Life Cycle Assessment of Nature-Based Production Systems

Research Seminar – Rainer Zah, Director Sustainability Consulting, EY Switzerland, highlights the importance of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in evaluating nature-based production systems.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged over the last 20 years as the key methodology to quantify the environmental impacts of products or services along the full value chain – from raw material sourcing, manufacturing, transport logistics, use phase, until the end-of-life of the product (cradle-to-grave). This presentation will highlight the significance of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in evaluating nature-based production systems from the perspective of decision-makers. It explains the general approach of LCA and emphasizes the relevance of different Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) methods. Best practice examples from forestry and agricultural sector are showcased, demonstrating successful implementation of sustainable practices. Finally, the future potential but also the limitations of LCA are discussed including data complexities and the need for standardized methodologies.

The research seminar is open to all interested parties.