Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of a Circular Saw Blade for Wood Processing

Climate change and its negative consequences are an inevitable topic that strongly affects all industrial sectors as well as private individuals. Therefore, it is necessary to assess and monitor the environmental impact of products, services, and processes. This paper presents a practical application of an LCA for a circular saw blade used in wood processing. By considering all stages of the circular saw blade’s life cycle, including manufacturing, period of use, and end of life phase, a comprehensive assessment of its environmental impact is provided. The software SimaPro was utilized to conduct the LCA, which involved evaluating each individual element of the circular saw blade. As a result of this study, the environmental impact of the various components of a circular saw blade was quantified, enabling an assessment of its cumulative potential environmental impact. Consequently, recommendations for more sustainable manufacturing, use and disposal of circular saw blades in wood processing are derived from the findings, contributing to an overall improvement in their environmental impact.