Green Manufacturing Practices and Their Economic Impact in the Light Industry Sector: A Life-Cycle Assessment and Cost–Benefit Study of a Packaging Facility in Nigeria_319

- This study investigates the environmental and economic impacts of adopting green manufacturing practices in the light industry sector, with a specific focus on packaging. Using a gate-to-gate life-cycle assessment (LCA) combined with cost–benefit analysis, three operational scenarios were evaluated in a Nigerian light-industry packaging facility: (i) current practices, (ii) optimized processes incorporating low-energy machinery and recyclable packaging materials, and (iii) renewable-integrated systems with solar photovoltaic energy. The results reveal that the optimized case achieved a 22% reduction in CO₂ emissions, 18% reduction in fossil fuel depletion and 12% reduction in water usage, accompanied by annual savings of $45,000 and a payback period of 2.7 years. The renewable-integrated case provided even greater environmental benefits, with a 48% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to the base case, as well as improvements in human toxicity reduction. Economically, this scenario required higher upfront investment but delivered annual savings of $95,000 with a payback period of 3.3 years and positive net present value over 10 years. These findings confirm that adopting eco-friendly practices in the light industry sector not only reduces environmental impacts but also enhances financial performance and consumer perception. The study underscores the potential for light industries in developing economies to transition toward sustainable manufacturing, thereby aligning industrial growth with environmental responsibility.