Material selection by taking the whole system into consideration - Automobile LCA from steel industry's viewpoint

The "Establishment of a Sustainable Society Based on Material Recycle" can be regarded as an issue urging a fundamental change in the values and socia l systems of the modern society and a challenge demanding a reform of the i ndustrial structure from the conventional systems of individual optimizatio n. This paper reports our views on LCA (Life Cycles Assessment) issues and on material selection, taking LCA of automobiles as an example, and challen ges of Japanese steel industry on them. The LCA study on automobiles makes us aware of the significance of not only data itself but also the development of Life Cycle Aspect which tries to e valuate Life Cycle Cost and Function, etc.