On July 10-11, 2025, the Global LCA Platform Workshop was held in Milan, Italy, co-hosted by Tsinghua University, UNEP’s Life Cycle Initiative, and the University of Padova (ICEA). The event convened international stakeholders from governments, industry, academia, and international organizations to define a common path toward a trusted and federated global infrastructure for life cycle assessment (LCA).

The workshop confirmed the urgent need for robust, harmonized, and accessible life cycle data, methods and models to support science, business, and policy worldwide. Participants agreed on the definition of the Global LCA Platform as an interoperable and inclusive system enabling transparent data exchange, quality assurance, and worldwide application of LCA.

The platform is aligned with the five pillars of UNEP’s Global Environmental Data Strategy (governance, interoperability, quality, access, capacity building) and contributes to international digital transformation initiatives, including the Impact Initiative on Digitalization for Circular Economy (D4CE) under the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES). A central principle emphasized by participants is the mutual trust of models and data within the platform framework, ensuring that all stakeholders can rely on the integrity, transparency, and consistent quality of LCA-related data.