Cleaner Production and LCA as Complementary Tools in Environmental Assessment: Discussing Tradeoffs Assessment in a Case of Study within the Wood Sector in Brazil

Ronald Panameño, Carlos Mario Gutiérrez-Aguilar, Beatriz Elena Angel, Sandro Fábio-César and Asher Kiperstok
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Ronald Panameño: Postgraduate Program in Industrial Engineering (PEI), Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador 40210-630, Brazil
Carlos Mario Gutiérrez-Aguilar: Postgraduate Program in Industrial Engineering (PEI), Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador 40210-630, Brazil
Beatriz Elena Angel: Industrial Engineering department, Pontifical Bolivarian University (UPB), Medellin 050036, Colombia
Sandro Fábio-César: Postgraduate Program in Industrial Engineering (PEI), Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador 40210-630, Brazil
Asher Kiperstok: Postgraduate Program in Industrial Engineering (PEI), Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador 40210-630, Brazil

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 18, 1-19

Abstract: Cleaner production has been used for several years in Latin America to minimize waste generation while reducing material and energy consumption. Despite those environmental benefits, its implementation may sometimes lead to changes in products or processes whose environmental performance can yield either positive or negative outputs when examined within a broader context, meaning it is necessary to complement cleaner production with other environmental tools that can provide environmental assessments. This paper presents a combination of cleaner production with life cycle assessment (LCA) applied within the wood industry in a case study in Salvador, a state of Bahia (Brazil), regarding the production of two models of wooden chairs. The study selected life cycle assessment as a scientific tool to quantify the environmental impacts of the models having ILCD 2011 midpoint and cumulative energy demand methods. The results confirmed the presence of environmental tradeoffs among the models that were not considered during the cleaner production program implemented. This paper also includes a proposal of a flowchart to guide the implementation of cleaner production when deciding to implement changes in material, energy source, processes, final destination, or lifespan of the product evaluated, identifying the stages where environmental assessment like life cycle assessment may be required to address tradeoffs.

Keywords: cleaner production; life cycle assessment; ILCD 2011; cumulative energy demand; wood industry; furniture; design for sustainability; tradeoffs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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