Life Cycle Assessment and Eco-Design for Energy-Efficient Automatic Industrial Machines

Main Presenter:    Anastasiia Timofeeva 

Co-Authors:   Giampaolo Campana     Maurizio Fiorini                                          

The transition to sustainable manufacturing requires the careful integration of environmental performance indicators into equipment design, particularly in the case of energy-intensive industrial systems. In this context, eco-design principles play a central role, guiding the development of products that minimise environmental impact throughout their life cycle without compromising technical performance. This study presents a comprehensive methodology for designing energy-efficient automatic industrial equipment, applying parameterised Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as the primary analytical framework. The research focuses on an automatic washing machine developed for pharmaceutical applications and evaluates its environmental impact across the entire life cycle, from cradle-to-grave.
To improve the accuracy and traceability of the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) phase, the study applies a functional decomposition of the machine and a detailed inventory compiled from the Bill of Materials (BOM), which includes more than 6,000 components.
In view of the lack of detailed data on the total energy demand of industrial washing processes, the study introduces a scenario-based energy modelling approach that takes into account dynamic operating conditions. In accordance with ISO 14955 guidelines, a Total Estimated Energy Consumption (TEEC) framework is implemented to quantify energy consumption across different operational states, such as processing, standby, setup, and ready. Energy parametrisation enables flexible modelling of real-world usage scenarios, including variations in washing cycle design, machine configuration, standby losses, and renewable electricity sources. This method allows for comparative evaluation of energy-saving designs and sustainable energy strategies without the need to rebuild the entire LCA model.
The results show that the use phase has the dominant environmental impact, primarily due to thermal energy requirements during the washing and drying stages. In addition, the choice of detergent significantly affects impact categories related to toxicity, highlighting the relevance of Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) considerations.
The proposed methodology bridges the gap between high-level LCA frameworks and the specific needs of industrial machinery design. By combining dynamic energy modelling and scenario-based optimisation, this work supports the development of sustainable industrial systems aligned with eco-design principles and the goals of the circular economy. It also emphasises the need to harmonise rules for conducting LCA on machinery and advocates for the integration of LCA at the early stages of design and innovation.

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