A waste input-output life cycle cost analysis of the recycling of end-of-life electrical home appliances

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Life cycle assessment (LCA) enables one to compare the environmental impact of alternative product systems, and identify the one with the least impact. However environmentally sound a product system is however, it cannot be widely introduced into the economy unless it is also economically affordable. Without a wide ranging introduction into the economy, its potential to reduce environmental impact remains unexploited. The aspect of cost is thus of great importance for assessing the economic affordability and hence the economic sustainability of a product system which is found environmentally sound by an LCA. The aspect of cost that maters here is not limited to the conventional one referring to that of manufacturing only, but should be a broader one referring to the life cycle cost that encompasses the use and the end-of-life cost as well. Life cycle costing (LCC) is concerned with the comparison of life cycle costs among alternative product systems. This paper presents a new methodology of LCC, WIO-price model, that builds upon the WIO quantity model, a hybrid LCA tool developed by us that is specially designed for application to waste management (Nakamura and Kondo, 2002). The applicability of the methodology has been illustrated by a case study comparing the LCC of alternative treatment methods of End of Life-Electrical Home Appliances (TV sets, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners), landfilling, intensive recycling that is consistent with Japanese law on the recycling of EL-EHA, and the advanced form of intensive recycling augmented by reuse of components with Design for Disassembling (DfD). In the Japanese recycling law on EL-EHA, the cost of recycling is not internalized in the cost to manufacturers, but is to be paid by final consumers at the time of disposal. The results indicate that internalization of the recycling cost can increase the average price of EHA by less than l%, and that implementation of DfD can be effective in reducing this price increase by a wide margin. Internalization of the recycling cost is thus expected to give a strong incentive to EHA manufacturers to implement Design for Environment strategies including DfD for reducing life cycle costs. Combined with the result that minimization of environmental loads (global warming and landfill) is achieved under the reuse with DfD strategy, it follows that revising the current recycling law to internalize the recycling cost is effective in making environmentally benign strategy economically affordable as well.

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詳細情報

  • CRID
    1573387451761502720
  • NII論文ID
    110004689014
  • NII書誌ID
    AA1188120X
  • 本文言語コード
    en
  • データソース種別
    • CiNii Articles

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