures and tools making data available
- Further development and harmonisation of data documentation and data quality evaluation.

2.Modelling of manufacturing processes and application of results in industrial decision making

Since manufacturing processes are related to many different parameters, the direct applicability of an LCI of a specific manufacturing process to other related situations should always be viewed with caution. Modelling approaches can be judged to lead to solutions when process LCIs are representative of the inputs and outputs of the specific processes under consideration. Furthermore, life cycle modelling approaches are based on a system analysis, not on a snapshot of the processes under consideration. Understanding this matrix of physical material and energy flows as variable and dynamic rather than static, opens up new dimensions for prospective as opposed to restrospective LCAs. Projects carried out within this working group will deal with basic analysis and structuring of manufacturing processes, modelling approaches and develop enhanced analysis methods on the basis of the improved data models. They should be related to topics like mentioned below:

- Clustering and sorting of manufacturing processes into groups
- Relations between materials and the manufacturing processes
- Identification of physical/chemical nature of processes
- Identification of critical parameters of processes for generic models
- Conception of LCI models for manufacturing processes
- Modelling existing current and optional future manufacturing processes
- Scenario development and uncertainty analysis on the basis of generic process models
- Development and application of optimisation approaches on pictured process chains.

Company internal use and communication of LCA results will be improved by the outcomes of the second part of the working group. Firstly, the difficulties created by the nature of multi-criteria results and the need for interpretation and evaluation are the cause of some the difficulties experienced by companies in obtaining benefits from LCA studies. Secondly, a number of issues about integration into organisational decision-making processes and management structures still remain unresolved. The research coordinated within this section of the working group will focus on improved methods and tools within different decision-making contexts. This is necessary to bridge the gap between LCI data and the willingness of industry to learn how to do better in future. The research work will fit to topics aimed at improving the operational applicability of LCA such as:

- Implementation of LCA results in companies
- Research on the interpretation problem and improvement of impact assessment methods
- Integration of LCA information in a broader sustainability framework, including other sustainability aspects like economic criteria (Eco Efficiency, Life Cycle Engineering) and social criteria
- Research on methods for better use of results in benchmarking
- Analysis and structuring of existing tools using life cycle approaches
- Relation of LCA to other tools like industrial ecology, eco-labelling and definition of links and interfaces to these tools
- Closing of the gap between LCA as an analytical tool and environmental management systems as a now mainly procedural approach
- Integration of LCA in industrial decision-making processes, and research for industry compatible communication of results (Design for Environment)
- Research on operational LCA and DfE tools capable of being used by SMEs.

The vertical working fields deal with different types of manufacturing processes:

The work carried out in the vertical working groups aims at ensuing the applicability of the research for manufacturing industry. Research projects performed under one of these working
groups should also have a link to one of the generic fields. They should focus on certain model cases referring to certain processes and products where the developed methods are tested and validated under industrial conditions.

Thus, intensive industrial participation is envisaged for these working groups. The topics addressed are more flexible than these of the generic actions. The focus of the application projects should - as mentioned already - remain on manufacturing of metals.

This is an appropriate industrial sector to use as a case study for a number of reasons. For example, 80% of the SME's in the metal working industry have their activities in this sector.
Here the decision is made which quality of steel, aluminium, etc. is used. In this sector too, there is a big gap between best available technologies, clean technologies, and traditional older and more polluting technologies. Indeed, within every group of processes you can find 20-50 alternatives. Therefore it is a good starting point for the applied research on a European level.

This field is sub-structured in the following working groups, representing three main categories of metal manufacturing processes: forming, surface treatment and connection. Obviously, these three categories do not cover all the different types of manufacturing processes, but it remains important to have a clear and manageable structure. Projects dealing with other than the defined types will be coordinated under the most appropriate working group. Besides conventional manufacturing processes, innovative processes will be investigated.

3.Forming

The first vertical working group deals with the processes for shaping of metals. In general, different forming steps are combined. The common characteristic of these processes is that the whole material is treated. The working group will cover the three main subtypes: primary shaping, forming and cutting. Application projects will deal with production processes like: casting, sintering, moulding, welding structures, pressing, bending, deep drawing, extrusion, pultrusion, thermoforming, rolling, cutting, milling, planing, etc.

