Reflections from the Australian LCA Conference

Written by Francisco Carbajal

Being accepted to present at the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society Conference felt like a meaningful moment for me, both personally and professionally. Much of my work sits deep within projects, models, and datasets, so stepping back to engage with the wider LCA community was a valuable reminder that this discipline is driven just as much by shared dialogue as it is by its tangible and technical outputs. Attending the conference in Australia gave me the opportunity to reconnect with that broader context and reflect on where LCA practice is heading.

Image: Francisco Carbajal presenting at the ALCAS conference

It was a pleasure, and a genuine breath of fresh air, to spend time with the wider LCA community. There were familiar faces, many new connections across Australia, and it was great to see how many people had also made the trip over from New Zealand. That sense of connection ran throughout the conference and created an environment that felt open, curious, and generous in how knowledge was shared.

The conference programme itself was enlightening. The range of topics extended well beyond any single sector, covering architecture and buildings, manufacturing and products, circular economy frameworks, supply chains, data systems, and emerging policy directions. Even when sessions were outside my immediate area of focus, they consistently came back to the same underlying challenge: how we generate credible information and communicate it in a way that genuinely leads to action.

What stood out most for me was the shared language across very different areas of expertise. LCA work can often feel siloed, with conversations stopping at the fundamentals or requiring constant explanation of first principles. This time felt different. Although many attendees were not working specifically in building LCA, there was a strong shared understanding of LCA concepts that allowed discussions to move beyond definitions and into deeper territory. I found it genuinely exciting to be able to talk with people working in completely different areas, yet still meaningfully engage with their research, ask better questions, and expand my own understanding in the process.

Image: Superpower industries presentation

This sense of shared literacy enabled richer conversations around data quality, methodological choices, and practical constraints. Across many sessions, there was a clear recognition that the demand for LCA outputs is increasing rapidly, driven by policy, procurement requirements, and rating tools. At the same time, there was a consistent acknowledgement that the systems used to produce this information are under strain. Manual processes, fragmented data sources, and the cost of verification continue to limit how quickly LCA can scale. These challenges were not framed as abstract problems, but as very real barriers that many in the room are actively grappling with.

Another strong theme was the growing role of digital tools. Several presentations highlighted parallels with other industries that have gone through similar transitions, where regulation and transparency requirements eventually made manual processes untenable. While there was optimism about the potential of digital platforms to improve consistency and accessibility, there was also a healthy level of caution. Many discussions returned to the importance of maintaining methodological rigour, transparency, and independent verification as tools become more widely adopted. The message was clear: scale is essential, but not at the expense of trust.

Image: BIM vs Reality when collecting data

My own contribution to the conference sat within this broader conversation. My presentation focused on LCA for buildings and the challenges we have encountered at Capana Group when working with BIM-based data. For many practitioners, this will be familiar territory. Information often exists within models, but not in a form that is immediately usable for LCA. Material naming can be inconsistent, quantities may not align cleanly with assessment needs, and critical assumptions are frequently embedded across multiple documents and consultants. Even on well-managed projects, this can introduce friction, uncertainty, and inefficiency.

I spoke about how these challenges motivated the development of LCAlink and the steps we have taken to improve the connection between design models and LCA workflows. The intention is not to replace professional judgement, but to reduce manual effort, improve consistency, and allow LCA to be used earlier and more iteratively in the design process. I also shared some of the areas we are currently exploring, particularly around improving data structure, material mapping, and feedback loops that help teams understand where the biggest carbon impacts sit.

image: How AI could improve the process to enable better workflow

Presenting at the conference was less about showcasing a solution and more about testing ideas in a room full of experienced practitioners. The questions and conversations that followed were valuable, not because they validated the work, but because they highlighted where the real pressure points are across the industry. It reinforced the idea that while tools and methods matter, the bigger challenge lies in aligning expectations, data availability, and workflows across the many actors involved in delivering buildings.

Image:  Barbara Nebel from Thinkstep presenting on cookware LCA

Stepping back, the conference left me feeling cautiously optimistic. The challenges facing LCA practice are complex and not easily solved. Data remains imperfect, supply chains are opaque, and the pace of change can feel overwhelming. However, there is also a clear sense that the community is maturing. Conversations are becoming more nuanced, expectations more defined, and collaboration more common. There is a growing willingness to engage across disciplines and acknowledge that no single approach or tool will solve everything.

Conferences like this play an important role in that process. They create space not just to present research, but to listen, challenge assumptions, and learn from others working at different scales and in different contexts. I left Australia feeling re-energised and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the discussion, and with a clearer sense of how the work we do fits into a much larger, collective effort.

Thank you to ALCAS for the opportunity to present and to be part of the conference. The experience reinforced the value of shared learning and reminded me why staying connected to the wider LCA community is so important as the discipline continues to evolve.