News for the Global Life Cycle Community • LC Net • May/June 2016 Edition

LC Net • Newsletter of the Life Cycle Initiative

Life Cycle case studies, announcements and more! May/June 2016 Edition

• LC Net Focus

• Life Cycle in Action

• Announcements

• Flagship Activity Feedback

• Our Calendar

• Jobs

Contact us:

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www.lifecycleinitiative.org

LC Net Focus

Major advancements for life cycle based data and policies

Life cycle thinking is a key factor in the transition to more sustainable consumption and production. But to successfully achieve this pillar of the global transformation envisaged by the Sustainable Development Goals, robust life cycle approaches must be integrated in both the public and private sectors, at a global level.

The International Week for Life Cycle Assessment, held in Brasilia, Brazil, 13-17 March, was marked by several major advancements to encourage life cycle based data and policies.

Read the full article.

Life Cycle in Action: Case studies from our network

India Glycols Limited “believes in green”… and thrives!

Supported by a strong strategic vision for sustainability, India Glycols relies on green, innovative technologies to differentiate from competitors, and foster exports. This leading India-based company exports sustainable chemical products to more than 40 countries worldwide. It developed a life cycle approach, with the support of the UNEP / SETAC Life Cycle Initiative. This enabled India Glycols to establish better-informed decision-making processes, improve preparation for standards and exports, and earn a recognized reputation for sustainability.

Get more information about India Glycols’ success story.

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Announcements

Including abstract deadlines, publications, and other interesting news

Join the first USEtox Summer School!

The first official USEtox 2.0 Summer School is now open for registration. It will be organized at the Technical University of Denmark, from 27June to 1 July 2016. The course will be accessible to PhD students (5 credits) and professionals. At the end of the course, participants will have learnt how USEtox can be used in various applications, including the prioritization and ranking of chemicals within LCIA, product environmental footprinting and other comparative assessments.

Two prototyping workshops on “Hotspots Analysis and Sustainability Information”

Phase 2 of UNEP / SETAC Life Cycle Initiative’s flagship activity (3a) has started! (See flagship activity section below for more information). Two prototyping workshops have been set up to develop the common methodological framework and best practice guidelines. One will be focused on hotspots analysis on a sector level, and the other on a product category level. Both will be held at the UNEP offices in Paris, 16-17 June 2016. Register your interest here, or contact the project team for more information.

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Flagship activity feedback: a selection

Supporting networks and a ‘Life Cycle Thinking roadmap’ in East Africa

Sanjeevan Bajaj and Sonia Valdivia, co-chairs for the flagship activity on Global Capability Development, facilitated meetings in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, to set up local networks and develop a ‘Life Cycle Thinking Roadmap’ at national and regional levels. The main results include the agreement to set up national networks and to co-organize in Kenya the first Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) seminar in 2016. UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative’s partners are invited to express interest in supporting this first East African LCA seminar, which will be announced in due time.

More information on event outcomes.

Hotspots Analysis and Sustainability Information: Phase 2 has just started!

Work has started for the second phase of our flagship activity on Global Principles and Practices for Hotspots Analysis (see also announcement section above for joining the related prototyping workshops). The overall objective of this Phase 2 will be to develop a flexible methodological framework for product and sector levels hotspots analyses. This will enable support of, among others, 10YFP stakeholders in their prioritization efforts to accelerate the shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production.

More information on Phase 2.

Frontrunner organizations road testing the O-LCA Guidance

Since the launch of the “Guidance on Organizational Life Cycle Assessment”, the document and the methodology itself have undergone a road-testing process. Over the last months, the road testers focused on the initial step of O-LCA application, the scoping phase. They devoted efforts to mapping and preparing the ground for data collection. The road testers delivered a report , entitled "Report I: The scoping phase and first outline of the assessment”. Eight leading organizations have already moved beyond this first step and are currently collecting the data for the next O-LCA study.

More information on O-LCA Guidance road testing.

