Development of a Multi-Criteria Indicator for Product Life Cycle Decision-Making

Published

July 21, 2026

Author(s)

Yong Han Kim, Sidi Deng, Thomas Maani, Matthew Triebe, Nehika Mathur, John Sutherland

Abstract

Maximizing product value and resource efficiency has been widely regarded as a key objective throughout the product life cycle, supported by improved product designs, informed manufacturing decisions, and regenerative approaches. Although the evaluation of life cycle performance is widely recognized as a critical aspect, there remains a lack of indicators that comprehensively characterize multi-dimensional performance across different product life cycle stages. To address this gap, this study develops a novel indicator, the Life Cycle Performance Indicator (LCPI), which integrates multiple dimensions (economic efficiency, pollutant release level, and workforce stability) into a single compound measure using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to identify specific life cycle stages that require performance improvement. The proposed indicator is applied in a case study of a diesel engine remanufactured into an LNG engine at the end of a use cycle to pinpoint life cycle stages most in need of performance improvement, enabling effective and focused interventions. Scenario-based analysis indicates that the LCPI could potentially be improved by up to 60%, indicating the need for strategic changes in life cycles to achieve this gain. This study demonstrates the use of the developed indicator and provides decision-makers with the ability to gain quantitative insights while integrating multiple dimensions simultaneously.

Citation

Journal of Cleaner Production

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

Multicriteria decision-making, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), Compound indicator, Life cycle performance evaluation

Citation

Kim, Y. , Deng, S. , Maani, T. , Triebe, M. , Mathur, N. and Sutherland, J. (2026), Development of a Multi-Criteria Indicator for Product Life Cycle Decision-Making, Journal of Cleaner Production, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=960146 (Accessed August 12, 2026)

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