Environmental Assessment of Special Purpose Vehicles: An EPD-compliant empirical study

This thesis presents a comprehensive environmental assessment of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) manufactured in Austria. The study was motivated by the increasing importance of life cycle-based environmental evaluations in the automotive industry. Against the backdrop of emerging sustainability legislation, international environmental standards, and evolving stakeholder expectations, the research seeks to contribute to the integration of scientifically grounded environmental performance indicators into strategic corporate decision-making. The core of the analysis is based on the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in accordance with ISO 14040/14044. By considering all relevant life cycle phases the study offers a holistic view of the environmental burdens associated with the product system. The LCA was conducted using the Environmental Footprint (EF) methodology, which allows for a multidimensional assessment of ecological impacts and enhances comparability across product categories. To account for complexity and uncertainty, the research integrates scenario analysis as a complementary instrument for exploring alternative technological, material, and operational configurations. These scenarios demonstrate how targeted interventions such as material substitution, energy system adaptations, or alternative fuel strategies can significantly influence environmental outcomes and support long-term sustainability transitions. Beyond the standard LCA approach, this thesis introduces a novel, environmental assessment matrix (EAM) developed specifically to evaluate and prioritize environmental aspects at the process level. This matrix links LCA-derived indicators with contextual relevance, process controllability, and improvement potential, thus enabling a structured and site-specific prioritization of environmental interventions. Key findings highlight that the upstream processes, particularly the procurement of resource-intensive materials, are among the most critical contributors to the overall EF. Nevertheless, substantial potential for environmental improvement also exists at the production site itself, especially in relation to thermal energy use, material flows, and waste management practices. The study concludes with a set of strategic recommendations aimed at improving data transparency, enhancing energy and resource efficiency, and supporting the development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) as a basis for external communication and internal environmental management. By combining quantitative environmental modelling with qualitative system understanding, this work contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable industrial production and offers practical insights for the implementation of life cycle thinking in complex manufacturing environments.