Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprint Reduction Strategies in Automotive Component Manufacturing: A Cradle-to-Gate Analysis with Green Manufacturing Interventions

Abstract

Manufacturing industry accounts for approximately 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions, making sustainable manufacturing practices a critical component of national and corporate climate commitments. This study presents a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and carbon footprint analysis of automotive door panel manufacturing using conventional and green manufacturing approaches, applying the ISO 14040/14044 framework across a cradle- to- gate system boundary encompassing six life cycle stages: raw material extraction and processing, energy consumption, internal transportation, waste disposal, packaging, and end- of- life considerations. Three green manufacturing interventions were evaluated: renewable energy integration (solar PV and wind), circular material flows (aluminium scrap recycling, cutting fluid reclamation), and process efficiency improvements (lean manufacturing, IoT- enabled energy management). The conventional manufacturing process generated 100.0 kg CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per door panel unit; green manufacturing interventions collectively reduced this to 45.5 kg CO2e per unit, a 54.5% reduction. The carbon abatement cost was estimated at USD 38.4 per tonne CO2e avoided, well below the European carbon market price of USD 65 to 85 per tonne CO2e. Sensitivity analysis identified raw material production (42.3% of total emissions) and energy consumption (31.8%) as the two highest- priority intervention targets. The study provides a replicable LCA framework and carbon reduction roadmap applicable to component manufacturers seeking to achieve net- zero Scope 3 supply chain commitments.