Oral
Abstract
Research summary supplied by the authors
The mitigation of anthropogenic global warming is seen as a challenge that requires coordinated action to be successful. The industrial sector appears as one that can achieve significant results relatively quickly, given its intensive use of natural resour ces and capacity for innovation. Among them, the automotive sector is a key player, both in the selection of energy sources and in the choice of materials that constitute the vehicles themselves. Life Cycle Assessments are essential so that automotive comp anies can conduct their research, development, and innovation processes quantitatively, measuring the impact of eco-design efforts on reducing emissions throughout the value chain. However, decisions are still made in a fragmented manner, so the potential to redesign production flows in a holistic way is underutilized. This paper fills a gap in the literature, exploring an integrated view of leather production - used in the upholstery of seats and other vehicle interior components - to question whether eco-design efforts have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the chain. The experiment proposed two alternative designs for bovine hides, measuring their emissions in the material's production chain and expanding the conventional boundaries of analysis to understand the impact of eco-design on material cutting efficiency. The results indicated that alternative designs for bovine skin have the potential to reduce the emissions added by leather to the total carbon footprint of the automobile.