Study of the sustainability of material handling machinery using life cycle assessment

Abstract

This study aims to quantitatively evaluate the environmental sustainability of industrial material handling machinery and assess chain conveyors produced by Laitex Oy. The assessment includes assessment of direct and indirect data on emissions generated within the company’s own manufacturing processes, Utilizing life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, the research aims to provide insights into emission hotspots and identifies opportunities for sustainability-driven improvements in, product design, supply chain management, and environmental management system, offering valuable insight on the state of readiness of a small-to-medium-sized manufacturers to navigate evolving environmental regulations and meet market demands.

The assessment revealed that raw material processing is the most significant phase of the chain conveyor production with respect to environmental impact. Components of the conveyor’s frames were responsible for the largest share of emissions throughout the assessed life cycle. Potential fields of improvement for future assessments were discussed. Availability of data from other members of the supply chain was identified as a major field of improvement and expected to get better as the ideas of Corporate Environmental Responsibility become more common, as well as necessary reporting skills and knowledge.