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Bridging Continents, Building Capacity: The Life Cycle Initiative’s March Mission to China

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is increasingly recognised by governments, industries, and financial institutions as an essential tool for green trade compliance, credible environmental claims, and sustainable procurement. In China, enterprises are rapidly adopting life-cycle thinking to navigate evolving international regulations and to enhance their competitiveness in global markets, as well as to inform their contribution to national priorities such as the Dual Carbon strategy.

The Life Cycle Initiative participated in the TianGongLCA Forum 2026 where we co-organised UNEP’s Global LCA Platform Workshop in partnership with Tsinghua University and the Carbon Footprint Alliance. The workshop gathered LCA service providers and users for a lively discussion on how to address the key frictions caused by a fragmented LCA ecosystem. A clear consensus emerged: the Global LCA Platform should prioritise agreement on a common governance framework and shared ground rules for LCA studies, in order to align product‑specific assessments under LCA‑based policies.

Before and after the TianGong Forum, several meetings were organized in Beijing and Shanghai with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment; China’s BCRC, China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR), the Sustainable Business and Brand Working Committee (SBBC) of the China Standardization Association (CAS), China Southern Power Grid, and Envision Energy. These meetings served to strengthen collaboration opportunities around LCA data and LCA-based policies, sustainable textiles, biogenic carbon accounting, and chemical footprint approaches, among others.

This was followed on 30–31 March by the Life Cycle Initiative’s LCA & ESG Training Workshop in Xiamen, China, co-organised with the Green Finance Forum of 60 (GF60), the Xiamen Straits Federation for Sustainable Business, and the One Planet network – 10YFP Sustainable Business Innovation Lab. The workshop brought together Chinese enterprises and practitioners for two days of hands‑on sessions. Participants explored how LCA can serve as the backbone for digital product passports and robust sustainability strategies.

The Life Cycle Initiative remains committed to supporting countries and industries worldwide in operationalising life-cycle approaches – for a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future. We thank our co‑organisers and all participants for their energy, curiosity, and many useful inputs.

Save the Date: Life Cycle Initiative’s 10th General Assembly

The Life Cycle Initiative will host its 10^th General Assembly meeting on 30th September 2026, from 12:30 to 14:30 CEST. Members are invited to save the date in their calendars.

In addition, interested members should watch for the upcoming call for nominations for the Steering Committee elections, which will be shared closer to the event.

Life Cycle Initiative at the European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE) 2026

The Life Cycle Initiative will be present at the EUBCE 2026 in the Netherlands to present progress on the Biogenic Carbon project during the  workshop on Carbon Removal in the Bioeconomy on 21 May 2026 organised by the University of Utrecht.  The overall objective of the session is to understand how to calculate and value temporary and permanent carbon removal, and how it can be translated into policy. Find more information on the conference here.

Stay up to date/contribute to the development of the National Textile Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Database in India

UNEP is supporting the development of the first India National Textile LCI database. The database is developed under the framework of the UNEP InTex Programme. The availability of the database will help close the data gap and provide up-to-date and open-access evidence to inform sound government and industry decisions. Interested stakeholders can register here to stay up-to-date on progress and/or contribute to the development of the India textile LCI database.

A warm welcome to Life Cycle Initiative’s new interns: Yue and Abhinav

This is Yue Wu. She is from China and currently based in Europe.
She recently completed her second master’s degree in Sustainable Management & Technology at EPFL, after previously earning both a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science & Engineering from Tsinghua University. Before joining UNEP, she gained hands-on experience in life cycle assessment, carbon modeling, and sustainability consulting across both academic and industry settings. She is passionate about making sustainability practical and actionable by connecting life-cycle thinking with digital tools, business decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration.

This is Abhinav Arora, and he is from India.
He is pursuing Master of Science in Urban Environmental Management from Wageningen University. He specializes in Urban Systems Engineering focusing on concept design of resource/material systems from a circular and life-cycle perspective. He is fairly acquainted with use of concepts and tools such as Urban Harvest Approach, Industrial Ecology, Life Cycle Assessment and Multi Criteria Decision Analysis among others. Prior to his Master’s, he worked as a Management Consultant focused on supporting private and public organisations with business strategies and international cooperation projects across areas of sustainable systems and policies, resource recovery and energy decarbonization.

Heartfelt thanks to our outgoing team member and interns: Archana, Lucie, Sisi and Yan

The Life Cycle Initiative extends its gratitude to Archana Datta, Lucie du Crest, Shuangjun Yu (Sisi) and Yan Du for their  contribution to the Initiative.

Archana Datta served as the Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Life Cycle Initiative in Paris, France for over 3 years, spearheading its work, driving key achievements and contributing to the successful delivery of multiple milestones.

Lucie, Sisi and Yan, as interns supported the Initiative’s work for the last 6 months.

We wish each of them every success in their future endeavours.

