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World Environment Day: Land Restoration, desertification and drought resilience

This year’s theme of World Environment Day on the 5th of June emphasized the critical importance of land restoration, combating desertification, and enhancing drought resilience. These elements are essential for a sustainable future, ensuring that our ecosystems can thrive and support the diverse life they sustain. By improving soil health through informed actions, we can aid in ecosystem revival and enhance resilience against the adverse effects of climate change.

Anthropogenic activities have significantly contributed to soil and land degradation. This has profound implications for biodiversity, food security, and climate stability. The Global Guidance on Environmental Life Cycle Impact Assessment Indicators (GLAM) Volume 2 offers essential recommendations for assessing these impacts in LCA. Discover more in the recent paper “Soil organic carbon as an indicator of land use impacts in life cycle assessment” (De Laurentiis et al., 2024).  Another crucial element in this area relates to harmonizing biogenic carbon accounting in LCA. The Biogenic Carbon Project is an expert-led multi-stakeholder process improving LCA methodologies for bio-based products.

By using these recent improvements in LCA, we can better understand the implications of different activities on soil health, enabling the development of strategies that mitigate negative impacts and promote the restoration of degraded lands.

Members: Save the date for the 8th General Assembly of the Life Cycle Initiative on October 2, 2024

The Life Cycle Initiative’s 8th online General Assembly will take place on October 2, 2024. This event is open to all members of the Initiative. We will review the achievements of the past year and outline plans for the future.

Like every year, a key agenda item is the election of three new representatives to the Steering Committee. According to our governance rules, one seat from each constituency (government, business, science & civil society) rotates annually. This year, institutional members from the following regions are eligible for election to the Steering Committee:

• Government: Africa, West Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia/Pacific,
• Business: Asia/Pacific, North America, West Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean
• Science & Civil Society (Individual seat): Asia/Pacific, Europe, Africa, West Asia

We will provide more information in early September, including a registration link, the agenda, and details about the elections. Membership is open year-round: you can complete the online application form at any time to join the Initiative.

Call for Universities to Connect your Data Node with GLAD!

Global LCA Data Access network (GLAD), is now offering a new Open Scientific Data Node (OSDN), an instrument aimed at providing research institutions (e.g. universities) with an easy and free-of charge way to host LCA data and have them indexed in GLAD, making the data directly available to the global LCA community. Currently, this offering is limited to LCA data in ILCD format, with ecoSpold support following in the future.

We would like to hear from universities and research institutes wanting to share their data and gain global exposure for their departments work.

For more information contact: contact@globallcadataaccess.org

Register for GLAD’s online Stakeholder Consultation:
“Blueprint and Sustainability strategy for a Common Governance Nomenclature System to map the Elementary Flows (EF) lists from major LCA databases.”

The online Stakeholder Consultation regarding the GLAD project’s work on developing a Blueprint for a common governance nomenclature system, in collaboration with IBICT, will be held on the 19th of July at 09:30, Brazil time (UTC/GMT-3). The Blueprint project aims to gather information on the need for specific governance in the interoperability and nomenclature of elementary flows. This includes identifying key discussion points, needs, and the necessary support and structure for effective outcomes. The public stakeholder consultation aims to highlight and debate the most critical issues.

Register here.

Job Alert!
UNEP Consultant for Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) for Feasibility on Plastic Waste Recycling Technologies

UNEP is looking for a consultant to conduct a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of plastic recycling technologies in Asian countries. The consultant will identify environmental risks, propose mitigation measures, and recommend sustainable practices. This role aims to enhance the capacity of stakeholders—policymakers, practitioners, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs)—to implement sustainable recycling practices. The position is remote, with a duration of five months, starting as soon as possible.

Apply here.

Call for submission of resources: Materials Hub “10 Whole Life Cycle Recommendations for the Buildings Breakthrough” case study platform

The 10 Whole Life Cycle Recommendations for the Buildings Breakthrough are a consensus driven set of actions for decision makers to consider, in order to meet the challenge of whole life cycle impacts in the building sector.

