An investigation into the environmental impact of product recovery methods to support sustainable manufacturing within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Appleby, Michaela and Lambert, Christopher and Rennie, Allan and Buckley, Adam (2011) An investigation into the environmental impact of product recovery methods to support sustainable manufacturing within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). International Journal of Manufacturing, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering (IJMMME), 1 (2). pp. 1-18. ISSN 2156-1680

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Abstract

The effects of climate change and government legislation has changed the way in which manufacturers can dispose of their waste, encouraging SMEs to source alternative disposal methods such as those indicated in the waste hierarchy. It is economically and environmentally beneficial to use product recovery methods to divert waste from landfill. The environmental impact of two product recovery methods, remanufacturing and repairing, has been compared via a carbon footprint calculation for a UK-based SME. The calculation has identified that repairing has a lower carbon footprint than remanufacturing, however this only extends the original life-cycle of the product, whereas remanufacturing provides a new life-cycle and warranty, and therefore seen as the most preferable method of product recovery to support sustainable manufacturing.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
International Journal of Manufacturing, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering (IJMMME)
Additional Information:
This paper is Winner of the Fifth Annual InfoSciR-Journals Excellence in Research Awards. Selection criteria included: contribution to the field; originality of the research; practicality of research/results; quality of writing; rigor of the research; and substantive research and methodology.
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/core/keywords/engineering
Subjects:
?? automotive componentscarbon footprintingeol productsproduct recoveryremanufacturingrepairingsmessustainable manufacturingwaste managementengineeringmechanics of materialsmechanical engineeringta engineering (general). civil engineering (general) ??
ID Code:
53089
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
09 Mar 2012 02:48
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
03 Dec 2023 01:25