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LIFE CYCLE DESIGN OF IN-MOLD SURFACING FILM
Citation:
Kar, K., G. A. Keoleian, D. Spitzley, K. Malone, AND S. Whitney. LIFE CYCLE DESIGN OF IN-MOLD SURFACING FILM. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-01/058 (NTIS PB2003-101103), 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
Information
Description:
Since 1990, the NRMRL has been at the forefront in the development of Life Cycle Assessment as a methodology for environmental assessment. In 1994, NRMRL established an LCA Team to organize individual efforts into a comprehensive research program. The LCA Team coordinates work in both the public and private sectors with cooperators ranging from members of industry and academia to Federal facility operators and commands. The primary objective of this project was to apply life cycle design tools to a new product introduced by 3M. In-mold surfacing film (ISF) is an alterantive color-coating system to the traditional paint coating process. A streamlined life cycle analysis indicated that the total life cycle energy requirement for the paint film was 11.8 MJ/ISF and the total life cycle solid waste generated per ISF was 62g. The use phase results in a majority of the life cycle environmental burden in terms of energy (54%) and CO2 emissions (63%), however, the use phase contributes only 29% of the total life cycle solid waste. Based on the results of the environmental inventory and a cost study, recommendations for design improvement are proposed. Life cycle performance requirements, including OEM specifications, are also presented.