Page 50 - Plastics News July 2024
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FEATURE NEWS
Combining Lean Thinking and LCA for
Sustainable Manufacturing
Cycle Assessment (LCA), effectively reducing the en-
Researchers have developed a novel approach vironmental impacts of plastic products.
combining Lean Thinking and Life Cycle Assess- Integrating Lean and LCA in Plastic Injection Moulding
ment (LCA), significantly reducing plastic prod-
ucts’ negative environmental impacts. Lean manufacturing techniques, originating from
the Toyota Production System, have transformed in-
dustrial production by eliminating waste and focus-
ing on continuous improvement. These methods
n recent decades, increasing public concern emphasize efficiency and cost reduction without
about the environmental footprint of manufac- compromising quality, which is crucial for the com-
Ituring has prompted manufacturers to reassess petitive plastics industry.
the environmental impacts of their products. This
scrutiny is particularly relevant for plastic injection Fundamental techniques include Value Stream
molded products, which significantly contribute to Mapping (VSM) to identify and eliminate waste, 5S
environmental issues such as climate change and principles, and Kanban systems. On the other hand,
ozone depletion despite their high production rates. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluates the environ-
mental impacts by measuring energy and material
To address these issues, researchers have created a consumption and waste generation.
new method that integrates Lean Thinking with Life
52 PLASTICS NEWS July 2024
