Session Descriptions
The overarching theme of the SETAC Europe 25th LCA Symposium is “The Role of LCA in Raw Material Sustainability, Circularity and Criticality”.
The focus of the symposium is on LCA case studies that evaluate and support changes within the actual mode of trade, consumption and production of materials and products to achieve a more sustainable and circular economy regarding the consumption of raw materials. The proposed sessions of the scientific programme cover the most important economic sectors and interest areas, such as industry, building, mobility, energy, and bioeconomy, and include innovative technologies and products, organisational and management approaches and transition pathways of society.
Increasing resource efficiency in the manufacturing sector covers several aspects: first, reducing the consumption of natural resources in production processes by mitigating losses and enhancing process efficiency; second, adapting manufacturing to the utilization of secondary materials; last but not least, introducing sustainability and circularity concepts in the product design process. Particularly welcomed are inputs addressing resource efficiency when using secondary materials via LCA. Examples of research questions may cover suitable indicators of resource efficiency in the life cycle perspective and the evaluation of the impacts on natural resources. Contributions may also cover experiences from industrial production processes as well as innovative theoretical and methodological approaches discussing opportunities or trade-offs between circularity indicators and LCA results.
The low-carbon transition of the energy sector and the emerging technological development promote a sustainable transformation of society. On the other hand, it also raises new issues such as the quality and quantity of material demanded. Innovative low-carbon energy technologies, like wind turbines and electric vehicles, are primarily based on critical raw materials, resulting in shifting environmental burdens from the use to the production phase. LCA is a valuable tool to identify the environmental benefits and trade-offs of energy technologies; however, impact categories regarding resource depletion mainly focus on fossil resources rather than critical raw materials. In this session, studies discussing environmental benefits and trade-offs of novel technologies and integrating material criticality are welcomed. Furthermore, this session also includes studies incorporating systematic analysis at the sector level. In particular, this session will cover studies that use input-output background databases as well as rebound effects.
Bioeconomy is an essential component of sustainable development, as it supports the structural change of a fossil-based economy to an economy based on renewable raw materials. The concept of bioeconomy covers all sectors of the economy and their associated service sectors that produce, process, use or trade renewable resources – such as plants, animals, microorganisms and their products. The topics of this session include case studies on bio-based products, e.g. biobased chemicals and biofuels, and the evaluation of their benefits and trade-offs in contrast to the conservation of fossil raw materials. Contributions discussing specific methodological aspects of the bioeconomy, such as approaches that include direct and indirect land use changes and biodiversity impacts in LCA, are suited to this session. In addition, contributions could address the management of the carbon cycle as to the reuse of (renewable) carbon dioxide (Carbon Capture and Use – CCU), the pursuit of energy efficiency, storage of carbon in LCA and climate consequences of carbon storage in slow growing biomass.
The concept of circular economy is based on the waste hierarchy, boosting the options to avoid, reuse and recycle waste. As such, waste management should contribute to the primary goals of sustainable development, notably decoupling, decreasing the consumption of primary resources and climate change mitigation. This session addresses, on the one hand, case studies assessing recycling technologies, including limitations and constraints (such as lack of information on waste compositions, quantities and usability). On the other hand, it addresses new methodological advancements in modelling recycling processes. Furthermore, contributions to sustainable and innovative approaches coupling the circular economy concept and LCA, including socioeconomic issues, are welcomed.
The role of LCA in transition pathways leading to a more sustainable and circular economy shall be explored as an intersectional issue. The transition toward sustainability is driven strongly by joint societal effort. Stakeholders and all actors shall be well informed and communicated to steer the transformation and develop effective strategies. LCA, as a holistic assessment tool, shall serve as a director. This session focuses notably on conceptual approaches contributing to a successful transformation in our society. Moreover, contributions about management and communication strategies meant to include life cycle thinking in any entity are also welcomed. Contributions should focus on the holistic and systematic assessments of transition pathways and their side effects rather than concentrating on single measures or technologies.
