Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Reduction Effects Induced by Turbocharger Multiple Remanufacturing in South Korea

In light of growing global supply chain instability and carbon neutrality initiatives, South Korea has highlighted the need for a circular economy to reduce its reliance on natural resources. As a critical strategy for promoting a circular economy, remanufacturing has become essential because of its ability to improve resource efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. The automotive sector, which accounts for 80% of the remanufacturing industry, plays a critical role in these efforts. Turbochargers, primarily made of cast iron, represent approximately 20% of sales in this sector and are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, making them an important target for emission reduction. This study examined the greenhouse gas emissions associated with turbochargers across multiple remanufacturing cycles using the LCA method. The results indicated an approximate decrease of 50%, 48%, and 46%, based on a comparative analysis between brand-new products and those remanufactured one to three times. Comparing brand-new and remanufactured products does not fully capture the key advantage of remanufacturing. This advantage lies in its ability to extend a product’s life cycle by using core parts as primary raw materials and reducing the consumption of new resources. Therefore, it is important to consider the environmental impact of remanufacturing within an expanded process, where brand-new products are included in the entire life cycle. Using this approach, the accumulated annual greenhouse gas reduction effect for multiple remanufacturing indicated decreases of approximately 25%, 32%, and 35% for remanufacturing one, two, or three times, respectively, compared to using only brand-new products. This study shows that multiple remanufacturing reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to the use of brand-new products. In particular, as remanufacturing is repeated, the product lifespan can be extended from 3 years to up to 12 years with a concomitant decrease in annual greenhouse gas emissions. These findings provide valuable data for modeling and encouraging the greenhouse gas reduction potential driven by remanufacturing across various industrial sectors.