Battery thermal management systems (BTMSs) ensure that lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in electric vehicles (EVs) are operated in an optimal temperature range to achieve high performance and reduce risks. A conventional BTMS operates either as an active system that uses forced air, water or immersion cooling, or as a complete passive system without any temperature control. Passive systems function without any active energy supply and are therefore economically and environmentally advantageous. However, today’s passive BTMSs have limited cooling performance, which additionally cannot be controlled. To overcome this issue, an innovative BTMS approach based on heat pipes with an integrated thermal switch, developed by the Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Programmable Materials (CPM), is presented in this paper. The suggested BTMS consists of switchable heat pipes which couple a passive fin-based cold plate with the battery cells. In cold state, the battery is insulated. If the switching temperature is reached, the heat pipes start working and conduct the battery heat to the cold plate where it is dissipated. The environmental benefits of this novel BTMS approach were then analysed with a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Here, a comparison is made between the suggested passive and an active BTMS. For the passive system, significantly lower environmental impacts were observed in nearly all impact categories assessed. It was identified as a technically promising and environmentally friendly approach for battery cooling in EVs of the compact class. Furthermore, the results show that passive BTMS in general are superior from an environmental point of view, due their energy self-sufficient nature.

Tires are complex materials manufactured from vulcanized rubber and various other reinforcing materials. One billion end-of-life tires (ELTs) are discarded annually, drawing attention from society. Options for their disposal include reuse, retreading, regeneration, co-processing, pyrolysis, and recycling; however, the ideal alternative has yet to be established. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to quantify their impact and support the decision-making process, in order to determine the most beneficial alternative from an environmental standpoint. Scientific studies on LCA have been carried out on different continents, mainly Europe, Asia, and America. The aim of this chapter was to review studies on the life cycle assessment of end-of-life tire disposal. The main treatment and final destination options were reviewed as well as the most important limitations and aspects of the technologies studied. The most common form of disposal is recycling, with mechanical recycling for use in synthetic grass exhibiting the best environmental performance according to scientific research. Energy recovery also shows good performance, largely due to the emissions prevented through energy conversion. Co-processed and retreaded tires are regularly used for comparison but typically display poor environmental performance in relation to the first two alternatives.

This work presents one example from a set of technologies that aim at improving the efficiency of manufacturing processes of aircraft components in one of Airbus Defence and Space plants in regards to environmental aspects. Among the proposed technologies, one relates to the automation of two key manufacturing steps of the reference technology in the composite manufacturing of omega stringers: 1) lamination of main omega stringer structure through an Automated Fiber Placement robotic process; and 2) cobotic pick‐and‐place process for Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer patches. To evaluate potential environmental benefits, Fraunhofer performs a gate‐to‐gate study using as main parameter the “Work effort unit,” in this case representing the average energy consumption per productive hour in a typical assembly factory. When comparing the results for the composite part manufacturing by hand lay‐up with the use of collaborative robots, the key technical parameter is the reduction in lead time. While production using robots consume additional electricity when compared to human workers, automation significantly shortens lead times (‐74%), resulting in lower energy consumption per manufactured unit. The results indicate that this new technology from Airbus Defence and Space can potentially improve the overall environmental performance of composite parts during their manufacture.

The aim of this work is to present how the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool can support sustainability reporting. A comprehensive analysis enables organizations to generate precise and quantitative data, e.g., on resource consumption, thus aligning with sustainability goals outlined in the reports. By pinpointing these areas, organizations can prioritize efforts to improve environmental performance where it matters most, ensuring that sustainability initiatives are focused and effective. Overall, the LCA serves as a valuable tool for organizations seeking to comply with sustainability reporting by providing robust data, insights, and guidance for improving environmental performance and fostering sustainable practices.

The aviation industry is bound by the goals set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe ACARE in terms of reducing its environmental impacts and compliance with environmental regulations. Life Cycle Assessment is carried out at early development stages to provide the industry’s decision-makers with reliable and scientific information about the environmental impacts of aviation production technologies. Fraunhofer ICT applied this tool for its own developments for structural composite parts, for example, aircraft seating structure. The holistic life cycle approach provides a complete overview of the environmental impact during all the stages of the aircraft parts, by identifying the drawbacks and benefits during each life cycle phase. During the development phase it is still possible to improve the specific technologies in order to reduce the overall environmental footprint of the aircraft part.