PARENT SESSION

6C - LCA and Economics: Input/Output Analysis
Poster Hall
8:30 AM - Tuesday, 29 April 2003
Chair: Huppes, G.¹, ¹
Co-chair: Norris, G.², ²

(TUP/223) Approach to LCC of packaging machines.

Klos, Zbigniew¹, Kurczewski, Przemyslaw¹, Kasprzak, Jedrzej¹, ¹ Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland, Poland

ABSTRACT- Packaging machines belong to specific group of low mass-production technical objects, but they are used to production of mass products. First of all they are applied in the food industry. Application of such machines in the food processing systems has significant influence on the environmental image of the whole packaging process. Particularly maintenance and operation of machines cause the most harmful environmental interactions. The paper presents extension of the life cycle study of packaging machines on the life cycle cost analysis from its production from natural resources to its final disposal. The first aim of the study was the identification of the cost structure in the life cycle of packaging machines. The data and information was collected from industrial plants and from indirect sources like reports, expert opinions and direct observation. LCC study was executed using commonly three general approaches: actual costs of products, by-products and materials used in the life cycle processes, cost of damage and cost of abatement. Cost of damage and cost of abatement were referred to socio-economic impacts and discharged pollution. Equivalent energy approach was used particularly with reference to natural resources accounting. The distribution of the total costs of packaging machine during life cycle shows dominant cost of the use stage as the largest portion of its total costs. Although operating and maintenance costs are time-dependent, they are the areas where the greatest cost reductions are most likely to be achieved. Because of crucial role of the planning and design phases to the total cost of packaging machines in the life cycle further studies will be oriented on improvement possibilities to reduce total cost and environmental burdens to make the whole packaging systems cheaper and more environment friendly.

Key words: natural resources costing, life cycle costing, packaging machines