Green retrofitting in ceramics manufacturing industry: a hybrid LLM-MCDM approach

Abstract

This study examines strategic retrofitting in high-end artistic ceramics manufacturing under stringent “Dual Carbon” regulations. Balancing regulatory compliance with artisanal integrity represents a significant industrial challenge. To address this multidimensional problem, this research develops an integrated hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework combining the Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) and the Measurement of Alternatives and Ranking according to Compromise Solution (MARCOS). Gemini 1.5 Pro was employed exclusively as a “Synthetic Knowledge Engineer” to extract and organise candidate criteria from five authoritative regulatory and technical documents, which were subsequently validated and refined by a multidisciplinary human expert panel to construct the Evaluation Index System (EIS). FUCOM results indicate that “Environmental Compliance and Process Monitoring” is the most influential main criterion, while “Specific Energy Intensity”, “Weighted Flue Gas Emissions” and “Payback Period and ROI” emerge as the most important sub-criteria. The MARCOS evaluation identifies the “Hybrid Evolutionary Path” as the highest-ranked compromise pathway, reflecting a phased investment strategy that balances emission reduction objectives with capital constraints. Sensitivity analyses and comparative assessments using established MCDM methods, including TOPSIS, COPRAS, WASPAS and VIKOR, demonstrate a high degree of ranking stability under the tested analytical conditions. The proposed framework provides a transparent and potentially transferable decision-support approach to facilitate low-carbon transitions in traditional craft-based manufacturing industries.