ASTM E2986-22

This document is not an ASTM standard and is intended only to provide the user of an ASTM standard an indication of what changes have been made to the previous version. Because
it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.
Designation: E2986 − 18 E2986 − 22
Standard Guide for
Evaluation of Environmental Aspects of Sustainability of
Manufacturing Processes
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2986; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope
1.1 This guide provides guidance to develop manufacturer-specific procedures for evaluating the environmental sustainability
performance of manufacturing processes. This guide introduces decision support methods that can be used to improve
sustainability performance.
1.2 The scope of this guide is constrained by the manufacturing phase of the life cycle. The guide addresses specifics related to
the processes and procedures within this phase.
1.3 This guide will allow manufacturers to make effective evaluations during plant and enterprise-wide decision-making within
the manufacturing phase.
1.4 This guide focuses on environmental sustainability impacts, though social and economic impacts are not explicitly excluded.
1.5 This guide addresses:
1.5.1 Setting boundaries for the evaluation of environmental sustainability of a process or processes,
1.5.2 Identifying the process and equipment-related parameters necessary for environmental sustainability-driven process
evaluation,
1.5.3 Creating process models using these parameters,
1.5.4 Utilizing process models to support consistent evaluations and sustainability-driven decision-making in a manufacturing
enterprise.
NOTE 1—See ULE 880 for additional guidance at enterprise-level decision-making.
1.6 This guide may be used to complement other standards that address sustainability and the product life cycle. This guide most
closely relates to the inventory component as discussed in the ISO 14040 series (ISO 14040, ISO 14044) standards, efficiency as
discussed in the ISO 50000 series (ISO 50001) standards, and resource management as discussed in the ISO 55000 series (ISO
55001) standards.
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E60 on Sustainability and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E60.13 on Sustainable Manufacturing.
Current edition approved Nov. 1, 2018May 1, 2022. Published November 2018May 2022. Originally approved in 2015. Last previous edition approved in 20152018 as
E2986–15.–18. DOI: 10.1520/E2986–18.10.1520/E2986-22.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
E2986 − 22
1.7 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.
1.8 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility
of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of
regulatory limitations prior to use.
1.9 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization
established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued
by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
E1808 Guide for Designing and Conducting Visual Experiments
E2114 Terminology for Sustainability Relative to the Performance of Buildings
E2629 Guide for Verification of Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Enabled Control Systems
E2987/E2987M Terminology for Sustainable Manufacturing
2.2 ISO Standards:
ISO 14001 Environmental management systems -- Requirements with guidance for use
ISO 14040 Environmental management -- Life cycle assess-
ment -- Principles and framework
ISO 14044 Environmental management -- Life cycle assess-
ment -- Requirements and guidelines
ISO 50001 Energy management
ISO 55001 Asset management -- Management systems -- Requirements
2.3 UL Standard:
ULE 880 Sustainability for Manufacturing Organizations
3. Terminology
3.1 Definitions For definitions of terms shall be in accordance with Terminology used in this guide, refer to Terminologies E2114
and E2987/E2987M.
3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
3.2.1 indicator, n—quantitative value or qualitative information derived from a set of parameters that provides information about
the state of a phenomenon.
3.2.1.1 Discussion—
An example of a common indicator is CO equivalent emissions.
3.2.1.2 Discussion—
An indicator can be used as a reference for decision-making.
3.2.1.3 Discussion—
This definition is consistent with the definition in Terminology E2114.
3.2.1 manufacturing resource, n—any equipment, personnel, fixtures, gages, tooling, external accessories, software and control
programs, and required operational settings used in manufacturing a product.
3.2.2 metric, n—measurable quantity on which processes are evaluated and/or compared.
3.2.2.1 Discussion—
For instance, CO equivalent emissions in metric tons or total energy consumption in kWh. Metrics provide a measure for which
indicators can be evaluated.
3.2.3 process model, n—structured representation of the information associated with a manufacturing process.
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM Standards
volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on the ASTM website.
Available from American National Standards Institute (ANSI), 25 W. 43rd St., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036, http://www.ansi.org.
Available from UL, 333 Pfingsten Road, Northbrook, IL 60062-2096, http://www.ul.com.
E2986 − 22
3.2.3.1 Discussion—
See Guide E2629 for process models specific to material use.
3.2.5 unit manufacturing process, n—equipment and associated operations that provide fundamental manufacturing functionality
for making or modifying a part, assembly, or product.
3.2.5.1 Discussion—
The unit manufacturing process may consist of one or more tightly integrated operations yet further decomposition of process
functionality would compromise the accuracy and application of the model.
4. Significance and Use
4.1 This guide provides a reference to the manufacturing community for the evaluation of environmental sustainability aspects of
manufacturing processes. This guide is intended to improve efficiencies and consistencies of informal methods by providing
procedures for consistent evaluations of manufacturing processes.
