Modelling the Environmental Impact of Industrial Clusters in the Aba Industrial Zone, South East Nigeria

This research models the environmental impact of industrial activities within the Aba Industrial Zone, Abia State, South East Nigeria, employing Life Cycle Assessment methodology to quantify cumulative environmental burdens arising from the concentrated garment, pharmaceutical, and food processing activities in the zone. Industrial clustering generates well-documented economic agglomeration benefits; however, the concentrated environmental footprint of industrial zones in Nigerian cities has received insufficient analytical attention relative to the urgency of urban environmental quality challenges. This study applies the Life Cycle Assessment framework following ISO 14040 and 14044 guidelines, defining the system boundary to encompass raw material intake, production processes, product distribution, and solid waste disposal for the five largest industry sub-sectors in the zone. Primary data were collected through energy metering, process emissions measurement, and water consumption monitoring at twelve representative facilities during a sixteen-week data collection exercise. Secondary data for background processes are drawn from ecoinvent 3.8 database with regional adaptation. Impact assessment results quantified across global warming potential, eutrophication, acidification, and resource depletion impact categories reveal that the dyeing and finishing sub-sector dominates environmental impact across all categories studied. Keywords: Life Cycle Assessment, industrial clusters, Aba Industrial Zone, environmental impact, South East Nigeria