Biogenic Carbon Accounting at the Global Bioenergy partnership (GBEP) Webinar

The Life Cycle Initiative joined a panel discussion at the GBEP webinar on Approaches to land sector and bio-based carbon accounting held on 7 May 2026, organised by UN FAO. The discussion revolved around the status of treatment of biogenic emissions by current accounting standard and LCA approaches, the need for guidance on the topic of biogenic carbon reporting, implications of the inherent complexity of biogenic carbon reporting for companies operating in bioenergy and other bio-based sectors, and key data gaps and technical barriers that limit robust GHG accounting related to the land sector.

UNEP presents preliminary findings on sustainable textile choices at Fashion Act 2026

MarILCA publishes three new articles on plastic-related impacts

MarILCA (Marine Impacts in LCA), a working group that started under the Life Cycle Initiative and is now an integral part of GLAM, focuses on integrating potential environmental impacts of litter – especially plastic – into LCA results. The group recently published three new scientific papers on:

• Regionalised characterisation factors for microplastics in the Journal of Cleaner Production the Journal of Cleaner Production.
• The impacts of anthropogenic cellulosic microfibers (cotton, viscose, rayon) across the textile lifecycle in IEAM.
• Plastic emissions from the fishing industry by applying the latest MarILCA impact assessment developments in the International Journal of LCA.

Now Open Access: The Handbook on Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA)

Published in 2024, this handbook, edited by Sonia Valdivia (World Resources Forum) and Guido Sonnemann (University of Bordeaux) is now freely available allowing students, researchers, practitioners and trainers advancing on LCSA implementation; it covers:

• Methods and data management advancements with step-by-step examples
• Practical guidance for implementation with examples from the building sector, chemical sector and mobility
• Outlook for future work

The handbook can be accessed here.

Advancing Harmonization in LCA for Metals

A new peer-reviewed publication, Harmonized calculation methods for product carbon footprints and life cycle assessments in the mining and metals industry, responds to the growing need for harmonized product carbon footprint (PCF) and life cycle assessment (LCA) calculations amid an expanding and fragmented methodological landscape. Authored by Dr. Markus Berger (University of Twente), in collaboration with the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and commodity association members, the paper reviews 16 existing standards and frameworks, identifying key areas of divergence such as co-product allocation, electricity modelling, and recycling by adopting common principles and best practices across 17 methodological approaches to improve transparency, consistency, and comparability.

Learn more about ICMM’s Materials Stewardship Facility, a collaborative initiative between ICMM and member associations here.

Textile Exchange’s Life Cycle Assessment for Cotton

Textile Exchange has published the Life Cycle Assessment for Cotton, the first in a series of seven Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry.

Initiated in 2022 to address gaps in base LCA data, the LCA for Cotton study provides environmental impact data across key producing countries for organic, regenerative, recycled, and conventional cotton production systems. The data will be submitted to global industry databases including Higg MSI, Ecoinvent, and WALDB to support more accurate modelling and progress tracking.

Read the report here.

9th Brazilian Life Cycle Management Congress (GCV 2026) – Call for Abstracts Open

17–19 November 2026 – Recife, Brazil

The congress is promoted by the Brazilian Life Cycle Association (ABCV) and hosted by the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), with support from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB), the Brazilian business network of LCA (Rede ACV), and Ibict.
This year’s theme is “Life cycle and digitalization for sustainable development in territories.” The congress will explore how digital tools – including artificial intelligence – can support LCA methodologies while ensuring that territorial, cultural, and ancestral dimensions remain central to analysis, making LCA results more representative and aligned with local realities.

Call for abstracts: open until 15 May 2026. The abstract template and further information are available here.

For more information contact ABCV.

Support for organisers of in-person LCA courses – Apply now

Would you like to organise a high-quality, in-person course on a well-defined LCA-related topic in your local area, targeted to a clearly identified audience? You can now apply for economic support from the International Life Cycle Academy (ILCA) to cover costs of planning and logistics for arranging a course.

ILCA is a not‑for‑profit association of sustainability assessment professionals working together to provide high‑quality training opportunities in quantitative sustainability assessment.

More information and application details can be found here.

Life Cycle Insights for Sustainability (LCIS) 2026 India – Call for Abstracts Open

Life Cycle Insights for Sustainability (LCIS) — India’s forum for the Life Cycle community announces its inaugural conference LCIS 2026. It will be held on September 11-12, 2026, at Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Sanquelim, Goa in a hybrid format. LCIS 2026 call for abstracts is open until May 31, 2026.

