A life cycle-based Green Manufacturing framework for environmental decision-making: an application to heavy-duty vehicle chassis frame rail manufacturing

Abstract Heavy-duty vehicles (HDV) are essential to global transportation and logistics systems, yet environmental assessments have predominantly focused on the use phase, leaving the environmental impacts of the manufacturing stage comparatively underexplored. This study evaluates the cradle-to-gate environmental performance of steel chassis frame rail manufacturing using a process-level Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based on primary industrial data collected directly from the shop floor. Environmental impacts were assessed using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) and Environmental Footprint (EF) 3.1 methods. Based on the identified environmental hotspots, scenario analysis quantified the potential for environmental performance improvement, providing the basis for a life cycle-based framework to support Green Manufacturing decision-making. The results indicate that upstream steel production accounts for more than 98% of the product system impacts, whereas manufacturing processes contribute substantially to several toxicity-related categories. The proposed scenarios achieved environmental impact reductions of up to 44% and 37% within the industrial system according to ReCiPe and EF, respectively. Building on these findings, the study proposes a life cycle-based framework that integrates hotspot analysis, scenario evaluation, and process prioritization to support environmental decision-making in manufacturing systems. The proposed framework provides a structured approach for directing improvement efforts toward processes with the greatest potential for environmental impact, contributing to Green Manufacturing implementation in steel-intensive industries.