A Novel Model to Quickly Assess the Environmental Impact of Automotive Collision Repair Workshops

The automotive industry has recently witnessed a growing emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility. Within this context, automotive collision repair workshops significantly contribute to the sector’s environmental impact (EI), and it is crucial to evaluate EI efficiently, have better‐informed decision‐making, and promote sustainability within this domain. The conventional practices in these workshops often have a significant EI, from the disposal of hazardous materials to the energy‐intensive processes of paint application and sheet metal repair. However, there is a significant gap in the literature regarding works undertaken to mitigate this problem. The primary objective is to create a computational program model that swiftly and accurately enables the evaluation of the EI of any automotive collision repair workshop for each service provided (e.g., washing and painting). The computational program, in turn, facilitates a process of continuous improvement concerning environmental sustainability (one of the Triple Bottom Line pillars). A detailed analysis of the reports on each service made it possible to scrutinize and highlight the factors contributing most negatively to the EI.