Design-oriented application of LCA to an automotive system

The automotive industry is showing an increasing commitment to the reduction of environmental impact of vehicles and mobility systems in general, under the high pressure of sustainable development trends and of tightening legislations worldwide. The whole automotive supply chain is directly involved in this process. This paper is showing an application of the life cycle assessment to a car seat assembly, in order to identify the environmental impacts during all the phases of the product life cycles. The interesting results of the application allow to identify the hot-spots of the environmental profile, and to drive the path towards product improvement by identifying focused redesign options. The very last outcome of the study is the definition of environmental design guide-lines for development of future products and of new directions and opportunities for an enhanced environmental policy and commitment of the company itself