In last years, one of the main focuses in the automotive sector was the reduction of tailpipe emissions to comply with stricter regulations aimed to improve air quality. Tailpipe emissions reduction translates in the need of weight reduction for components like wheels. Since a growing concern in climate change and its effects, a more holistic approach in judging the environmental impact is gaining momentum. The focus is then shifting from looking only to tailpipe emissions to looking at the whole lifecycle of a product and, in particular, at its carbon footprint. For example, solutions that provide an excellent weight reduction could have the drawback to be energy intensive to produce and difficult to recycle.
MW decided to investigate this subject: first thing was to measure the footprint of our products. A full LifeCycleAssessment of a steel wheel was recently completed with the collaboration of SpinLife a spin-off of the university of Padova.
Following steps include extending the calculation to all MW products, as well as implementing strategies to reduce their footprint in order to provide the customer with the most environmentally friendly solution.