A review about methods for supporting failure risks analysis in eco-assessment

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Risk Management
• Engineering

Background:

• Existing literature primarily focuses on environmental impacts of uncertainties and off-design functioning, neglecting failure analysis.
• A comprehensive review integrating failure determination, risk assessment, and eco-assessment is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically review scientific papers that propose methods to enrich eco-assessment with failure determination and risk assessment.
• To identify and classify application fields, failure types, and approaches for failure determination, risk analysis, and eco-assessment.

Main Methods:

• Manual review and analysis of 106 scientific papers published over 20 years.
• Classification and intersectional analysis of identified application fields, failure types, and assessment approaches.
• Detailed discussion of advantages and disadvantages of proposed methods in relation to eco-assessment.

Main Results:

• Growing and heterogeneous scientific interest in integrating failure and risk analysis into eco-assessment.
• Identified methods show independence from traditional failure risk analysis and eco-assessment approaches.
• Product functioning, tests, simulations, Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), and knowledge databases are key for failure determination; statistical methods for risk analysis; Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for environmental impact.

Conclusions:

• The review provides a novel framework for understanding the integration of failure and risk assessment in eco-assessment.
• The findings highlight a shift towards analyzing product functioning and utilizing specific methodologies like FMEA and LCA.
• The review offers a potential framework for practitioners if this field gains traction in industry.