Focused on understanding the strengths, limitations, and potential pitfalls of Life Cycle Assessment methods, this course provides state-of-the-art insights in both inventory modelling and impact assessment.

This course focuses on understanding the strengths, limitations, and potential pitfalls of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods. The course provides state-of-the-art insights in both inventory modelling and impact assessment. The core of the course addresses the modelling of product systems and larger production-consumption networks. For the inventory modelling, it includes recent advances related to the adaptation of input-output techniques and data, allocation issues, attributional and consequential LCA, and the treatment of recycling.

The impact assessment covers new insights in impact category and damage-oriented approaches. At least one impact category is investigated in depth. The importance of spatial differentiation in a number of impact categories is discussed by using the spatially differentiated, global impact assessment method LC-IMPACT as an example. Finally, dealing with different types of uncertainties in LCA modelling is part of the course.

Education forms used are in the form of lectures and working group assignments, where you will model inventory and impact assessment processes with, a.o. matlab and excel on your own laptop. This will be done with the guidance of the experienced course lecturers.

Before the start of the course you are asked to prepare and read through the material. You are asked to fill out a questionnaire and a simple modelling exercise to have a head start during the scheduled course weeks. Finally, you are asked to write a reflection afterwards.

Learning Outcomes

After this course you are able to:

1. Compile life cycle inventory matrix calculations
2. Understand the scientific background for life cycle inventory and impact assessment models
3. Execute complex life cycle impact assessment calculations and interpret their outcomes

Level of participant

• PhD
• Post-doc
• Professional

For whom is the course designed

Everyone who is qualified for a doctoral programme can apply, which means that you must have completed a master degree.

Admission Requirements

A basic knowledge of university-level mathematics/statistics

Admission Documents

• Motivation letter
• CV

Date

Monday 6 – Friday 17 August 2018 (two weeks)

Course Leader

Dr. Rosalie van Zelm
Assistant Professor
Environmental Science
Radboud University

Course Fee

€1030
The fee includes the registration fees, course materials, access to library and IT facilities, coffee/tea, lunch, and a number of social activities.

Number of ECTS credits

7,5 EC

Register here

The Summer School

“Life cycle tool box for bio-economy initiatives” is the theme of the seventh International Summer School on ‘Life cycle approaches for sustainable regional development’. The summer school will be held in Leipzig, Germany, on 25-28 August 2018, organized jointly by the FSLCI and the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, UFZ.

This Summer School is an opportunity for professionals and regional managers to learn how to extend evolving life cycle management tools into new application areas in sustainable development – in this instance in the fast-changing field of circular bio-economies. The objective is to encourage use of promising LCM tools by social partners who have not so far employed these techniques extensively. This includes regional institutions, research teams and industrial associations that wish to enhance the effectiveness of their sustainability initiatives. It is also aimed at life cycle professionals and academics interested in broadening their client base by offering new applications.

This Summer School – the 7th in the current series – addresses the growing interest in bio-economy policies as a means of promoting circular economies at regional level. In particular, it examines the influential role of life cycle methodologies in promoting a bio-economy in a holistic fashion, without producing unwanted side-effects on other societal goals such as social fabric, environment, biodiversity, industry and energy, for example. The summer school draws inspiration from a recent book “Life cycle approaches to sustainable regional development (Routledge, 2017)”. A number of the summer school faculty are authors of important chapters in this publication.

The 2018 edition of the summer school will explore topics such as materials flow analysis (MFA) and other LCA proedures that improve the planning and implementation of regional bio-economy initiatives. These include eco-footprinting, life cycle costing, social LCA, technology assessment, use of LCA in procurement of bio-matrials, and building a life cycle management toolbox for SMEs.  These instruments will be examined in the context of the current vision of circular economy and the building of a bio-based industry, using appropriate mixes of innovative policy instruments, R&D, and financial incentives. The summer school uses an interactive programme of lectures, workshops, cases studies and role-plays to explore these key issues.  Key experts will provide keynote lectures.

