Abstract: The carbon footprint of the refrigerator product's lifecycle from raw material extraction to manufacturing (i.e., "cradle-to-gate") was analyzed. The results show that metal materials (accounting for 55% of the carbon footprint in the raw material acquisition and production assembly stages) and polymer materials (accounting for 23% of the carbon footprint in the raw material acquisition and production assembly stages) are the two core emission sources in the raw material acquisition stage of refrigerator products, while aluminum materials (accounting for 72% of the metal carbon footprint) and PS and ABS plastics (accounting for 53% of the polymer carbon footprint) are the key carbon emission materials. The carbon emissions during the production and assembly stage of refrigerators mainly come from electricity consumption (accounting for 97% of the carbon footprint during the production and assembly stage) and the use of compressed air (accounting for 3% of the carbon footprint during the production and assembly stage). Targeted suggestions have been put forward for the selection of different types of raw materials and emission reduction in the design of refrigerator products.

Key words: Refrigerator, Life cycle assessment, Carbon footprint