Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of sisal/PLA biocomposite: Uncovering the dominance of transport and burden-shifting trade-offs in sustainable material design
- 1School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Science (MEWES), The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania
- 2Department of Business Management, The Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST), Mbeya, Tanzania
- 3School of Business Studies and Humanities (BuSH), The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha, Tanzania
Abstract
Natural fibre-reinforced biocomposites are increasingly recognised as promising alternatives for reducing the high carbon footprint of the construction sector; however, the environmental implications of transcontinental supply chains remain insufficiently understood. This study presents a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of a sisal yarn-reinforced polylactic acid biocomposite plate manufactured in Denmark using sisal fibres cultivated and spun in Tanzania. Environmental impacts were assessed for a performance-based functional unit using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) method, normalising values through a structural bending stiffness index to enable benchmarking against conventional window frame materials. Under baseline pilot-scale conditions, the biocomposite exhibited a global warming potential of 17.52 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent, with intercontinental air freight accounting for 62.53% of total emissions. Scenario optimisation involving ocean freight, 100% wind energy, and a 60:40 polylactic acid-to-sisal ratio reduced the global warming potential to 9.82 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent, a 43.97% reduction. When normalised for structural performance, the optimised biocomposite demonstrated a lower global warming potential than conventional polyvinyl chloride and aluminium window frame materials. Nevertheless, these improvements resulted in significant shifts in environmental burdens, with human non-carcinogenic toxicity increasing by 125.91% and freshwater ecotoxicity by 322.88%, primarily due to heavy fuel oil combustion during marine transport and the use of synthetic phosphate fertiliser in sisal cultivation. The findings indicate that although transcontinental sisal/polylactic acid biocomposites can offer competitive structural and climate performance, their long-term sustainability depends on holistic multi-indicator assessments and the adoption of cleaner logistics and sustainable agricultural practices to avoid transferring environmental burdens across impact categories.
Related
- Uncovering novel phage defense systems through genomic island analysis in Streptococcus thermophilus
- Uncovering novel sources for Karnal bunt resistance in bread wheat using multi-environment phenotyping
- Discovery-dominance trade-off among widespread invasive ant species
- Edge–Interior Differences in Plant Diversity and Herbaceous Functional Composition in Tropical Urban Remnant Forests: Associations with Invasive-Herb Dominance
- The effect of dominance rank on behavioural response to playback calls in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta)
BibTeX
@article{kahigi2026cradletogate,
title = {{Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of sisal/PLA biocomposite: Uncovering the dominance of transport and burden-shifting trade-offs in sustainable material design}},
author = {Nickson Severian Kahigi and Revocatus Machunda and Josephine Joseph Mkunda and Mwema Felix Mwema},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0349715},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0349715},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of sisal/PLA biocomposite: Uncovering the dominance of transport and burden-shifting trade-offs in sustainable material design
AU - Nickson Severian Kahigi
AU - Revocatus Machunda
AU - Josephine Joseph Mkunda
AU - Mwema Felix Mwema
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0349715
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0349715
AB - Natural fibre-reinforced biocomposites are increasingly recognised as promising alternatives for reducing the high carbon footprint of the construction sector; however, the environmental implications of transcontinental supply chains remain insufficiently understood. This study presents a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment of a sisal yarn-reinforced polylactic acid biocomposite plate manufactured in Denmark using sisal fibres cultivated and spun in Tanzania. Environmental impacts were assessed for a performance-based functional unit using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) method, normalising values through a structural bending stiffness index to enable benchmarking against conventional window frame materials. Under baseline pilot-scale conditions, the biocomposite exhibited a global warming potential of 17.52 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent, with intercontinental air freight accounting for 62.53% of total emissions. Scenario optimisation involving ocean freight, 100% wind energy, and a 60:40 polylactic acid-to-sisal ratio reduced the global warming potential to 9.82 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent, a 43.97% reduction. When normalised for structural performance, the optimised biocomposite demonstrated a lower global warming potential than conventional polyvinyl chloride and aluminium window frame materials. Nevertheless, these improvements resulted in significant shifts in environmental burdens, with human non-carcinogenic toxicity increasing by 125.91% and freshwater ecotoxicity by 322.88%, primarily due to heavy fuel oil combustion during marine transport and the use of synthetic phosphate fertiliser in sisal cultivation. The findings indicate that although transcontinental sisal/polylactic acid biocomposites can offer competitive structural and climate performance, their long-term sustainability depends on holistic multi-indicator assessments and the adoption of cleaner logistics and sustainable agricultural practices to avoid transferring environmental burdens across impact categories.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -