Methodology for evaluating the sustainability of products and processes: application to alternative substitution techniques of chromium VI

Faced with increasing regulatory and social pressures, the industrial world must offer safer and more environmentally services while maintaining economic competitiveness. Thus, the development of sustainable activities is essential, and new interactive approaches to evaluate them are needed. In this context, the purpose of this study is to develop a methodology to analyse and compare the sustainability of alternative designs and productions during the preliminary phase of a project considering several criteria based on environment, economy, health and safety risks, and obsolescence risks. This paper describes, on one hand, the proposed methodology used to evaluate each criterion separately and to obtain the final integrated score. On the other hand, it proposes the application of the methodology to the comparison of surface treatment processes used in aircraft industry, to illustrate and validate the approach. The case study is about the comparison of an electrochemical process for the treatment of aluminium against corrosion: chromic acid anodizing, and alternatives without chromium, tartaric sulphuric acid anodizing and boric sulphuric acid anodizing.