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Our Calendar: Where we and our partners will be in the coming months

• “Building Sustainable Cities and Life Styles for Latin America and the Caribbean” GBCCR, WRF, UNEP / 17-20 May / San Jose, Costa Rica. As a follow up of the World Resources Forum 2014 held in Peru, this conference will focus on the potential for change in the Latin American and Caribbean region. It will be focused on showcasing best practices, identifying obstacles and discussing how to overcome them, and forging partnerships and agreements to start acting now. The conference will be held in conjunction with the annual International Congress on Habitat and Sustainable Cities alongside the International GREEN EXPO, bringing together people and organisations from all over the world to share experiences, learn and participate in an effective and timely technological transfer towards better building practises in the region. Consult the official event website.

• SETAC Europe 26th Annual Meeting / 22-26 May / Nantes, France. The 2016 Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) unit in Europe will be dedicated to “Environmental contaminants from land to sea: continuities and interface in environmental toxicology and chemistry”. The UNEP / SETAC Life Cycle Initiative will lead 3 sessions: From streamlining LCA to new concepts of hotspots analysis; Life cycle data developments; and Consensus building in life cycle impact assessment. A one-day, back-to-back workshop will also be dedicated to international discussions on LCA data review on Friday 27 May 2016. Participants at SETAC Nantes can meet us at the UNEP / SETAC Life Cycle Initiative’s booth - drop by and say hello! Consult the official event website.

• 5th Seminar of the Ibero-American Network of LCA / 8-10 June / Viña del Mar, Chile. The RICV Seminars will have strong focus on the practical implementation of LCA and other life-cycle tools in industry, business, and public organisations. The Seminar will be carried out together with the first Chilean Congress of LCA, jointly organized by RICV, Red ACV Chile, UNEP, the UNEP / SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, UN Global Compact, the University Andres Bello, and the support of the Ministries of Environment, Foreign Affairs and Economy (Cleaner Production Council) of Chile, the Green Building Council and the International EPD System. Call for abstracts is open until 12 May. Consult the official event website.

• 5th International Seminar on Social Life Cycle Assessment / 13 June / Cambridge MA, USA. Consult the official event website.

• 22nd SETAC Europe LCA Case Study Symposium / 20-22 September 2016 / Montpellier, France. Consult the official event website.

• LCM Brazil 2016 / 20-23 September / Fortaleza, Brazil. Consult the official event website.

• LCA XVI / 27-29 September / Charleston SC, USA. Consult the official event website.

• Ecobalance 2016, the 12th Biennial Conference on EcoBalance / 3-6 October / Kyoto, Japan. Consult the official event website.

• Indian Conference on Life Cycle Management (ILCM) 2016 / 17-18 October / New Delhi, India. Consult the official event website.

• LCA in Foods / 19-21 October / Dublin, Ireland. Consult the official event website.

• 2nd ILCAN Conference Series on Life Cycle Assessment 2016 / 2-3 November / Tangerang, Indonesia. Consult the official event website.

You can also consult our Events page for more information about the events above. Is there an event coming up in your area? Just let us know and we'll add it to our list.

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Jobs

Life Cycle Assessment Researcher

Amazon • Seattle, WA, USA

"As our lead Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) researcher, you will be responsible for conducting assessments of environmental issues across the full spectrum of Amazon businesses, evaluating the sustainability impacts of supply chains, from manufacturing, to logistics, to consumer use, to end-of-life."

Sustainable Materials Program Manager

Apple • Santa Clara, CA, USA

"The candidate will be responsible for developing a roadmap of new material options, program manage proof of concept and feasibility trials with internal teams and external suppliers, work with Apple’s Materials and Product Design teams on implementing these new materials into product or packaging, and work with material suppliers to set direction on future material requirements."

Have you got a job to broadcast to over 4000 readers? Let us know.

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Secretariat of the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative

For more information, please visit our website, or feel free to contact us by email.