Novel life cycle indicator for fiber-reinforced cement composite – sustainability assessment and design

Fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (FRCC) improve tensile performance through fiber bridging but often at the cost of higher embodied energy and carbon footprint. To reconcile mechanical and environmental objectives, this study introduces a strength-normalized embodied energy equivalence index to assess the sustainability of eight common fibers using life cycle assessment. The results demonstrate that polyethylene (PE) fiber emerges as the most sustainable option based on , whereas polypropylene (PP) is the least favorable. Furthermore, the analysis identifies W/B ratio as the most influential parameter governing the tensile strength of FRCC. Building on these findings, a concurrent strength–sustainability design framework is established, enabling the direct determination of W/B and fiber ratios from specified performance targets. The study provides an insight into the methodology of assessing the simultaneous strength and sustainability performance of FRCC to achieve both safety and environmentally friendly objectives. • New embodied energy equivalence indicators λ and are proposed for FRCC’s sustainability. • PE is the best fiber for FRCC’s application as it has the highest . • W/B ratio is the most determining factor for the strength and sustainability design of FRCC. • A new direct one-step “concurrent strength-and-sustainability” design method is proposed • A simplified minimum design is also proposed for the strength-and-sustainability design of FRCC