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Social organizational life cycle assessment of wire arc additive manufacturing
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Resumo(s)
Purpose: Additive manufacturing (AM) is gaining attention in industry due to its benefits like the ability to fabricate complex geometries, reduced material wastage, minimal tooling, and shorter lead times. From a sustainability perspective, the environmental and economic dimensions of AM have been studied in the literature, but its social dimensions remain relatively unexplored. This study presents a social organizational life cycle assessment (SO-LCA) of a wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) technology-based company that offers production and fabrication services in Belgium. Method: The scope of this investigation includes phases like production of primary material, i.e., steelmaking, production of feedstock wires from steel, WAAM production, and post-processing to fabricate/repair components. The relevant social indicators, social impact subcategories, and stakeholders are identified based on the S-LCA guidelines and methodological sheets provided by the United Nations Environment Programme/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (UNEP/SETAC). The social inventory data are collected from interviews with top management, company reports, as well as national and international databases. Based on the data obtained, social indicators are evaluated using the reference scale method on a scale of 1–5 (with 1 = highly negative social impact and 5 = highly positive social impact). An aggregation model was also developed to average individual social indicator scores at both the stakeholder level and across the entire life cycle. Results: Overall, a positive impact on the stakeholder groups such as workers, society, and suppliers while the impact on customers is neutral. However, a negative impact is seen on the stakeholder group local community due to unhealthy air quality caused by higher concentrations of fine dust (particulate matter 2.5) and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions, especially from the steel-making phase. Conclusions: The issues of social concern are identified for each stakeholder and suggestions for improvement of their social performance are discussed. Limitations of the study include the sensitivity of results to geographical and legislative context, exclusion of mining activities in steel production, and lack of site-specific data for certain indicators. Hence, future research should focus on the integration of mining activities, obtaining more site-specific data, and studying the influence of different geographical and legislative contexts on the company’s social performance.
Descrição
Funding Information:
Radu Godina, acknowledges Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e a Tecnologia, I.P., for its financial support via the project UID/00667: Unidade de Investiga\u00E7\u00E3o e Desenvolvimento em Engenharia Mec\u00E2nica e Industrial. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) \u2013 Project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. This body of the European Union receives support from the European Union\u2019s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.
Palavras-chave
Additive manufacturing (AM) Social indicators Social organizational life cycle assessment (SO-LCA) Social sustainability Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) General Environmental Science SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production