Analysis of the environmental effects of international outsourcing: Study of the iron casting industry

M. Bahadir
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引用次数: 3

Abstract

The international outsourcing of intermediate products is a common practice in manufacturing. Although outsourcing labor- and resource-intensive production to developing countries is based on financial motives, the decision should also be evaluated from an environmental perspective at a global scale. In this study, the environmental effects of four supply chain scenarios are analyzed through a life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a cast iron component. The study reveals that when upstream manufacturing activities are performed in Mexico, the Global Warming Potential (GWP), Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and ecotoxicity levels might be comparable with those of manufacturing activities performed in the U.S. However, in China- and India-based outsourcing scenarios, the GWP, ODP and ecotoxicity levels are two to three times higher than those of U.S.-based scenarios. The main causes of the higher levels of GWP, ODP and ecotoxicity in China and India are related to differences in the amount of scrap metal usage, sources of electricity generation, transportation modes, material transport distances, and emissions control practices. Key words: Life cycle assessment (LCA), global warming, ozone depletion, ecotoxicity, international trade, metal casting.
国际外包对环境的影响分析:以铸铁业为例
中间产品的国际外包是制造业的普遍做法。虽然将劳动和资源密集型生产外包给发展中国家是基于经济动机,但也应该从全球范围的环境角度来评价这一决定。在本研究中,通过铸铁部件的生命周期评估(LCA),分析了四种供应链情景的环境影响。研究表明,当上游制造活动在墨西哥进行时,全球变暖潜能值(GWP)、臭氧消耗潜能值(ODP)和生态毒性水平可能与在美国进行的制造活动相当。然而,在中国和印度的外包情景中,全球变暖潜能值、臭氧消耗潜能值和生态毒性水平比在美国的情景高两到三倍。中国和印度的全球升温潜能值、臭氧耗散值和生态毒性水平较高的主要原因与废金属使用量、发电来源、运输方式、材料运输距离和排放控制措施的差异有关。关键词:生命周期评价,全球变暖,臭氧消耗,生态毒性,国际贸易,金属铸造
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来源期刊
Scientific Research and Essays
Scientific Research and Essays 综合性期刊-综合性期刊
自引率
0.00%
发文量
6
审稿时长
3.3 months
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