A Comparative Life Cycle Cost and Social Life Cycle Assessment of Materials for Lighting Pole Manufacturing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66411/jer.v41i1.142Keywords:
Life Cycle Costing (LCC), Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA), Sustainable Manufacturing, Environmental Impact, Economic AnalysisAbstract
Manufacturers are encouraged to use sustainable practices and implementing an analysis of the life cycle of a product. Existing life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies are available for environmental effects. The interplay of economic and social impacts remains a challenge. This gap is addressed in the study through the presentation of a dual Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) framework applied to the lighting pole production, which is an essential infrastructure component. This paper analyzes the economic and social implications of the used materials which are, steel, galvanized steel, stainless steel and aluminum. Both conventional and E-LCC analyses are used in the evaluation of the financial expenditures. The SLCA is an examination of how welding processes affect the health and safety of workers for each material. The conventional cost results show that steel is the most economical option. This is due to low raw material costs as well as low production costs. On the other hand, aluminum has high initial costs. Nonetheless, E-LCC shows aluminum has the lowest environmental cost. Despite the moderate conventional costs associated with galvanized steel, its environmental costs are notably higher. SLCA highlights stainless steel welding as posing the highest potential health risks to workers. The study emphasizes the necessity of a holistic sustainability assessment, revealing trade-offs between economic efficiency, environmental impact, and social responsibility in material selection.
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