Assessing and Improving the Eco-Efficiency of Manufacturing: Learning and Challenges from a Polish Case Study
Manufacturing offers substantial opportunities for economic growth after COVID-19, as long as it delivers competitively priced goods while simultaneously reducing pressure on the environment. In this study, we present the methodological feasibility of the joint application of life cycle assessment (...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/23/8125 |
| _version_ | 1797507860306853888 |
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| author | Magdalena Rybaczewska-Błażejowska Aneta Masternak-Janus |
| author_facet | Magdalena Rybaczewska-Błażejowska Aneta Masternak-Janus |
| author_sort | Magdalena Rybaczewska-Błażejowska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Manufacturing offers substantial opportunities for economic growth after COVID-19, as long as it delivers competitively priced goods while simultaneously reducing pressure on the environment. In this study, we present the methodological feasibility of the joint application of life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) for assessing eco-efficiency at the sector level. We employ this methodology to assess the environmental profiles of manufacturing in Poland in relation to their gross value added, and subsequently calculate the improvement targets for the eco-inefficient manufacturing industries. The study reveals that only the chemical industry is relatively eco-efficient, whereas the remaining industries have considerable room for improvement due to their very low eco-efficiency, and thus should follow the best practices established by the chemical industry. Although there are always individual paths for manufacturing industries to achieve the decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressure, activities such as the transformation of manufacturing methods to be less energy and material intensive and/or to be low-emission, the reincorporation of waste into the manufacturing processes, and the implementation of environmental management systems should become common targets of manufacturing in Poland. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:54:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8a03c448f9bf42c78a5bdff82acf9fe2 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:54:25Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-8a03c448f9bf42c78a5bdff82acf9fe22023-11-23T02:23:01ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-12-011423812510.3390/en14238125Assessing and Improving the Eco-Efficiency of Manufacturing: Learning and Challenges from a Polish Case StudyMagdalena Rybaczewska-Błażejowska0Aneta Masternak-Janus1Department of Production Engineering, Kielce University of Technology, Tysiąclecia Państwa Polskiego 7, 25-314 Kielce, PolandDepartment of Production Engineering, Kielce University of Technology, Tysiąclecia Państwa Polskiego 7, 25-314 Kielce, PolandManufacturing offers substantial opportunities for economic growth after COVID-19, as long as it delivers competitively priced goods while simultaneously reducing pressure on the environment. In this study, we present the methodological feasibility of the joint application of life cycle assessment (LCA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) for assessing eco-efficiency at the sector level. We employ this methodology to assess the environmental profiles of manufacturing in Poland in relation to their gross value added, and subsequently calculate the improvement targets for the eco-inefficient manufacturing industries. The study reveals that only the chemical industry is relatively eco-efficient, whereas the remaining industries have considerable room for improvement due to their very low eco-efficiency, and thus should follow the best practices established by the chemical industry. Although there are always individual paths for manufacturing industries to achieve the decoupling of economic growth from environmental pressure, activities such as the transformation of manufacturing methods to be less energy and material intensive and/or to be low-emission, the reincorporation of waste into the manufacturing processes, and the implementation of environmental management systems should become common targets of manufacturing in Poland.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/23/8125data envelopment analysislife cycle assessmentprocessing industrycircular economyPoland |
| spellingShingle | Magdalena Rybaczewska-Błażejowska Aneta Masternak-Janus Assessing and Improving the Eco-Efficiency of Manufacturing: Learning and Challenges from a Polish Case Study Energies data envelopment analysis life cycle assessment processing industry circular economy Poland |
| title | Assessing and Improving the Eco-Efficiency of Manufacturing: Learning and Challenges from a Polish Case Study |
| title_full | Assessing and Improving the Eco-Efficiency of Manufacturing: Learning and Challenges from a Polish Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Assessing and Improving the Eco-Efficiency of Manufacturing: Learning and Challenges from a Polish Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing and Improving the Eco-Efficiency of Manufacturing: Learning and Challenges from a Polish Case Study |
| title_short | Assessing and Improving the Eco-Efficiency of Manufacturing: Learning and Challenges from a Polish Case Study |
| title_sort | assessing and improving the eco efficiency of manufacturing learning and challenges from a polish case study |
| topic | data envelopment analysis life cycle assessment processing industry circular economy Poland |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/23/8125 |
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