The Application of Life-cycle Assessment to the Environmental Impacts in the Production and Use of Castings

Casting production has environmental implications that extend beyond the foundry’s premises. By taking a life-cycle approach the impacts upstream (supply side) and downstream (customer/user side) can be identified. The benefits of a foundry’s actions to reduce an environmental impact might be leveraged to reduce impacts at other stages in the life-cycle. However, as a minor player in the supply chain a foundry’s influence in reducing life-cycle environmental impacts is limited. This influence can be strengthened if the foundry works in partnership with its customers. A good example of this is a partnership between a foundry and an automotive industry customer. The automotive industry is under continuing pressure to reduce the environmental impacts of the car. Improvements in fuel efficiency are one manifestation of this pressure. A contributing factor to improved fuel efficiency is a reduction in the