 The recommendations have the ambition to promote Whole Life Cycle (WLC) policy thinking on a global stage, and to raise awareness on the significance of addressing Whole Life Cycle emissions and promoting circularity in the built environment in implementing the Buildings Breakthorugh Priority Areas.

During the 2024 GlobalABC Annual Assembly, the Materials Hub launched a case study platform that aims to foster and disseminate a collection of case studies and good practices globally in support of the set of recommendation. A selection of this resources will be highlighted during COP29.

Submit your resources no later than July 31st.

Call for Expression of Interest: Join the Technical Review Committee for the Bio-based and Earth-based Materials Compendium Project

The Materials Hub announces an expression of interest to join the Technical Review Committee for the Bio-based and Earth-based Materials Compendium- Proof of Concept project. This initiative aims to foster knowledge exchange and promote sustainable building practices globally by developing a comprehensive online compendium of bio- and earth-based materials and local building practices.

The Materials Hub seeks experienced stakeholders across the construction value chain in biomaterial and bio-based construction to contribute.

Please review the Terms of Reference and submit your interest here.

Life-cycle Hotspots of Air-conditioning and Food Cold Chain System

The Life Cycle Initiative in collaboration with the Ozone Secretariat presents brochures based on a joint study on Hotspots analysis for two broad value chains (Air-conditioning and Food Cold Chain) involving substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The study identifies critical areas (hotspots) contributing to ozone layer depletion and climate change and how to mitigate their impacts.

The first two rounds of workshops on Biogenic Carbon in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) have been successfully completed!

The Biogenic Carbon Project aims to use an expert-led multi-stakeholder process to develop a recommendation that brings harmonisation and enhanced credibility of LCA results.

The meetings of the Working Groups (WG) address several key points, including divergent practices in dealing with topics of the WG, variations between industries, specific examples illustrating these practices, the rationale and evidence behind the identified different approaches, etc. The aim of these discussions is to gain a clearer understanding of the issues towards consensus.

GLAM’s Beta Launch and Advancements towards its Final Release

GLAM beta version was launched on May 8th at the SETAC Symposium in Seville. Following this milestone, two workshops were held to finalize recommendations, and the updated characterization factors were made available to select industries in early July, marking the beginning of the testing phase.

A stakeholder consultation on GLAM is scheduled to take place on August 28 from 13:00 – 14:30. You can sign up for the stakeholder consultation here. You may also hear an update on GLAM if you attend the LCA in Foods Conference in Barcelona, on September 8. The final launch of GLAM is scheduled for the SETAC Symposium in Göteborg from October 21-23, 2024.

India’s Textile Value Chain Transition to Circularity: New InTex Project in the Districts of Surat and Karur

The InTex India project, funded by the Government of Denmark, is implemented by UNEP in collaboration with the Government of India’s Ministry of Textiles, from December 2023 until September 2027. InTex India aims at accelerating the transition of the Indian Textile Sector towards circularity through the application of life cycle thinking.
Building upon global knowledge and through practical implementation, the project will work with:

• the Ministry of Textiles to identify and implement policies that enable a shift towards circularity in the textiles sector in India; and
• Indian brands and their suppliers (manufacturing SMEs) in Surat, Karur and its adjoints clusters of Salem, Dindigul and Perundurai; to adopt circular business models as well as to calculate and reduce their product environmental footprint using life cycle assessment (LCA) based techniques.

The InTex India Brochure is available on the project website.

New brochure on UNEP’s tools for Sustainable Consumption and Production

Discover the power of UNEP’s ready-to-use tools to unleash the potential of sustainable resource management. The following tools facilitate informed environmental decision-making, guiding nations towards more sustainable consumption and production patterns: UNEP IRP Global Material Flow Database, SCP Hotspot Analysis Tool (SCP-HAT) and the Global Footprint Tool.