4.Surface treatment

Surface treatment by application of a thin film of another material on the bulk material transforms the surface of the basic material and leads to improved characteristics. The surface can consist of organic, metallic or ceramic substances. These processes are often of high environmental relevance in relation to the material flows. The working group on surface treatment will investigate processes like: anodising, plating, lacquering, enamel, phosphating, PVD, CVD, CSD, electroplating, thermal spraying, etc.

5.Connection or joining.

By joining processes, different or indifferent materials are connected together. Joining agent can be a third material. Using a life cycle perspective, joining technologies have to be reconsidered, since possibilities to disassemble a product at the end of its useful life are related to the joining processes applied during the production. Possible themes of projects hosted under this working group are: bonding, brazing, welding, soldering, screwing.

D. ORGANISATION AND TIMETABLE

D.1.Organisation and responsibilities

This COST Action will operate for five years and will be carried out in accordance with the "Rules and Procedures for Implementing COST Actions (R&P)" as defined in the document
COST 400/94. The interdisciplinarity of the Action, the scope of the envisaged research work and the more specific aims of the Action account for the duration of 5 years. In particular, it is envisaged to go from the theoretical level of developing the methodology to the concrete level of the practical implementation and validation in industry. The second practical phase will require substantial preparatory work during the Action like identifying suitable test cases, adapting the methodology to the test cases and establishing collaboration with the industrial partners. A Management Committee (MC) of this Action will operate and organise the Action according to the R&Ps.

The work according to this proposal shall be carried out in five working groups, two generic (or horizontal) and three vertical working groups, dealing with the exemplary application and verification of the methods to problem fields.

Relations between the working groups will be established first through multiple memberships of the research groups in horizontal and vertical working groups. Second, the information flow will be ensured through a coordinator of each working group, appointed by the MC. This person will coordinate the work within each group and represent it within the MC.

Another means of information exchange will be the annually organised workshop meetings, attended by all involved researchers. Besides the working group meetings during these workshops, plenary talks will be given by invited academic or industrial researchers. The workshop meetings will also be attended by industrial representatives. The intensive contacts between practitioners and researchers will ensure a common understanding of goals and tasks and the problem oriented work of this Action.

A mid-term review will take place at year 2.5 from the first meeting of the MC. At this date, the progress of the action will be reviewed and the direction of the further activities will be defined in the way considered most appropriate.

Besides the duties of the MC, as defined in the R&P, contacts with R&D activities and the respective bodies in Europe will be set up, as defined in section A2 of this proposal.

D.2.Timetable

D.3.Dissemination of results

The dissemination of the research will be achieved by means of articles published in peer-reviewed journals and papers as well as oral presentations at the related scientific conferences. All publications that will be based on the research carried out within the frame of this COST action will be supported by COST.

The workshops organised by the MC are another possibility to bring the project research to the public. Attended by industrial representatives as well as the researchers of this Action, the workshop discussions and talks will provide input for the industrial practitioners and for further research work. Following the last workshop, an international symposium will inform the public, researchers and industry representatives about the project outcomes.

The aim of this Action is to provide an interactive and open platform for information and discussion about new approaches in LCA research on manufacturing processes. Continuous information about project progress, methodological development and outcomes will be ensured by way of a common COST Action homepage. This world wide web page will also provide the possibilities for posting opinions, hints and criticism to the published status of the research. This will lead to high levels of transparency and accessibility of the Action for LCA researchers and practitioners.

E. ECONOMIC DIMENSION

The following COST countries have actively participated in the preparation of the Action or otherwise indicated their interest: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

On the basis of national estimates provided by the representatives of these countries and taking into account the coordination costs to be covered over the COST budget of the European Commission, the overall cost of the activities to be carried out under the Action has been estimated in 2000 prices, at roughly EUR 13 million. Related research projects are envisaged to be performed by research institutes on the basis of public funding as well as through industry-research cooperations and industrial projects.

The above cost statement is based on information available during the planning of this Action. This estimate is valid under the assumption that all the countries mentioned above but no other countries will participate in the Action. Any departure from this will change the total cost accordingly.

Programma(i)

IC-COST - European cooperation in the field of scientific and technical research (COST), 1971-

Argomento(i)

2 - Metallurgy and Materials Sciences

Invito a presentare proposte

Data not available

Meccanismo di finanziamento

Data not available

Coordinatore

N/A

Contributo UE

Nessun dato

Indirizzo

Costo totale