Environmental impact and sustainability prospects of domestic refrigerators in Bangladesh

Refrigerators are among the most commonly used household appliances worldwide. To improve their environmental sustainability, it is crucial to assess their environmental footprint throughout the entire life cycle and identify opportunities to reduce impacts and enhance performance. This study integrates Material Flow Analysis (MFA) with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of the domestic refrigerator sector in a developing country, providing both macro and micro-level insights across production, use, and disposal stages. The study applies an integrated MFA–LCA approach, using a logistic model to project refrigerator sales, in-use stock, and disposal volumes and subsequently quantifying the associated environmental impacts by combining the MFA results with LCA environmental intensities for the period from 1999 to 2050 in Bangladesh. The result shows that the use phase dominates the overall life cycle impact, primarily due to electricity consumption from heavy fuel oil and coal-based power plants. Integrated circuit and cable production, iron–nickel alloy processing, and sheet metal manufacturing are major contributors to environmental burdens during the production stage. Between 2025 and 2050, CO₂ emissions from the domestic refrigeration sector are projected to continue increasing, although at a slower rate than during the 2010–2025 period, before gradually approaching a plateau. Nevertheless, the number of discarded refrigerators is expected to increase significantly over the same period. Despite this growing waste stream, recycling practices in Bangladesh remain limited. Therefore, even modest improvements in refrigerator collection, recycling, and end-of-life management could contribute to notable environmental benefits. A transition towards a renewable energy-dominated (40%) energy mix could reduce overall CO₂ emissions from this sector by approximately 33%. This assessment provides valuable insights for policymakers to develop strategies aimed at making refrigerators more sustainable.