Articles

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Beginner’s Guide to Running Your First Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

Understand what a Life Cycle Assessment is and learn, step by step, how students can use LCA to study and reduce environmental impact.

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Best Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Software in 2025: Top Tools Compared

Life Cycle Assessment Software: Comprehensive Guide to Leading Tools

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How to Run a Product Footprint LCA from Zero to Insight

A step by step tutorial for students and small teams to build a credible Life Cycle Assessment, compare scenarios, and export results.

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AI For Taxonomy & Unit Harmonization In LCA: Clean Messy Data In Minutes

A practical playbook to standardize names, map processes, and fix units with AI so your LCA stays consistent and auditable.

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Biotech LCA: From Fermentation to Fill-Finish

Sector-specific guide to apply Life Cycle Assessment in biotech: media and utilities mapping, single-use vs. stainless, cold chain, batch scenarios, and a mini case.

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EF 3.1 Checklist: Align Your LCA With EU Rules

Step-by-step guide & checklist to make your LCA compliant with the EU Environmental Footprint (EF 3.1)—data, modeling & reporting.

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Building a Sustainability Community with Sustainly

Discover the opportunities of our amazing community at Sustainly.ai.

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5 Best Practices for LCAs in SMEs

Discover five essential best practices for Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) in small businesses — from data efficiency to automation with Sustainly.

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10 Common Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Beginner-friendly guide to avoid the most common Life Cycle Assessment mistakes with quick fixes and practical tips using Sustainly.

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Cradle-to-Gate vs Cradle-to-Grave - How to Choose the Right System Boundary

Learn the difference between cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave, and cradle-to-cradle system boundaries in LCA — with examples and tips to choose the right one.

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How to Choose the Right LCA Tool for Your Use Case

Not all LCA tools are built the same. This guide helps you match the best software to your specific goal - from eco-design to EPDs to internal reporting.

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Best LCA Tools for Fashion, Packaging & FMCG Brands in 2025

Discover which Life Cycle Assessment tools are best suited for the fast-paced needs of fashion, packaging, and FMCG brands - with speed, templates, and EU alignment.

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How to Build a Packaging LCA in Under a Week

Learn how to model the environmental footprint of your packaging using Life Cycle Assessment - fast, simple, and without drowning in data.

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How to Collect Primary Data for Your First LCA

Learn how to collect reliable primary data from suppliers, factories, and internal teams for your first Life Cycle Assessment - with tips, templates, and do’s & don’ts.

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How to Choose the Right Functional Unit for Your LCA

Learn how to define and select a functional unit for your Life Cycle Assessment to ensure accuracy, comparability, and credibility of your sustainability results.

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How to Communicate LCA Results to Non-Experts

Master the art of translating complex LCA findings into clear and engaging insights for business leaders, clients, and the public.

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How to Integrate AI Tools into Your LCA Workflow

Discover how artificial intelligence can automate data collection, hotspot analysis, and reporting in your Life Cycle Assessment workflow.

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How AI Is Transforming Life Cycle Assessment: From Data Chaos to Smart Insights

Discover how artificial intelligence revolutionizes Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) - from automating data collection to predicting environmental impact with unprecedented accuracy.

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The Rise of Digital Twins in Life Cycle Assessment

Explore how digital twins are merging with Life Cycle Assessment to simulate, predict, and optimize the environmental impact of real-world systems.

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From Excel to AI: Why Digital Transformation Is Essential for LCA Professionals

Find out why the shift from spreadsheets to AI-driven platforms is not just a convenience but a necessity for modern LCA workflows.

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What Are Environmental Impact Categories in LCA?

Learn what impact categories are in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), why they matter, and how to interpret results like climate change, eutrophication, or water use.

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Foreground vs. Background Data in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Key Differences Explained

Learn the difference between foreground and background data in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), with examples and tips to collect the right inputs for your study.

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Free vs Paid LCA Software - Which One Do You Really Need?

Not sure if free Life Cycle Assessment software is enough? Learn the pros, cons, and use cases of free vs paid LCA tools, and which one fits your needs best.

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Best LCA Tools for Construction and Building Products

Explore the top Life Cycle Assessment tools for construction materials, EPDs, and sustainable building design - with support for EN 15804, BIM integration, and EF compliance.

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How to Turn Your LCA Results Into a Verified EPD

Learn how to go from a finished Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to a third-party verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) - step by step.

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How to Model Product End-of-Life in LCA

Learn how to include recycling, landfill, reuse, and incineration scenarios in your Life Cycle Assessment - with examples and modeling tips.

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What Is AI-Powered LCA and How Does It Work?

AI is present everywhere and can help us improve LCA. This article shows how to use it.

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How Digital LCA Platforms Save Time and Reduce Stress

Explore how modern digital LCA tools can cut your workload, speed up reporting, and turn sustainability from bottleneck to business advantage.

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System Expansion in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): What It Is and When to Use It

Learn how system expansion works in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), how it compares to allocation, and when to use it - with real-world examples.

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Best LCA Tools for Scope 3 Emissions and Supply Chain Modeling

Find out which LCA software platforms are best for tracking Scope 3 emissions, supplier footprints, and full value chain impacts - with collaboration and automation in mind.

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Top AI Features to Look for in Your Next LCA Tool

Learn which AI-powered features actually make a difference in Life Cycle Assessment - from smart data input to automated improvement suggestions.

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Corporate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Playbook: From Pilot to Portfolio

Step-by-step guide for companies to build and scale a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) program that drives measurable results across product portfolios.

