LCA shows steel utility poles better than wood

摘要

A DETAILED life cycle assessment (LCA) study commissioned in the USA by the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute, finds that when comparing overall environmental performance, galvanized steel utility poles outperform wood poles in key environmental measures. The peer-reviewed study, conducted in compliance with international LCA standards (ISO-14040-series), is the most comprehensive environmental assessment of its kind to date, bringing a new level of transparency to the comparative performance of these two material choices. The study compared the use of galvanized steel and wood utility poles in the south-eastern United States over a 40-year time horizon. It stands apart from previous studies in that it applied advanced LCA methods to ensure a more comprehensive assessment and reporting of the full range of potential environmental impacts associated with both galvanized steel and wood, including local and regional ecological impacts.