Li Tao
Associate Professor Supervisor of Doctorate Candidates Supervisor of Master's Candidates
Gender:Female
Alma Mater:Harbin Institute of Technology
Degree:Doctoral Degree
School/Department:School of Mechanical Engineering
Discipline:Mechanical Design and Theory. Intelligent Manufacturing. Mechanical Manufacture and Automation. Mechanical Engineering. Intelligent Manufacturing Technology
Business Address:8027 room, School of Mechanical Engineering building
E-Mail:
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Date:2021-03-05
Indexed by:Journal Article
Date of Publication:2021-01-12
Journal:INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
Volume:17
Issue:5
Page Number:593-603
ISSN:0948-3349
Key Words:Corporate sustainability; Industry and academia surveys; Life cycle assessment; Sustainable development; Sustainability indicator
Abstract:Sustainable manufacturing is practiced globally as a comprehensive strategy for improving the sustainability performance of the manufacturing industry. While sustainability is characterized into such three dimensions as economic, environmental, and social, currently, there is no quantitative method yet to measure the so-called "sustainability" in the manufacturing industry. The objective of this research is to develop a comprehensive and effective quantitative method to measure the overall sustainability performance of manufacturing companies.
In this paper, an integrated methodology is presented for the development of composite sustainability indicators based on principal component analysis (PCA). In developing this integrated approach, both industry and academia surveys are conducted to identify what sustainability indicators are favored by the sustainable manufacturing community. A unique index is then generated to measure the overall sustainability performance of industrial practices. The methodology can be used for benchmarking the overall sustainability performance of various manufacturing companies.
A case study is conducted on a total of 11 global electronic manufacturing companies. The overall sustainability performance of these companies are measured, benchmarked, and ranked. The results showed that PCA is an effective approach for constructing composite sustainability indicators across environmental, economic, and social dimensions.
From this research, it is found that industry and academia have different views on the sustainability measurement, evidenced by different weights put on the same indicator in industry and academia. The case study demonstrated that the methodology presented in this paper is an effective tool for comprehensive measurement of sustainability performance of manufacturing companies. Strengths and weaknesses of each company can be identified. Then, the recommended improvements can be suggested based on the study of each of the individual indicators.
Ph.D, associate professor, doctoral supervisor, graduated from Harbin Institute of technology, mainly engaged in product sustainability evaluation methods, laser repair technology, mechanical equipment energy consumption analysis and evaluation, enterprise information technology development and application. Reviewers of many domestic and foreign journals in related fields, presided over or participated in more than 20 projects of national key research and development plan, national 973 program, national Natural Science Foundation of China and enterprises, and published more than 100 papers. Ph.D Li has trained or assisted in the training of more than 50 doctoral and master degree students.
