One of the biggest challenges for European industry is to introduce sustainability principles into business models. This is particularly important in raw material and energy intensive manufacturing sectors such as the ceramic industry. Although the manufacturing process is rather standardised in its macro-phases, the current attention to the environmental protection and human health requires the need for continuous research and innovation, in order to provide added value in terms of both product quality and process quality. The present state of knowledge lacks an operational tool for industry to support decision-making processes geared towards sustainability. Particularly in the ceramics sector, the economic and social dimensions of the product and processes have not yet been given sufficient importance. To fill this gap, this study, carried out under the European Project LIFE16ENV/IT/000307 “Life, Force of the Future”, proposes an integrated life-cycle approach for the ceramic production of a leading company in the Italian ceramic sector, using synergistically the individual impact assessment tools: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA). The analysis, developed in a microeconomic level, is aimed at defining environmental, economic and social indicators that will be integrated into a single Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). The purpose is to reduce the environmental load of the production cycle by implementing the circular economy approach through the reuse of fired scraps and the increased use of local raw materials that affects the relative supply chain. To assess the impacts, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis was carried out with a “cradle to the grave” approach and the functional unit was represented by the annual production of the ceramic tiles. The LCA study was performed using the SimaPro 8.3 software and the IMPACT2002+ assessment method. Primary data were collected directly from the company while the background processes were modelled using Ecoinvent v3 database and literature. Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) results of 1 kg of ceramic mixture supply indicate that a modified scenario, namely the use of local raw materials (50%), the increase of rail transport (30%) and the reused of fired scraps (3%), produces an environmental damage reduction in all the impact categories. By maintaining the same analytical framework as the LCA, the sustainability of the ceramic process and product was determined using the LCC (Life Cycle Costing) method; the external costs related to the same F.U. are reduced by about 25%. Finally, the social aspects are assessed by a Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA); a preliminary analysis has been performed, resulting in an identification and prioritization of all the stakeholders, in order to define appropriate and targeted engagement strategies. Further development in the social assessment will be pursued in the following research steps. The combination of this assess methods facilitates the integration of economic and environmental approaches as pillars and business values, developing innovative business models, based on the study of the process and product as a unique system throughout its entire life cycle.
Keywords: Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC), Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), Circular economy, Italian ceramic tile industry
5c. Circular economy, zero waste & innovation
