Environmental Inventory Analysis for Remanufacturing Initiative: Case Study of Air Conditioner Remanufacturing

Remanufacturing is considered as the most preferable recovery option. The objective of this paper was to identify the environmental inventory of a remanufacturing initiative. A window-mount air conditioner (AC) was selected as a case study to verify the environmental benefits of remanufacturing a product characterized by high energy consumption during its life cycle phases. A life cycle approach was followed. The research aims to provide a reference case in the remanufacturing of products characterized by energy intensive use, of which an AC is one of them. The assessment was conducted with the guidance of the ISO 14044-2006 life cycle assessment (LCA). The significance of this study lies in the fact that it provides an authentic example wherein the environmental inventory of the remanufacturing process is identified and documented. It can be used in further studies to compare the environmental burden of remanufacturing processes to the process of manufacturing a new AC. The developed life cycle analysis can be utilized to help AC manufacturers make decisions about the overall environmental performance of their products if it goes through the remanufacturing cycle.