A streamlined LCA framework to support early decision making in vehicle development

In recent years, the automotive industry has been under strong pressure to reduce its environmental impacts. Regulators have sought to steer the industry toward "cleaner" solutions and consumer purchase patterns have shifted to more sustainable products. This means carmakers can no longer treat sustainability as a matter of compliance, and must instead increasingly look to the environmental variable as an opportunity to gain competitive advantage. In light of these developments, it becomes important for manufacturers to have some clear and reliable way to measure the environmental performance of cars, so they can analyze their progress, assess the impact of alternative solutions, and report their sustainability results. To meet this need, we have developed a performance measurement system that helps carmakers assess their technological options for sustainable mobility. Based on an analysis of the relevant scientific and practitioner literature, we put together a set of key sustainability indicators for the different stages of the car lifecycle: raw material extraction, material production, product manufacture, product use, end of life, and transport. The resulting model was then validated by a panel of experts, and compared with lifecycle analysis (LCA). (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.