More details

Webinar: Ten Life Cycle Initiative’s LCSA Principles – Application and a survey for next steps

8 & 9 June 2026 • Online (Teams)

This webinar presents the Ten LCSA Principles, their practical application, and a global survey to identify further research needs. The session will be offered twice to accommodate different time zones:

Session 1: 8 June 2026 | 16:00–17:00 CEST | registration link
Session 2: 9 June 2026 | 8:30–9:30 CEST | registration link

Speakers: Sonia Valdivia (Leuphana University / World Resources Forum), Jana Backes (RWTH Aachen University), Yahong Dong (Caroline) (Macau University of Science and Technology). Click to complete the survey

WasteLCA_5 Conference 2026

7–12 June 2026 • Cetraro (Calabria), Italy

The WasteLCA_5 Conference 2026 will be held from 7 to 12 June 2026 at the Grand Hotel San Michele in Cetraro, Calabria, Italy. The conference focuses on advances in sustainability assessment of municipal and challenging waste management, with particular emphasis on Life Cycle Management (LCM) tools and methodologies, including LCA, LCC, and S-LCA. It brings together researchers, practitioners, and policy experts to exchange insights on methodological developments, digital technologies for LCA, and real-world applications supporting circular economy strategies and sustainable waste management systems.

More information

Sustainability and life-cycle forum: The Sustainability Intelligence Forum 2026 (SIF’2026)

14 June 2026 • Muscat, Oman

This forum will be held at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech). The forum brings together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and technology providers to address the transition toward sustainability-driven economic systems. The event focuses on the integration of sustainability, LCA, environmental product declarations (EPDs), and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, to support data-driven decision-making and regulatory compliance.

More information

Life Cycle Talk: If less is more – how you keeping score? Introducing Sufficiency-LCA

15 June 2026 • Online (Zoom)

In this session, Hampus André, researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, will introduce Sufficiency-LCA. He will discuss how LCA can be extended to assess sufficiency – “living well with less” – alongside the traditional focus on efficiency. The talk will cover early empirical applications and future directions for this emerging approach.

More Information

10th International S-LCA Conference 2026

17-19 June 2026 • Jakarta, Indonesia

The 10th International Conference on Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA 2026) will bring together researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to advance social sustainability in life cycle thinking. Under the theme “Unity in Diversity,” S-LCA 2026 will explore the role of social impact assessment in fostering inclusive sustainability, strengthening cross-industry collaboration, and addressing global challenges. The event welcomes stakeholders from academia, businesses, financial institutions, NGOs, media, producers, and civil society, representing diverse regions and industries.

More information

5th Life Cycle Innovation Conference (LCIC 2026)

1–3 July 2026 • Berlin, Germany (hybrid)

The Life Cycle Innovation Conference (LCIC 2026) will be held from 1 to 3 July 2026 in Berlin, Germany, with hybrid participation options. The conference highlights innovation in life cycle assessment and life cycle thinking, focusing on new methods, tools, and applications supporting sustainable production and consumption. It aims to strengthen links between research and practice.

More information

15th International LCA Food Conference

12-15 October 2026 • Montréal, Canada 

The 15th International LCA Food Conference will take place in Montréal, Canada, 12-15 October 2026. The 2026 edition will bring together stakeholders from academia, industry, and policy to share the latest insights, foster collaboration, and explore solutions for more sustainable food systems worldwide. For the first time, food packaging will also be included in the topics discussed!

More information

MCV 2026 – Francophone Conference on Life Cycle Thinking

25-26 November 2026 • Lille, France 

MCV is a leading Francophone event dedicated to life cycle thinking and sustainability, bringing together experts, practitioners, and decision‑makers. The 2026 edition (organised by the MCV team and LCM2LOOP association) continues the successful series – the last edition in Bordeaux attracted around 300 participants. Discussions will explore how life cycle approaches can support policy development, sustainable business practices, and informed decision‑making across regions.

More Information

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) – Researcher on life cycle assessment and ecosystem services
LIST, a leading Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) is seeking a permanent post doctorate position for its Environmental Sustainability Assessment and Circularity (SUSTAIN) Unit. The position is within the Industrial Ecology (IE) group of the SUSTAIN Unit which conducts research at the intersection between life cycle assessment (LCA), other quantitative industrial ecology approaches  and data-driven methods . The work will support the development and application of methods that link life cycle thinking with ecosystem services evaluation to better inform decision‑making in environmental management and policy.

More details

The work of the Life Cycle Initiative would not be possible without the support of its sponsors. By contributing to the Initiative, organizations gain access to practical guidance and tools to align their operations with United Nations environmental and social development commitments. This commitment also positions them as leaders in ensuring the enabling conditions so other organisations can follow in applying Life Cycle Thinking across their processes. With the new 2022-2027 strategy of the Life Cycle Initiative, funding partners will also get significant visibility of UNEP projects in high-impact sectors such as plastics, textiles, buildings and construction, mobility, etc. and how these are supported by life-cycle approaches.

If you are interested in becoming a funding partner, please get in touch with Llorenç Milà i Canals at llorenc.milaicanals@un.org.

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!