What’s Next for LCA and EPDs? Insights from SETAC Europe in Bruges

Improving LCA: Better Methods, Better Data and the Role of AI

Jeroen Graafland, Product Specialist at LCA.no, and Mariana Bastos, LCA Specialist at LCA.no, attended the SETAC Europe 27th LCA Symposium in Bruges on 19–21 October. The discussions covered new LCA methods, digitalisation and how environmental data can help manufacturers make better product design decisions and prepare for European sustainability requirements.

Research linked to European policy

A life cycle assessment (LCA) assesses the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle and is the methodology used in EPDs. In Bruges, the European Commission’s opening keynote covered ecodesign, ESPR and green claims, while other sessions explored how research and industry can support these developments.

“What stood out to me most was how closely the research was linked to European policy. The theme was ‘designing tomorrow’, and that came through in sessions on prospective LCA, biogenic carbon and circularity, including the use phase,” says Jeroen Graafland.

Mariana Bastos also highlights the GLAM (Global Life Cycle Impact Assessment Method) initiative, including work by Francesca Verones, which aims to improve and harmonise how environmental impacts are assessed, including impacts on biodiversity.

“It was interesting to see how GLAM is developing methods that could eventually be used in our LCA studies and EPDs. One example is how to account for the environmental impacts of microplastics. These methods are still being developed but could become relevant for future LCA studies.”

The Role of AI and Digitalisation in LCA

As Product Specialist, Jeroen Graafland was especially interested in the sessions on digitalisation and AI in LCA. Digital Product Passports were also discussed, particularly the need for structured and traceable environmental data. EPDs can be used to fulfil the environmental section of the DPP, which is an important component of the overall Digital Product Passport.

Read also: How Pipelife uses its EPDs to prepare for Digital Product Passports.

“From the research presented at the symposium, AI applications focused mainly on filling data gaps and predicting impact scores, rather than more complex methodological decisions such as allocation. AI can help LCA practitioners, but they still need to understand the specific context of the product and industry and validate the results,” says Mariana Bastos.

Jeroen Graafland was positively surprised by the practical focus of the discussions on AI, particularly on data quality and validation.

“AI and digital tools can make LCA much faster and more accessible, but only if the results remain transparent, reproducible and credible,” says Jeroen Graafland.

For Jeroen Graafland, the symposium reinforced LCA.no’s plans to use AI to reduce manual work and improve inventory data quality, while keeping our experts at the forefront of the methodological decisions of the LCAs and EPDs we deliver.

Mariana Bastos: Learning Across Industries

Tackling Data Gaps in LCA

One presentation that stood out to Mariana Bastos was about assessing the carbon footprint of fragrances. It addressed the difficulty of obtaining ingredient information when suppliers consider it commercially sensitive. The research explored grouping similar ingredients to estimate environmental impacts without needing the full composition of a fragrance. For Mariana Bastos, it was an example of how we can learn from other industries on how they are dealing with data gaps and finding different approaches to chemical modelling in LCA.

Using LCA in ecodesign

Mariana Bastos also valued conversations about integrating LCA into ecodesign. She highlights a discussion with Salvatore Mammana about research presented in a poster on ABB products. The research showed how changes in product design and production processes could reduce environmental impacts. What particularly impressed Mariana Bastos was how these changes could also reduce impacts during the use phase, which is often harder for manufacturers to influence because it depends partly on how customers use the product.

An EPD does not reduce emissions by itself, but the LCA data behind it can help manufacturers identify where improvements may have the greatest effect. LCA tools can help assess different choices and identify the main contributors to environmental impacts.

Want to see how EPD Generator can simplify your environmental documentation and help you better understand your product’s environmental impacts? Book a meeting with us.