4.2 This guide describes a procedure to identify parameters and models for evaluating sustainability metrics for a particular
process. Users of this guide will benefit from insight into the sustainability implications of selected processes as well as the
contributing factors.
5. Method for Manufacturing Process Evaluation
5.1 To evaluate the sustainability of manufacturing processes for improvement, organizations need to develop and implement a
consistent, organization-wide sustainability measurement process. The following sections provide guidelines for such a process.
5.2 Setting Sustainability Objective:
5.2.1 Sustainability assessment starts with a statement of the sustainability goals, including the area of opportunity to be addressed.
In this step, an organization identifies the opportunities from several perspectives: organizational, environmental, external and
internal stakeholders.
NOTE 2—To define the objective(s), various methods for data collection and analysis can be used, such as interviewing managers, sustainability auditors,
the study of past sustainability reports of the organization, or various external guidelines.
5.3 Identifying Indicator:
5.3.1 Indicators provide a context to measure, analyze, and score the sustainability aspects of manufacturing processes. Indicators
can be defined internally, or can be selected from various indicator repositories.
5.3.2 Indicators are selected based on the sustainability objective, such as energy consumption for efficiency or CO equivalent
emissions for climate considerations. Factors that may influence indicator selection include the type of product, type of process,
type of resource, quantity of resource, final reporting format, budget, approvals required, market, time availability, or other external
guidelines.
5.3.3 An indicator is characterized by the following attributes:
5.3.3.1 Name—The word(s) for the distinctive designation of an indicator.
5.3.3.2 Definition—The statement expressing the essential characteristics and function of an indicator.
5.3.3.3 Measurement Type—The type of an indicator (quantitative or qualitative).
5.3.3.4 Unit of Measure—The unit value of the indicator.
5.3.3.5 References—Citable documents of existing indicator set(s) or specific indicator(s), based on which an indicator is adopted
from existing set(s) or newly developed.
5.3.3.6 Application Level—The level in a hierarchical organization at which the indicator is applied.
E2986 − 22
5.3.4 Using this information, an organization may also set up their own sustainability indicators based on their business strategies.
5.4 Identifying Process(es):
5.4.1 Process identification establishes the specific process or set of processes that contribute to the identified indicator.
5.4.2 Process identification should be guided through the set objectives and the associated indicators selected.
5.4.3 The process or set of processes under evaluation should fall within the governing process or production plan. The order in
which a process is selected or an objective is determined will vary depending on the production plan and organizational goals.
5.4.4 Relevant documentation should be collected and may include:
5.4.4.1 Engineering drawings.
5.4.4.2 Routing sheets with several processes.
5.4.4.3 Safety data sheets.
5.4.4.4 Quality control plans that provide product and process specifications.
5.4.4.5 Setup sheets for individual machines. Setup sheets include the operating parameters of the machine.
5.5 Identifying Evaluation Metrics:
5.5.1 Evaluation metrics associate the process or processes to be evaluated with the identified indicator. Metrics provide a measure
for which indicators can be evaluated.
5.5.2 Evaluation metrics are dependent on the selected indicator (example: waste for material efficiency and energy usage for
energy efficiency), the equipment and processes being evaluated, and the availability of data.
5.5.3 Evaluation metric identification should take into consideration the capabilities and limitations of available measurement
equipment.
E2986 − 22
NOTE 3—Identifying the appropriate metric is important, as the metric may influence the boundary conditions of the evaluation process and the uncertainty
of the results.
5.6 Setting Boundary Conditions:
5.6.1 Boundary conditions limit the scope and constrain the extent of the evaluation. Boundary conditions may include the
physical boundaries associated with identified equipment or time-related boundaries. Physical boundaries may be refined
depending on the definitions of the unit manufacturing processes. Time-related boundary conditions establish the period of time
for which measurements are taken or evaluation results are valid.
5.6.1.1 The production plan associated with the process or processes of interest will outline and establish the boundaries.
Boundaries of the evaluation may be set at the supply chain, the company, the plant level, or within the plant at the manufacturing
process level.
5.6.1.2 A manufacturing process can be described as a system that consists of multiple subprocesses within the boundaries. A
simple boundary example consists of a single unit manufacturing process and the designated manufacturing equipment.
5.6.1.3 An example boundary application on a system is the assembly of a hand-held power tool. The boundary will determine
how the unit is characterized, for instance, a boundary may be placed around the entire assembly process for the power tool, or
the boundary may be placed around a subassembly of the power tool.
5.6.2 Establishing Process Boundaries:
5.6.2.1 The production plan may include handling and storage activities associated with the production process, thus including the
peripheral equipment and storage facility. Examples include the material handling systems used to transport work-in-process (WIP)
between manufacturing processes, the racks and storage for WIP and inventory, and a portion of the heating and cooling of the
facility. The organization may choose not to include the peripheral equipment and storage facility in the study.