Find more information in the brochure.

Project Update: Digital Product Passport (DPP) Global Framework

The project on developing a Global Framework for Digital Product Passport (DPP) has made significant progress through several key milestones achieved during May-June 2024. To establish a baseline of DPP awareness at the regional level, the project team participated in two Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector consultations organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) during the Regional Study Group 5 meetings on “Environment, Electromagnetic Fields (EMF), and Circular Economy” for Africa and the Arab Region. The project was also showcased to key stakeholders during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 High-Level event.

Open call for applications for the Environmental Footprint Technical Advisory Board

There is no deadline for applications, but submissions received by 30 June 2024 were considered in the first round of evaluations.

Applicants who are not selected, as well as other interested stakeholders, can stay informed about EF developments through the Registry of Experts of the Commission. Apply here.

Capacity Building in the Republic of Korea on Plastic Waste Management and Circular Economy

In May 2023, the Ulsan International Development Cooperation Center (UIDCC), in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Ulsan College, hosted a capacity-building program on plastic waste management and circular economy targeting Korea, Thailand and Timor Leste. This event, held from May 6 to May 10, brought together stakeholders from Southeast Asia to share best practices and foster a collective approach to combating plastic pollution. The five-day program included field trips to various sites. Multi-stakeholder participants actively engaged in discussions and workshops.

The agenda included amongst others a training session on life-cycle thinking in the context of plastic pollution by Claudia Giacovelli of the UNEP Life Cycle Initiative. Claire Thiebault from UNEP Sustainable Consumption and Production Unit complemented with insights on circularity.

Global Fashion Summit, Copenhagen

Zubeida Zwavel discusses ending oversupply at the Global Textile Policy Forum during the Global Fashion Summit

The Global Fashion Summit celebrated its 15th anniversary in Copenhagen, Denmark from 21-23 of May 2024 with a focus on suitability and circularity.

Zubeida Zwavel, Director of Centre for African Resource Efficiency and Sustainability (CARES), InTex implementing partner and a member of the Life Cycle Network, spoke in a panel on addressing oversupply in the fashion industry, click here for a short video. The panel explored innovative business models aimed at reducing overproduction and overconsumption. One key strategy discussed was improving stock management to prevent excessive markdowns. UNEP also launched its Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook on the main stage.

The summit provided an opportunity for cross-regional dialogue. A delegation of brands from India, brought in partnership with the British Council and the UN India office, engaged in knowledge sharing discussions with UNEP and InTex’ representatives from South Africa.

International Conference of Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA 2024) in Curitiba, Brazil

The International Conference of Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA 2024) from May 28 to 31, attracted 95 participants from 16 countries and 13 Brazilian states.
Key discussions covered social improvements, positive impacts, public policy experiences, methodological approaches, data acquisition, and impact assessment methods. Communication of S-LCA results through the Social Product Declaration was also explored. Challenges such as urban application and result variability were addressed, alongside strengthening networks in Brazil and potentially re-establishing an LCA network in Africa.

For more information, visit: S-LCA 2024.

Call for Abstracts – 32nd CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering (CIRP LCE 2025)

The 32nd CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering (CIRP LCE 2025), will take place in Manchester, United Kingdom, from 7th to 9th April 2025.
Important Dates:

• Abstract submission deadline: 1st July 2024
• Notification of acceptance of abstracts: 18th July 2024
• Full paper submission deadline: 18th September 2024
• Notification of paper review results: 18th November 2024
• Deadline for submission of final papers: 18th December 2024

Submission Guidelines: For detailed topics and submission guidelines, please visit here the website, tab “abstracts”.

