Evaluating the sustainability of car mat manufacturing

Abstract

In recent years, the automotive industry has become increasingly concerned about environmental sustainability. Scant information is available on the environmental impacts of car parts. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the life cycle environmental impacts of one of the most important car interior accessories - rubber car mats - and to identify potential improvements. Sensitivity analysis was performed on alternative raw materials and energy sources used in the production of the rubber mat, as well as different raw material supply transport distances. Rubber and carpet mats for a car have also been compared in terms of environmental sustainability. The inventory is primarily based on primary data, and the evaluation considers a broad variety of environmental impact categories to both human and ecosystem health. The results reveal that the global warming potential of a set of rubber car mats is estimated at 5.9 kg CO2-eq. The car mat manufacturing is the main contributor to the majority of impact categories (47%-83%) due to the high energy consumption caused by the long mixing time and hot-pressing process. The only exception to this is the depletion of abiotic resources and the ozone layer, which are primarily caused by the production process. The impacts are highly sensitive to the electricity source and types of rubber. The use of carpet mats instead of rubber mats in motor vehicles increased environmental impacts (26%-92% higher) in all categories. The findings of this study will help the automotive industry benchmark the industry and maximize its environmental sustainability. Consumers will be interested in the findings as well, as they will help them identify environmentally more sustainable car parts.