Regulation, methods and practice
Notes on life cycle assessment, declarations and the rules reshaping industrial markets.
COP26: the Glasgow Climate Pact and what it changed
COP26, held in Glasgow in October and November 2021, was presented as a decisive moment for keeping the 1.5°C temperature limit within reach. The conference ended with the adoption of the Glasgow Climate Pact and the…
Read moreBrazilian inventory data in ecoinvent 3.8: regionalization
How Projeto Pedra Fundamental expanded the representation of Brazilian activities and why database versions matter.
Read moreCobalt and tin: the social impacts of mining
Why raw-material assessment must consider working conditions, communities, traceability and Social Life Cycle Assessment.
Read moreEarth Overshoot Day 2021: what the date represents and how it was estimated
Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity's demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what the planet's ecosystems can regenerate in that year. In 2021, the Global Footprint Network announced the…
Read moreGLAM: global guidance for LCIA indicators and methods
The GLAM initiative aims to strengthen scientific consistency and international consensus in life cycle impact assessment methods.
Read moreDisposable and reusable nappies: what do LCA studies tell us?
Comparisons depend on context, washing practices, product lifetime and local production and waste-management conditions.
Read moreEcosystem restoration: from global goals to practical action
Ecosystem restoration gained prominence in 2021, when the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) began. The initiative aims to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of terrestrial, freshwater…
Read moreSustainability standards and guidance: the life cycle perspective
An updated overview of references for LCA, environmental footprints, emissions and the circular economy, and how to select the right one.
Read moreMapBiomas: monitoring land cover and land use in Brazil
An annual satellite-based mapping series supports the analysis of land changes and environmental studies, including LCA.
Read moreACV Brasil in the EF 3.0 Data Provision project
ACV Brasil's contribution to an ecoinvent-led consortium developing inventory datasets aligned with the EU Environmental Footprint method.
Read moreSCP-HAT: a tool for identifying consumption and production hotspots
The tool combines environmental and socioeconomic data to help countries identify pressures across value chains.
Read moreUnderstanding impact categories: acidification
Emissions of SO₂, NOₓ and NH₃ contribute to terrestrial and freshwater acidification, while ocean acidification requires a distinct approach.
Read moreHow should recycling be modelled in LCA?
The choice of allocation method can change results and should reflect the study goal and system boundaries.
Read moreNetwork science and Life Cycle Assessment
How network analysis can reveal relationships and patterns in LCA inventories and results.
Read moreEco Portal: finding construction product EPDs
The Eco Portal brings together environmental product declarations from different programme operators, making it easier to search for verified environmental information on construction products.
Read moreCritical raw materials: what has changed since the 2020 EU list?
The 2020 list helps explain supply risks, but the European assessment has evolved since then.
Read moreLand-use change in Life Cycle Assessment
LCA can account for land occupation and transformation, but results depend on the method, scale and quality of the data.
Read moreLife Cycle Assessment of digital services: the YouTube case
A study of YouTube in 2016 illustrates how devices, networks and data centres contribute to digital-service footprints—and why historical estimates should not be presented as current figures.
Read moreThe Bilbao Port EPD: an LCA case study of services
How an environmental declaration can communicate the impacts associated with port operations.
Read moreCircular design: different solutions for different products
Circularity starts at the design stage, but there is no single solution. Durability, repair, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling must be assessed in context.
Read moreIonising radiation in Life Cycle Assessment
Several LCA methods include ionising radiation as an impact category; results depend on emissions and the selected model.
Read moreLCA and the circular economy: why a life-cycle perspective matters
LCA helps assess circular economy strategies by considering upstream and downstream impacts and avoiding the transfer of burdens to other life-cycle stages.
Read moreGLAD: access to and interoperability of LCA data
GLAD helps users find life-cycle inventory datasets across independent databases, but does not replace fitness-for-purpose checks.
Read moreOzone depletion in Life Cycle Assessment
Ozone protection has made major progress, but persistent and residual emissions remain relevant to LCA.
Read moreThe future of environmental labelling
Environmental labels can support consumer choices and encourage improvement when they are credible, rigorous and relevant across value chains.
Read moreUnderstanding eutrophication in LCA studies
Eutrophication is linked to excessive nutrient enrichment and can affect freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
Read moreEconomic activity and climate change: what the pandemic revealed
The temporary emissions decline during the pandemic highlighted the difference between short-term disruption and structural change.
Read moreMaterial Flow Cost Accounting: making material losses visible
MFCA tracks physical flows and assigns costs to material losses, helping organisations identify efficiency opportunities.
Read moreWhen environmental performance influences purchasing decisions
Price, quality, brand and availability remain important, but environmental information can become more influential in specific purchasing situations.
Read moreHow product characteristics can guide resource efficiency
The effectiveness of strategies such as extending product life, sharing, reuse and recycling depends on product characteristics and how products are used.
Read moreThe EU Circular Economy Action Plan: a life-cycle approach
The EU’s 2020 plan placed design, durability, repair and circularity at the centre of product policy.
Read moreThe energy transition and LCA results
The electricity mix used across a value chain can significantly influence LCA results. The energy transition involves technologies, grids, storage and geographic context.
Read moreBenefits and opportunities of Environmental Product Declarations
EPDs communicate quantified environmental information based on LCA and can support design, procurement and environmental performance improvement decisions.
Read moreGHG inventories and product carbon footprints across the life cycle
Greenhouse gas inventories help identify emission sources, guide reductions and understand the contribution of different stages in a product's life cycle.
Read moreHow LCA can contribute to critical raw materials management
Life Cycle Assessment can help identify critical raw material flows across value chains and support decisions on resource efficiency, substitution and recycling.
Read moreWorld Economic Forum and environmental metrics: why life cycle matters
The World Economic Forum’s common-metrics initiative highlights the importance of assessing environmental impacts across value chains.
Read moreThe role of LCA in the B Impact Assessment
LCA can provide environmental evidence for company assessments, but it does not replace social and governance evaluation.
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