Speaker
Description
Noise pollution is a critical yet historically underrepresented environmental pressure in global sustainability assessments. To address this gap, this research introduces the concept of the Product Noise Footprint (PNF) and establishes its foundational calculation methods. The PNF is designed to capture complex source–receiver dynamics across entire product supply chains through a structured indicator offering two possible levels of resolution. First, the emission-based noise footprint (PNFE) acts as a core inventory metric, objectively quantifying the total acoustic energy output from sources across all supply chain phases. Second, the impact-based footprint (PNFI) translates this raw emitted energy into localized environmental and human impacts by accounting for propagation and exposure severity. To ensure comparability across diverse noise sources, similarly to the CO2 equivalent, the framework introduces the Road Traffic Noise equivalent (RTNeq) as a baseline unit. The PNF measure offers a robust, modular tool to formally integrate noise pollution into sustainability assessments.