5.6.2.2 Examples of boundary conditions that should be considered:
(a) Upstream and downstream information from the supply chain.
(b) Materials handling between processes.
(c) Allocation of energy consumption in the facility (for example, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning-HVAC).
(d) Impact of peak versus off peak energy consumption.
(e) Process monitoring at the machine level.
5.6.2.3 Indicators and corresponding metrics will influence how boundary conditions are defined. For example, when evaluating
for material efficiency, boundary conditions may be affected by considerations such as use of co-products, by-products, reworked,
recycled or scrap material. When evaluating for energy efficiency, considerations may include cogeneration, alternate sources of
energy, energy audits, or reclamation of waste energy from processes (that is, using exhaust heat from one process as energy input
for a different process).
5.6.3 Establishing Unit Manufacturing Processes:
5.6.3.1 The identification of unit manufacturing processes will (1) determine where measurements should be taken in order to
calculate process-specific metrics, and (2) provide boundaries for analytical models that can be developed using well-defined unit
manufacturing processes.
5.6.3.2 Production processes can consist of multiple unit manufacturing processes. In these scenarios, the sustainability
performance of a manufacturing process can be evaluated as an aggregation of the performance of unit manufacturing processes.
The unit manufacturing processes identified within the established boundary conditions should either directly or indirectly relate
to the chosen indicator.
5.6.3.3 Examples of boundary conditions that should be considered at the unit manufacturing process level include:
(a) Identifying useful energy, that is, the energy consumed in making the part or product.
(b) Incorporating waste heat generated during processing.
(c) Distinguishing material removed from a part or product as waste or recycled.
(d) Evaluating sub-processes within the process at efficiencies other than 100 % efficient.
E2986 − 22
5.6.4 Supply Chain Considerations:
5.6.4.1 Production planning may consider manufacturing resources outside of the plant through an established supply chain. The
boundary conditions of the supply chain must be carefully considered. Resource data can be collected from outside plants along
the supply chain.
5.6.4.2 It is possible to include external data from downstream and upstream processes, that is, consideration of the emissions
associated with the electricity used by the processes.
5.6.4.3 It is important that wherever boundaries are created that they remain consistent throughout the evaluation process.
5.7 Identifying Input and Output Parameters:
5.7.1 Each unit manufacturing process has one or more input and output parameters associated with it. Input parameters are those
parameters that feed into the process. Output parameters are those parameters that can be used to calculate the indicators used to
evaluate manufacturing sustainability.
5.7.2 Input and output parameters may be associated with materials, energy, or intermediate products used to manufacture a
product and produce other non-product outputs, by-products, and other non-product substances and emissions that result from a
manufacturing process.
5.7.3 Input and output parameters for processes are provided in documentation such as engineering drawings, routing plans or
schematics, setup sheets, and quality control plans.
5.7.4 Parameter values can be measured, estimated, or calculated. Data collection techniques are important when measuring the
inputs and outputs (See 6.2).
5.8 Creating a Process Model:
5.8.1 Process models are used to represent a process or set of processes. Process models can include the required analytics to
support repeatable evaluations of a manufacturing process.
NOTE 4—Process models may be empirical or theoretical. A process model may include, or be aggregated of, both empirical and theoretical models.
5.8.2 When creating a process model, the information and analytics that describe the manufacturing processes often differ
depending on operational modes and conditions (for example, high and low speeds). Empirical models developed to simulate any
process could consider such differences or be described otherwise.
5.8.3 An input-process-output model (Fig. 1) relates input and output metrics, and their unit of measure (UOM), for each process
in the production plan.
5.8.4 The input and output parameters of the process model will correspond with those identified as input and output parameters
when establishing the boundaries of the system. The input and output parameters of a process model will be a combination of the
input and output parameters associated with the boundaries of the system, the input and output parameters of other unit
manufacturing processes within the system, and the indicator for which the system is being evaluated.
FIG. 1 Generic Input-Process-Output Model
E2986 − 22
5.8.5 Once necessary system parameters have been determined, and the analytical models for the manufacturing process identified,
an input/output process model can be developed. The resulting process model will allow for a repeatable evaluation of the
manufacturing process for the identified sustainability metric.
5.8.6 A composite process model may be formulated by aggregating multiple process models through interfaces, so that process
structure, data, relationships, and resource flows can be represented. Modular, flexible, extensible, and reusable model designs are
characteristics that support the effective formulation and composition of complex process models.
6. Evaluation Procedure for Sustainable Improvement
6.1 Data Collection:
6.1.1 A data collection plan is developed according to the objective of the evaluation. The plan includes (1) identifying the process
information and related documents, (2) developing a data collection template, and (3) collecting sustainability data using the
specified data collection method in 6.2. Reuse earlier identified documents when applicable.
6.1.2 Data collection methods are influenced by the metrics used to calculate the desired indicator, the boundaries of the system,
the unit manufacturing process boundaries, and the input and output parameters identified as part of the process
...