Turning life cycle assessment insights into action: Reducing the environmental impact of chemical products
Chemical companies globally are under mounting pressure to reduce the environmental impact of their products. Regulations are tightening, customers are demanding transparency and investors are prioritising investment in businesses with clear sustainability strategies. Against this backdrop, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as a critical tool for guiding strategic decision-making.
However, completing an LCA is only the beginning. The real value lies in how the insights are applied. When used effectively, LCA enables companies to prioritise emissions reduction, identify commercially viable alternatives and demonstrate their commitment to responsible product stewardship.
From data to direction
At its core, an LCA provides a comprehensive evaluation of a product’s environmental footprint – from raw material extraction through to production, use and end-of-life. By pinpointing “hotspots” where greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other impacts are highest, LCAs provide organisations evidence on where to focus their sustainability efforts.
For example, raw materials may account for the majority of a product’s carbon footprint, where decarbonising energy-intensive manufacturing processes may present cost and emissions reduction opportunities. Equally, distribution networks could be streamlined or use alternative fuels to deliver efficiencies.
LCA can also uncover upstream and downstream emissions, helping organisations understand the full scope of their responsibilities – particularly in light of emerging regulations such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and expectations for Scope 3 emissions disclosure.
Strategic use of LCA in the chemicals sector
The real challenge chemical companies face is how to translate LCA findings into action. This involves more than adjusting a few inputs; it’s about building LCA insights into core business functions.
1. Sustainable product development
LCA enables product developers to make design choices that align with sustainability goals. This might involve:
- Substituting high-impact ingredients for low-emission or bio-based alternatives
- Redesigning formulations for greater recyclability or lower energy use
- Balancing performance and sustainability through green chemistry principles
Using scenario modelling, companies can compare multiple formulations or production routes and choose the option that delivers the best environmental and commercial outcome.
A portfolio product assessment highlights your products or product types with the highest impact and the responsible life cycle stages and so can inform which products or stages should be top priority for review and redevelopment. It can also identify quick, or low investment, wins to accelerate your decarbonisation pathway.
2. Supply chain collaboration
Reducing product emissions involves collaboration along the supply chain. LCA can guide supplier engagement by highlighting high-impact materials or processes and provide evidence to establish more sustainable procurement practices. Working collaboratively with suppliers enables:
- Better data sharing for downstream reporting
- Joint innovation on low-carbon alternatives
- Increased transparency and accountability across the value chain
3. Operations and process optimisation
LCA can identify operational inefficiencies that not only increase environmental impact but also raise costs. By focusing on the most carbon-intensive processes, companies can prioritise improvements in energy use, material efficiency, and waste management.
Optimising these factors contributes directly to emissions reduction and can support cost savings over time.
Supporting regulatory compliance and green claims
The regulatory landscape is evolving rapidly. In the EU, organisations must increasingly prove that their environmental claims are credible. The Digital Product Passport (DPP) initiative, part of the ESPR, will require detailed information about product sustainability to be disclosed and verified through the value chain.
LCA provides the robust, science-based evidence needed to:
- Substantiate claims about product carbon footprints
- Demonstrate alignment with frameworks such as the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)
- Support reporting under CSRD, EPR, and other upcoming requirements
With increased scrutiny from regulators, investors, and customers alike, having LCA data at your fingertips is no longer optional – it’s essential.
Actionable LCA insights to reduce impacts
While the value of LCA is clear, the process can be complex. Selecting appropriate methodologies and scope, ensuring data accuracy and interpreting results for business relevance requires deep technical and commercial expertise.
Ensuring validated data sets and understanding industry benchmarks requires deep technical knowledge of LCA. The data obtained for detailed LCA can provide reliable impact modelling and scenario planning to support material, process, or supplier changes, and business objectives – but can prove complex when working to align expansive data sets, especially when integrating with wider environmental chemistry, toxicology, or regulatory assessments.
Working with a reliable, experienced expert with a clear understanding of how products can fit into a circular economy ensures that any LCA is not just technically sound, but strategically useful.
Integrating LCA into long-term business strategy
LCA should not be viewed as a one-off compliance activity. Instead, it must be embedded into business processes – from R&D and procurement to operations and marketing.
By re-baselining after any significant product or process changes; setting measurable targets for emissions reduction, waste minimisation, or circularity; and regularly monitoring progress and refining strategies based on updated assessments, organisations can build a reputation as a leader in sustainable product innovation.
The development of bespoke tools which support by providing consistency of data through a user-friendly interface and applied across entire product ranges can deliver process efficiencies for large scale organisations with numerous products – data analysis for 100s to 1000s of products can be expedited and provide reliable, consistent outputs.
From insight to impact
As the chemical sector shifts towards low-carbon, low-impact production, those who act early will lead the field. LCA offers the insights needed to prioritise actions, justify investments and support regulatory and reputational goals. By understanding how to embed the insights LCA brings into your business strategy, you can move from measurement to meaningful change.
Whether you’re developing a new product, evaluating a raw material change, or preparing for regulatory disclosures, now is the time to turn your LCA insights into measurable impact. Your customers, investors, and future competitiveness depend on it.
Speak to an expert
Our life cycle assessment (LCA) experts help clients develop more sustainable products and/or demonstrate their already impressive environmental credentials.