5th Chilean Conference on LCA

7-9 August, 2024 • Talca, Chile

The 5th Chilean Conference on Life Cycle Assessment will take place at the Universidad Católica del Maule (UCM), Chile. The Conference is jointly organized by the local LCA Network (RedACV Chile) and the UCM, with the support of the Iberoamerican Network of LCA (RICV) and the Life Cycle Initiative. The event will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers from Chile and abroad, to discuss the central theme of “advancing efforts towards a sustainable economy”. You may contribute to this Conference by submitting an abstract for the following sessions: 

• Environmental Life Cycle Assessment 
• Social Life Cycle Assessment 
• Life Cycle Costing 
• Eco-labelling and Environmental Product Declarations 
• Circular Bioeconomy 
• Circular economy 
• Sustainable cities 
• Water, energy and food nexus 
• Sustainable production systems 
• Sustainable Organisations and Services 

More information: https://redacvchile.wixsite.com/acvchile or by email.

14th LCA Food International Conference

8-12 September 2024 • Barcelona, Spain

The 14th LCA Food conference will be held in Barcelona, Spain. Hosted by IRTA, a research institute under the Government of Catalonia and the Ministry of Climate Action, Food, and Rural Agenda, this conference is committed to reducing the environmental impact of agrifood systems and advancing healthier, more sustainable diets. With a 28-year legacy, it has grown into the world’s foremost platform for addressing environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. It attracts participants from academia, consultancy, agrifood companies, NGOs, and public bodies, occurring biennially across Europe, America, and Asia.

More information

ICLCAS 2024 – International Conference on Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability
26-27 September 2024 • Vancouver, Canada

International Conference on Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability (ICLAS) discusses the most recent innovations, trends, and concerns as well as practical challenges encountered and solutions adopted in the fields of Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability. The conference is held on September 26 and 27, 2024 in Vancouver, Canada.

More information.

SETAC Europe 26th LCA Symposium, “Making LCA Meaningful: Good Data, Better Models, Sustainable Decisions”

21 – 23 October 2024 | Gothenburg, Sweden

The SETAC Europe 26th LCA Symposium is a two-and-a-half-day event gathering experts from academia, industry, government, and NGOs to discuss the latest research and applications in life cycle assessment (LCA). This year’s theme, “Making LCA meaningful: good data, better models, sustainable decisions,” aims to enhance life cycle inventory data, improve life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) application, and deepen the understanding of LCA’s diverse contexts and enhancements. The symposium will offer presentations, discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities to contribute to these goals.

The final version of the Global Guidance for Life-Cycle Impact Assessment Method (GLAM) is planned to be launched at this event.

More information

First edition of the MCV Conference series (MCV 2024)

13-14 November, 2024 • Lille, France

MCV is the first French-speaking conference on life cycle practices. The conference was founded based on the request of industry research and public institutions to promote the topic of Life Cycle Thinking in French-speaking regions. The primary objective of the MCV conference is to bring together decision-makers, experts, researchers, and institutions to discuss and exchange lifecycle-based initiatives, innovations, products, and services. Although the primary language of the conference is French, simultaneous translation is provided to facilitate knowledge exchange.

More information

XI International Conference on Life Cycle Assessment in Latin America – CILCA

7-11 April 2025 • Mexico City, Mexico

CILCA 2025 aims to showcase methodological advancements, discussions, success stories, and technological innovations supporting the life cycle approach as the scientific foundation of the circular economy. Abstract submissions on the theme “Life Cycle Assessment as the basis of the circular economy: production, consumption, and more sustainable societies” are welcomed.

More information

CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering

7-9 April 2025 • Manchester, UK

CIRP is organising the 32nd CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering (CIRP LCE 2025), to be held in Manchester,  United Kingdom, from 7th to 9th April 2025. The conference website will be regularly updated to provide you with the latest information.

More information

12th International Conference on Life Cycle Management (LCM 2025)

9-12 September 2025 • Palermo, Italy

We invite industry professionals, policy makers and researchers to submit proposals for engaging and informative sessions that explore the conference theme: From Global to Local – Methods, Tools and Best Practices for an Efficient and Effective Sustainable Transition.

Proposals should be submitted electronically by 10^th September 2024 to info@lcm2025.org.

