LCA-driven Selection of Industrial Ecology Strategies

The paper presents an application of the Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) to the planning and environmental management of an‘‘eco-industrial cluster.’’ A feasibility study of industrial symbiosis in southern Italy is carried out, where interlinked companiesshare subproducts and scraps, services, structures, and plants to reduce the related environmental impact. In particular, theresearch focuses on new recycling solutions to create open recycling loops in which plastic subproducts and scraps aretransferred to external production systems. The main environmental benefits are the reduction of resource depletion, airemissions, and landfilled wastes. The proposed strategies are also economically viable and they suggest cost abatement for theinvolved companies. This research shows the need for a multidisciplinary approach to data processing and to complexitymanaging of the investigated systems. In this context, life-cycle thinking is required to be promoted throughout the economy, aswell to be as a part of all decisions on products and other criteria such as functionality, health, and safety. The Life-CycleAssessment approach can be assumed as a methodology for influencing decision makers to make sustainable choices.