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Top 7 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Tools in 2025: Buyer’s Guide

Looking for the best LCA software? Here’s a curated list of the top 7 Life Cycle Assessment tools in 2025, with key features, strengths, and tips to choose the right one for your business.

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What Is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)? A Simple Student Guide

Learn what Life Cycle Assessment is, how it works, and why students should care. Beginner-friendly overview with steps, tips, and FAQs.

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Sustainly vs. GaBi: Enterprise-Grade Depth or Student-Friendly Speed?

Clear comparison of Sustainly and GaBi for LCA. Automation, databases, integrations, and EN 15804 EPD workflows.

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Sustainly vs. openLCA vs. SimaPro vs. GaBi: Best LCA Tool for Students and SMEs

Head to head comparison of Sustainly, openLCA, SimaPro, and GaBi. Pros and cons, automation, databases, pricing signals, and EPD workflows.

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LCA Compliance Made Simple: How to Stay Ahead of Regulations with Automation

Learn how to achieve LCA compliance easily with automated tools like Sustainly — your shortcut to regulatory readiness and credible sustainability reporting.

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Turning LCA Compliance into Competitive Advantage: From Obligation to Opportunity

Explore how Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) compliance can drive innovation, market access, and trust — and how Sustainly automates it all.

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Solving Data Gaps in Construction LCAs: How Automation Is Changing the Game

Discover how automation solves data challenges in the construction industry’s Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) — enabling faster EPDs, cleaner data, and easier compliance with EN 15804 and EU regulations.

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AI in Sustainability: Balancing Innovation and Responsibility with Sustainly

Explore how AI is transforming sustainability and how Sustainly ensures responsible, transparent, and data-credible Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs).

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How to Create a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with Sustainly

Step-by-step guide to creating your first LCA in Sustainly — from data setup to impact results — in minutes, not days.

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Best Practices for Managing LCA Data Quality

Ensure your Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are accurate and reliable by mastering the fundamentals of data quality — from collection to verification and maintenance.

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How to Account for Recycling & Reuse in an LCA — A Practical Guide

Step-by-step guide to modelling recycling and reuse flows in your Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using Sustainly.

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Which Industries Gain the Most from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

Explore which industries benefit most from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and how automation tools like Sustainly unlock efficiency, compliance, and measurable sustainability gains.

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When AI Goes Wrong — and Why It’s Perfect for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

AI is often misused in business, but in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), its data-handling power makes it a game-changer for sustainable decision-making.

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Which European Industries Gain the Most from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?

Discover which industries in Europe benefit most from Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) — from construction and manufacturing to food and fashion — and how Sustainly helps them meet EU sustainability standards.

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Reducing Carbon Hotspots in Construction LCAs: A Smarter Way to Design Low-Impact Buildings

Explore how automated LCAs help identify and reduce carbon hotspots in construction — from materials and transport to design choices — while staying compliant with EN 15804 and EU carbon targets.

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How to Choose Functional Unit & System Boundaries in an LCA — A Practical Guide

Step-by-step guide to selecting the right functional unit and system boundaries for your Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) using Sustainly.

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Circular Tech: Why Electronics Companies Need to Embrace Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)

Explore how LCAs can help electronics manufacturers and startups reduce waste, improve product design, and comply with the EU’s circular economy and digital product passport requirements.

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Community Q&A: Simple Questions Every LCA Beginner Asks

Clear, practical answers to beginner-level questions in Life Cycle Assessment — covering where to start, databases, resources, and software like openLCA, SimaPro, GaBi, and Sustainly.

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Food for Thought: Why the Food Industry Needs More Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)

Discover how LCAs help food producers and brands measure true environmental impact, improve sourcing decisions, and prepare for upcoming EU sustainability labeling rules.

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Building Sustainable Products from Day One: Essential Tools for Startups

A practical guide for startups developing new products — learn how to integrate sustainability from the start using accessible tools like Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) platforms.

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Idea to Impact: How to Generate Sustainable Product Ideas That Matter

A practical guide for innovators and early-stage founders to generate and evaluate sustainable product ideas using LCA thinking and impact-driven design.

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Community Q&A: Insights from reddit

A professional roundup of real questions from the r/LifeCycleAssessment community — with structured, expert answers that compare leading LCA tools like openLCA, SimaPro, GaBi, and Sustainly.

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Best Practices for Scaling LCAs Across Product Portfolios

Discover how sustainability teams can scale Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) efficiently across hundreds or thousands of products — without sacrificing quality or transparency.

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Designing Trust: Community Governance and Data Provenance in Sustainly

How Sustainly structures roles, permissions, and versioning so sustainability work can be shared confidently without losing control.

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Industries Where Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) Are Still Underused — And Why That Should Change

Explore the industries that have yet to fully embrace Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and why adopting it could unlock major sustainability and cost benefits.

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Community Q&A: Data Quality, Verification, and Transparency in LCA Practice

A professional roundup of real questions discussed in the LCA community — focusing on how practitioners ensure data quality, manage verification, and build trust in sustainability reporting using tools like openLCA, SimaPro, GaBi, and Sustainly.

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A Practical Guide to LCA Compliance in Denmark: Meeting Regulatory Requirements

Comprehensive guide to life cycle assessment (LCA) compliance in Denmark—standards, regulations and actionable steps for businesses.

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Best Practices for Transparent and Credible LCA Reporting

Learn how to communicate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results with transparency, clarity, and confidence — from data traceability to verifier-ready reporting.

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From Fiber to Footprint: How LCAs Are Redefining Sustainable Fashion for Emerging Brands

Learn how Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) help new and growing fashion brands build sustainability and compliance into their designs from day one.