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Sustainability in welding: New study shows environmental protection potential!
RWTH Aachen is analyzing sustainability in welding technology in a current study, led by Prof. Uwe Reisgen.
Sustainability in welding: New study shows environmental protection potential!
On April 29, 2025, the focus of discussions in the area of welding technology was sustainability. A study conducted by RWTH Aachen University under the direction of Professor Uwe Reisgen highlights the importance of welding technology for environmentally friendly production. On behalf of the Welding and Related Processes Research Association of the German Association for Welding and Related Processes. V. (DVS e.V.), the study analyzes various aspects of energy efficiency and the impact on the environment.
The central points include increasing the service life of materials, the importance of lightweight construction and the development of low-emission processes. The legal framework within the EU and Germany will also be comprehensively examined. The starting point of the investigation is the life cycle analysis, which evaluates the CO2 balance and environmental impact of the welded structures.
Welding processes and their environmental impact
As part of the research, the study also presents case studies of typical welded structures. These case studies provide a detailed carbon footprint analysis based on data from the entire value chain. The result shows that the increased use of welding technology can significantly reduce environmental impacts, which is of great importance for both industry and environmental protection.
The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is working on one of the most important aspects of ecological assessment. She has identified relevant input variables that are crucial for life cycle assessment. A comprehensive life cycle inventory is carried out that records all relevant inputs and outputs of the welding process. These include material consumption, the necessary electrical energy and protective gases. Waste products and emissions are also taken into account in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of the environmental impact, as well as from FRAUNHOFER IPK reported.
Life cycle assessment as a key to evaluation
A central concern of life cycle assessment is to make the environmental impacts measurable. This is done, for example, by deriving CO2 equivalents or by assessing acidification potential. For comparison purposes, various welding processes were analyzed, including manual electrode welding and automated metal shielding process. The results show that processes with a low use of materials, especially autogenous processes, have the best environmental balance.
The data collected is not only important for industry. Loud KLB Life cycle assessment data is crucial for the ecological assessment of building products. They enable an objective assessment of the environmental impact over the entire life cycle, from the manufacturing process to the use phase and later disposal or recycling. The basis for these assessments is DIN EN ISO 14040, which standardizes the procedure.
In summary, it can be stated that the results from RWTH Aachen and the additional information from FRAUNHOFER IPK and KLB offer significant insights into the development of environmentally friendly welding processes. In view of the increasingly strict environmental regulations in the EU, sustainable welding technology represents a decisive step towards reducing the ecological footprint in the industry.