Over the past few years, a clear and steadily accelerating trend has emerged: organisations are increasingly embedding life cycle thinking into strategic decision-making – elevating LCA from a purely analytical tool to a central pillar of innovation management and sustainable value creation.
This development was clearly reflected at the 12th International Conference on Life Cycle Management (LCM 2025) in Palermo, Italy, where experts from research, policy, and industry gathered to discuss the latest developments in sustainability assessment. The conference not only showcased the expanding role of LCA across sectors but also highlighted a range of methodological innovations that will shape how organisations apply Life Cycle Assessment in the years ahead.
Key methodological developments redefining LCA
1. Circularity and advanced recycling
Recycling is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Researchers are refining how to quantify avoided burdens while accounting for feedstock quality, market dynamics, and future decarbonization pathways. The focus now lies in linking recycling performance with policy frameworks and certification schemes, enabling companies to quantify avoided burdens more accurately and support circular economy claims more robustly.
2. Mass balance and chain-of-custody methodologies
Mass balance approaches are emerging as a key interface between LCA and product certification. They allow for the verification of Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) and enhance traceability of bio-attributed or mass-balanced materials across value chains, contributing to more credible sustainability reporting.
3. Biogenic carbon and bio-based material accounting
Accurately modelling biogenic carbon flows remains a critical methodological challenge. New approaches aim to harmonize sustainability assessments for bio-based products, particularly in the chemical and construction sectors. Improved data consistency will be vital for expanding the bioeconomy within LCA frameworks.
4. Digitalisation and data-driven product transparency
With the rise of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) and interoperable data systems, LCA is moving towards real-time tracking and supply-chain transparency. These developments, supported by more detailed assessments of upstream material chains, are transforming LCA into a dynamic decision-support system rather than a retrospective reporting tool.
5. Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) in industrial decision-making
The integration of environmental, economic (LCC, TEA) and social (S-LCA) aspects into one integrated framework is gaining momentum. Companies are increasingly using LCSA to align innovation and investment decisions with EU Taxonomy and CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) requirements, making LCA a cornerstone of sustainable business strategy.
From theory to impact: what the LCA trends mean for businesses
Trend
Focus area
Implication for companies
Circularity and advanced recycling
New models for avoided burden, feedstock quality, and decarbonization scenarios
Enables more accurate measurement of recycling benefits and circular economy strategies
Mass balance and chain of custody
Verification of Product Carbon Footprints and bio-attributed materials
Strengthens traceability and certification across value chains
Biogenic carbon accounting
Harmonization of methods for bio-based products and construction materials
Improves consistency and comparability in bioeconomy assessments
Integration of environmental, social, and economic metrics
Aligns strategic decisions with EU Taxonomy and CSRD frameworks
Conference insights: what companies must address
While digitalisation and automation were dominant themes in the discussions at the LCM conference, their implementation raises critical technical questions:
Traceability: Can each dataset and assumption be tracked across the modelling chain?
Auditability: Can automated workflows be replicated or independently reviewed?
Compliance: Do the processes align with ISO 14040/44, the EU Environmental Footprint, CSRD, and EU Taxonomy frameworks?
For companies scaling LCA and S-LCA, these questions are essential. Advanced tools are valuable only when embedded into methodologically sound and review-ready systems.
Why this matters for your organisation
Better decision-making: Early integration of LCA and LCC into innovation projects ensures sustainability becomes a design parameter, not an afterthought.
Regulatory readiness: Transparent and auditable LCA systems are key to meeting increasing requirements for transparency, taxonomy alignment, and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
Scalable rigor: As projects grow, maintaining methodological consistency ensures comparability and credibility across assessments.
EurA at LCM 2025 – our contribution
At EurA, we are pleased to have contributed to the discussion and advancement of sustainable practices across key industrial sectors with several technical presentations at the conference in Palermo. The topics covered were:
Sustainability assessment in industrial R&D – challenges and contributions to decision-making
Prospective life cycle assessment of emerging battery technologies and recycling pathways
Challenges in aligning a chemical recycling process with the sustainability requirements of the EU Taxonomy
Reducing environmental impacts in electric mobility through next-generation battery technologies
Ready for change with EurA
A central theme at LCM 2025 was the continued methodological advancement of LCA, particularly its application in emerging technologies and circular material systems. The key takeaway: LCA is no longer just a reporting metric — it has become a strategic engineering and management tool.
At EurA, we combine deep technical expertise with rigorous methodology – ensuring you can make smart and well-founded sustainability decisions. Our portfolio includes:
Carbon footprint analyses
Product and organisational LCAs
Critical reviews
Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
Tailored support for your sustainability reporting
We support you in making sustainability measurable, verifiable, and impactful.
Whether it's next-generation battery systems, circular material flows or sustainability-driven innovations – we help you translate your ambitions into verifiable results by combining digital solutions with expert methodology, verification processes and regulatory alignment.
Interested? Contact us any time for a free initial consultation.
Text: Abhishek Khairnar
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Thank you for reading! The world of sustainability, life cycle assessment and carbon footprints is fascinating and I invite you to dive deeper with me. As an M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, sustainability is not only my professional expertise but also my passion, and I look forward to sharing this enthusiasm with you. If you want to learn more about the challenges and opportunities in this field, contact me and let's develop your projects together for a greener and sustainable world.
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