More information 

UNEP is looking for a consultant to conduct a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of plastic recycling technologies in Asian countries. The consultant will identify environmental risks, propose mitigation measures, and recommend sustainable practices. This role aims to enhance the capacity of stakeholders—policymakers, practitioners, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs)—to implement sustainable recycling practices. The position is remote, with a duration of five months, starting as soon as possible.

Apply here: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/237786?language=en

UNEP – Programme Management Officer Textiles
UNEP’s textiles team based in Paris is hiring a senior programme management officer. It’s a project post with an initial period of one year but may be subject to extension. UNEP is looking for someone with industry experience implementing upstream innovation and solutions in reducing textiles overproduction, overconsumption or pollution.

Deadline for applications Aug 2, 2024. Apply here: https://inspira.un.org/psc/UNCAREERS/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/UN_CUSTOMIZATIONS.UN_JOB_DETAIL.GBL?Page=UN_JOB_DETAIL&Action=A&JobOpeningId=236201&PostingSeq=1&

UNEP-UN Volunteer Young Talent Pipeline – Sustainable Textiles Specialist
This is specifically for youth candidates (see eligibility criteria) from Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific or Africa. It is for a remunerated 12-month assignment at UNEP’s headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, starting November 2024. Candidates should have a minimum of three years work experience with some specialised background, such as chemicals in textiles, fashion communication and marketing, textile standards, or similar areas.

Deadline for applications Aug 8, 2024. Apply here: https://app.unv.org/opportunities/1758618269729024

Energy Jobline – Senior Life Cycle Analysis Scientist
In this role you will be positioned in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform research in the areas of energy life cycle analysis, oil and gas carbon intensity assessment and lead collaborative research with universities and research institutions for increased intellectual property opportunities.

More information: https://www.energyjobline.com/job/senior-life-cycle-analysis-scientist-19577964

WSP – Senior Consultant, Product Sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment
For this position you will be located at one of WSP’s office’s in the USA. You will amongst other lead delivery with LCA projects from start to finish, including researching and collecting life cycle inventory data, performing quality assurance, developing new datasets to fill data gaps and performing modeling in software platforms.

More information: https://emit.fa.ca3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_2001/job/56214?utm_medium=jobshare

SCS Global Services – Contractor, Life Cycle Assessment Practitioner
On a project-by-project basis, you will conduct data analysis, model environmental impacts, and prepare detailed reports, contributing directly to the creation and verification of LCA models and reports for clients. Leveraging tools like openLCA, Excel, Python, and in-house software, you will engage directly with clients to clarify assessment processes and gather critical data.

For more information: https://scs.clearcompany.com/careers/jobs/91e65aa7-269d-582a-084c-dfdbc3eb8ddd/apply?source=3069943-JB-1018

KRAHN Chemie Group – Specialist Life Cycle Assessments
KRAHN is located in Zaandam, the Netherlands. In this position, you are the key person when it comes to LCA related topics, and you share your expertise within our international group. You perform the LCA calculations for international customers using SimaPro and you prepare PCF, LCA and EPD reports.

For more information visit: https://career.krahn.eu/SPECIALIST-LIFE-CYCLE-ASSESSMENT-MFD-de-j228.html

Ecocareers – Life Cycle Assessment Consultant Buildings
Ecocareers has an opportunity for someone who is passionate about sustainable built environment. This position is Londen based. Key responsibilities: Manage the delivery of sustainability strategies and services, including develop circular economy statements ,calculations to find material flows, greenhouse gas emissions footprints and develop EPD’s.

For more information visit: https://jobs.ecocareers.org/jobs/328949821-life-cycle-assessment-consultant-buildings-at-eight-versa

Note that we cannot accept contributions of a commercial nature. LCNet is released bimonthly in the beginning of January, March, May, July, September and November; please send us your piece approximately two weeks before the release date. We look forward to your contributions in disseminating life cycle knowledge from global policy and business agendas!