A preliminary 1-day refresher course in Webinar format on life cycle assessment and bio-economy will also be offered. Please check out this flyer for a preliminary overview of the planned program.

Registration Details

The Summer School is funded through students’ fees.  Lecturers and organisers are giving their time free of charge.  Fees are being kept to a minimum, covering essential meeting costs, course materials, lunches and coffee breaks, and expenses for selected international experts.  Students pay their own travel to Leipzig, budget accommodation (UFZ is negotiating preferential hotel rates in Leipzig) and meals (other than lunches). We would like to highlight that  all candidates are responsible for their own travel arrangements and insurance while in Leipzig.  Candidates from outside the EU are also responsible for their own visa (if applicable).  

Registration is open to undergraduate, doctoral, post-doctoral students and young professionals, including researchers under 35. Officials from regional institutions are also encouraged to register.
The registration fee includes admission to:

• All courses, focus groups and workshops
• A short course (webinar) on 21 August
• A social event on 26 August
• Downloadable course material
• Access to lecturers, experts, and tutors

The full registration fee is 380€ for the 4-day Summer School.

• Students applying ahead of the 15th of May are eligible for the Early Bird Rate of 350€
• FSLCI members are eligible for an additional 30€ rebate on the registration fee!

Please note that whether or not ECTS points are awarded for the Summer School depends on the acceptance of our syllabus by your institution / tutor. We suggest that you check with your tutor at your home university, how many points you would get based on our published program. Given our program, we are estimating that 2-3 ECTS point could be awarded, depending on the ECTS calculation ratio that your home university applies.

We have just a few places left, register as soon as possible to save your spot! To register, simply buy the ticket at the bottom of the page!

SPONSORS, PARTNERS and ASSOCIATES

This summer school, the seventh in the series, is co-organized by the FSLCI, the UFZ and the LCASRD Group, a group of individuals who came together in 2011 to run the first series of such events in Lecce, Italy, and subsequently enlisted further experts to enable the publication of the book Life cycle approaches to sustainable regional development (2017).  The group brings together individuals and organisations as partners to promote life cycle approaches for regions.

The University of Salento initiated the Summer School series in 2011 and remains an important partner to its conduct also in other locations. Since 2015 the Summer School has been organized as part of FSLCI’s mission and vision to support advancing life cycle knowledge globally.

This year’s Summer School is linked with the 1st Life Cycle Innovation Conference, which will take place from 29 – 31 August in Berlin, Germany.

Previous Summer Schools

As outlined previously, the Summer School has been organized many times before. Last year the Summer School took place in Luxembourg in the context of LCM 2017. Below you find a short video that summarizes the Summer School.

The Life Cycle Innovation Conference will be the FSLCI’s first independently organized conference. Much in line with our objective to promote sustainable innovation through the application of a life cycle perspective, the LCIC’s focus on innovation will be the prominent differentiator from other conferences around the world.

We will not only put a focus on innovation with regards to sessions titles and abstracts, but also with regards to the conference itself. To this end we will bridge between the traditional abstract-based session system and other formats that allow for more spontaneous contributions by applying for example barcamp-style sessions.

Our objective is to create a conference that brings together a diverse crowd of life cycle experts, change-makers and those driving innovation with an interest in sustainability. As such we plan to run sessions that focus not only on scientific research and life cycle application, but also on change management and innovative problem solving processes such as Design Thinking.

If you want to stay up-to-date, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter, indicate your interest to participate below and make sure to check our conference website for all details!

Our General Assembly will take place during our LCIC 2018 conference in Berlin. During the General Assembly our members will determine the number of seats that will be available for election. Afterwards, new members can be elected onto the Board. Out of the eight seats on the Board, three seats are up for potential reelection due to the end of their first term. The total number of seats on the Board of Directors will however be determined by members during the General Assembly itself. The General Assembly will follow the following agenda:

1. Overview of the activities of the association
2. Overview of the finances of the association
3. Discharge of the current Board of Directors
4. Vote on the number of seats for the next Board of Directors
5. Vote on Board Member candidates
6. Outlook
7. Closure