Life cycle assessment and eco-design of a textile-based large-area sensor system

The sensing floor is a smart textile application that supports Ambient Assisted Living as it introduces smart functions unobtrusively in the user´s daily living environment. The technology is based on textile sensor areas and microelectronic modules, which are integrated invisibly in the textile underlay of carpets or laminates. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was carried out to support environmentally conscious decision-making in the course of product development. The results suggest that the system´s electricity consumption during its use phase is the most relevant environmental aspect and that a 2.5 mm thick polyester fleece has the highest environmental burden of the materials in the product. The paper also reports about experiences with conducting a LCA in the context of the SME that develops and manufactures the sensing floor system.