A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Reusable and Disposable HVAC Air Filters

HVAC air filtration systems can be designed as either disposable or reusable units, with each approach involving different material, operational, and end-of-life requirements. However, the environmental performance of reusable HVAC filtration systems remains insufficiently characterized. This study conducted a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comparing reusable and disposable HVAC air filters under equivalent service conditions using the TRACI 2.1 impact assessment method in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards. The analysis compared one reusable Delta M filter with eight equivalent disposable filters over the same filtration service period. Initial single-cycle comparisons showed that the reusable filter exhibited higher impacts due to increased structural material requirements associated with durable design. However, repeated refurbishment and reuse substantially reduced overall life cycle environmental burdens. At the defined functional unit, the reusable filtration system reduced global warming potential by approximately 69% (6.20 vs. 20.27 kg CO2 eq) while also reducing ozone depletion, smog formation, acidification, eutrophication, respiratory effects, ecotoxicity, fossil fuel depletion, and non-carcinogenic impacts relative to the disposable filtration system. Environmental break-even analysis indicated that the reusable system began outperforming the disposable alternative after approximately two operational filtration cycles, while end-of-life material recovery further improved environmental performance beyond the baseline landfill scenario. Contribution analysis identified PVC frame production, polyester filtration media manufacturing, and galvanized steel mesh production as the dominant environmental hotspots. The results demonstrate that combining durable product design, repeated reuse, and end-of-life material recovery can substantially improve the long-term environmental performance of commercial HVAC filtration systems while supporting circular economy and sustainable building objectives.