Essentials of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Session 1: Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment

Overview of LCA and its importance in sustainability

Why use LCA

·         Benefits of LCA

Applications of LCA

·         Where can it be used and for what purpose

·         How can it benefit organizations and their goals

·         Explore how to communicate LCA and its applications to others

·         Introduction to Product Category Rules (PCR) and Environmental Product Declaration(EPD)

·         Regulatory Compliance & ESG Reporting

·         Product Innovation & Eco-Design

·         Competitive Advantage & Consumer Trust

Key concepts: Functional units, system boundaries, impact categories

Methodological Framework for LCA

·         LCA frameworks and standards (ISO 14040/14044)

Integrating LCA into a corporate sustainability program

Session Objective: Understand the fundamental principles and applications of LCA.

Session 2: LCA Data and Data Collection

Explore Use Cases and types of LCAs. How are the results going to be used?

·         Screening LCAs – internal use only

·         Product Design & Development

·         Regulatory Compliance & ESG Reporting

·         Green Building & Construction

·         Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) focused reporting

·         Other topics

Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data collection – Iterative Approach

Primary vs. secondary data sources

·         LCA databases 

·         Benefits of one database over the other, depending on use case

    Session Objective: Explore use cases and learn how to identify data sources, collect and organize LCA data effectively.

Session 3: Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)

Environmental impact categories (carbon footprint, water use, toxicity)

Impact assessment methods 

Results Interpretation and Uncertainty Analysis – data quality

·         Qualitative vs quantitative

·         Sensitivity analysis, uncertainty analysis, contribution analysis

    Session Objective: Evaluate and compare the performance of different products and processes.

Session 4: LCA Software and Tools

Overview of LCA software Note: Detailed training on a specific software will not be provided and we will focus especially on open-source options

How automation tools and AI fit in

Conducting a basic LCA study using LCA software & Data:

·         Mapping out the model – use a class example

·         Product System – System Model

·         Life-cycle stages/phases

Where to get data

Session Objective: Understanding LCA tools and software.

Session 5: Applications of LCA in Industry

Organizational LCA and GHG protocol

Carbon Footprint & Climate Strategy

Calculating total emissions (CO2, methane, etc.) across a product’s life cycle

Identifying opportunities for carbon offsetting

Measuring and reducing emissions (Scope 1, 2, and 3)

LCA in product design and development

·         Material Selection and Optimization (de-materialization/lightweighting)

·         Energy & Resource Efficiency in Product Manufacturing

·         LCA in supply chain management and procurement – evaluation: Identify hot-spots in the supply-chain; Transportation/logistics

·         Durability & Performance

·         Packaging Sustainability

·         End-of-Life (Extended Producer Responsibility)

Comparative Analysis – marketing & making claims

·         Environmental Product Declaration(EPD)

Engineering consulting - Use as a decision-making tool

Case studies from energy, manufacturing, construction, and consulting

Session Objective: Understand real-world applications of LCA across different industries.

Session 6: Regulatory and Business Considerations – Reporting/Disclosing

Session 6: Regulatory and Business Considerations – Reporting/Disclosing

Best practices for reporting and communicating results

Critical review / review panel, comparative analysis, etc

Regulatory frameworks (EU Green Deal, SEC climate disclosures, EPA guidelines)

Governance – Business Strategy

·         Corporate sustainability strategies and reporting; Embedding Sustainability into Business Strategy

·         Board Level Decision making backed by data

·         Integrating LCA into decision-making processes

·         Compliance with Global Regulations

·         Transparency

·         Managing Risk – in terms of sustainable practices

    Session Objective: Understanding best practices for reporting and communicating. Apply LCA to regulatory compliance and business decision-making.