Highlights from the SETAC Europe 26th LCA Symposium
The SETAC Europe 26th LCA Symposium, held 21–23 October in Gothenburg, Sweden, brought together over 500 experts and practitioners in life cycle assessment (LCA). The symposium fostered meaningful discussions about key issues and opportunities within the field while providing a dynamic setting to showcase innovative research and connect with a global community dedicated to advancing LCA.
With the theme, “Making LCA meaningful: Good data, better models, sustainable decisions,” the symposium featured a diverse array of sessions, spanning fields from agriculture and transport to artificial intelligence, highlighting LCA’s expanding role in various sectors. In total, participants from 39 countries contributed to 163 platform presentations, 68 poster spotlights and 202 posters during the conference.
“I am thrilled by the incredible turnout at the conference. The diverse mix of attendees from academia, industry, and policy sectors enriched our discussions on life cycle assessment. I believe we genuinely brought the theme to life during the conference with high quality presentations, active engagement of participants and the broad topic coverage we saw in parallel sessions,” says Maria Rydberg, Director of Swedish Life Cycle Center, co-organizer of the symposium.
Integrating LCA into policy
During the Opening Ceremony of the symposium, Björn Spak from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency delivered a keynote presentation on the development of LCA and its growing integration into policy. He noted that policymakers increasingly view LCA as an essential tool for addressing critical environmental challenges.
“Policy is now affecting the way LCA is formed and practised, and the main reason I think that policymakers are now adopting LCA into legislation is because they believe that this is an efficient way to tackle the triple planetary crisis,” says Björn Spak.
The symposium also featured thought-provoking keynotes from Mauro Cordella of the European Commission and Susan Iliefski-Janols from Essity, each providing valuable insights into how LCA can drive sustainability transformations across various industries.
A call for immediate action
A key takeaway from the symposium was the urgent need for immediate action in applying LCA insights, even without perfect precision in methods or results. Multiple speakers emphasized the necessity of leveraging existing findings to drive impactful decisions in real-time. Following the need of LCAs for decision-making, prospective life cycle assessment (P-LCA) featured prominently in multiple sessions as a vital tool for assessing new technologies necessary for a sustainable transition. Another important area of development was the inclusion of social aspects or moving towards absolute sustainability in life cycle assessments.
The role of LCAs as a tool for the circular economy transition was also emphasized, with discussions underscoring the increasing importance of the life cycle perspective. A common theme was the need to make LCA more accessible to a broader audience, while harmonization within the LCA field was recognized as essential for enabling collaboration and effectiveness.
Fostering community and collaboration
The symposium reinforced the significance of community within the LCA field. Attendees engaged in workshops, poster sessions, and side events that encouraged collaboration and the exchange of ideas. Highlights of the event also included the conference dinner, featuring entertainment by a magician and an a cappella group, providing participants a chance to connect further.
“I would like to thank all participants for their diverse contributions during the conference. It is your collective effort that has made this conference a success! Looking towards the future, I am excited and confident that the connections and collaborations initiated here in Gothenburg have great potential to drive meaningful advancements in the life cycle field moving forward,” says Maria Rydberg.
Learn more
Find more conference highlights and photos in our Linkedin posts!
