Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)’s Post

Reflections from LCM 2025: Automation, AI, and Mass Balance Transforming Sustainability Assessment 🌍 It has been a couple of days since Yannick Meiners and I returned from the #LCM2025 conference in Palermo, energized by the incredible innovations and meaningful discussions with over 1,000 LCA professionals from 51 countries. The conference highlighted how our field is rapidly evolving to meet the growing demands for environmental transparency and decision-making. ✨ It was particularly valuable connecting with colleagues including Daniel Bochnitschek, Stefan Gärtner, Patrick Ober, Florian Ansgar Jaeger, Johannes Wunderlich, Arne Kätelhön, C. Jason Pierce and Josefa Nüßlein. These conversations reinforced that collaboration remains the cornerstone of advancing sustainability in our industry. 🤝 Three key themes stood out for me: *1. LCA Automation Evolution* 🚀 The landscape of LCA automation providers is expanding rapidly. It was fascinating to see how different solutions are addressing the challenge of scaling environmental assessments while maintaining scientific rigor. Currently, LCA practitioners spend over 2/3 of their time on data collection and modeling - automation promises to shift this focus toward quality assurance and strategic interpretation. *2. AI Applications in Chemistry* 🧪 Several presentations demonstrated AI's potential in predicting reaction pathways for molecules without database values. The work on retrosynthesis from Carbon Minds and ETH Zurich shows particular promise for filling data gaps in chemical assessments. This "molecule to sustainability" approach could revolutionize how we evaluate new materials. *3. Mass Balance Standardization* ⚖️ The discussions on mass balance chain of custody revealed growing acceptance of this approach for tracking sustainable content through complex value chains. The session highlighted both the opportunities and verification challenges that need addressing as we scale these systems. And I definetely agree with Christian Krueger that mass balance will not disappear, it is the key instrument for our industry to enable sustainable transformation. The EU Commission's commitment to leveraging LCA for policy development was also encouraging, with Mauro Cordella providing insights on how environmental footprinting methods will shape future regulations. As we integrate these innovations at Covestro, I'm excited about the potential to enhance our sustainability assessments and provide more meaningful data to support our circular economy transformation. ♻️ What were your key takeaways from LCM 2025? I'd love to continue the conversation. #LCM2025 #LifeCycleAssessment #Sustainability #CircularEconomy #ChemicalIndustry

Survey results: 👉 Which AI-driven approach will most transform material innovation for a circular economy? 43% responded with "Advanced Recycling"! Some facts how AI is Transforming Recycling ♻️ Artificial Intelligence is increasingly becoming a game changer in recycling – not only in sorting waste, but across the entire circular value chain: 🔷 Collection & Logistics – AI-driven route optimisation and smart bins with fill-level prediction reduce fuel use and costs. 🟦 Sorting & Identification – Computer vision and robotics separate materials with higher speed and accuracy, ensuring cleaner fractions. 🔵 Advanced Detection – AI combined with near-infrared spectroscopy distinguishes plastics, metals, and textiles, even in complex waste streams. 🔹 Process Optimisation – From shredders to pyrolysis plants, AI fine-tunes operations for maximum efficiency and energy savings. 🟦 Circular Design & Analytics – AI supports the design of recyclable products and provides insights into material flows to close the loop. 👉 The result: smarter, faster, and more resource-efficient recycling systems – a critical step toward circularity. Check out our upcoming conferences in Cologne: Advanced Recycling Conference, 19-20 November 2025 https://lnkd.in/d9j2U3YX AI Circular Economy Conference, 4-5 March 2025 https://lnkd.in/dDcV_9hf ➡️ abstract submission is still open! #AIC2026 #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #Recycling #CircularEconomy #Sustainability #Innovation picture: Adobe Stock, Alex Alex

⚡🌍 Smart Materials, AI & the Future of Health and Sustainability At Horizons 2025: Materials, AI & Automation, scientists from 20+ countries shared over 70 groundbreaking presentations. Two plenary talks illustrated how science is moving toward true paradigm shifts. 🔬 Prof. Bin Liu (National University of Singapore) introduced AIEgens “smart materials” that become brighter in crowded environments and can be engineered to activate only inside tumors. Combined with AI-driven materials discovery, these breakthroughs point to a future of precision cancer treatment, smarter biosensing, and more powerful medical imaging, potentially saving countless lives. 🌱 Prof. Natalie Stingelin (Georgia Institute of Technology) reimagined plastics as solutions rather than problems. Her team’s smart plastics can turn windows into solar panels, reduce cooling costs by 30%, and enable climate-smart agriculture. Instead of eliminating plastics, she showed how we can transform them into tools for sustainability. For countries like Vietnam, these advances aren't just inspiring, they're real opportunities to leapfrog traditional development paths. By building smart materials into healthcare, agriculture, and infrastructure from the ground up, we can create systems that are both cutting-edge and sustainable. The real challenge? Getting these technologies out of the labs and into the hands of communities that need them most. That's going to take more than just good science, it needs collaboration, smart policy choices, and making sure everyone has access, not just those who can afford it. 👉 Read more in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/eFzTNfhF

Today at re.fact 25 – International Symposium Remanufacturing, I joined leading companies and universities to discuss the current state of implementation, potential new business models, and the role of regulation in shaping the future. Key takeaways: Ecodesign & ESPR: Frameworks are accelerating circular product strategies. Digital Product Passport: Extends customer relationships and creates new data-driven services. Remanufacturing: A powerful tool for decarbonizing products and securing critical resources. The dialogue between academia and industry shows how remanufacturing is moving from niche to mainstream – and why it must become a cornerstone of sustainable business models. Exciting times ahead for those ready to connect circular economy, innovation, and competitiveness. #dbaudio #remanufacturing #circulareconomy #EUClimatePact

Last week I had the chance to attend the LCM 2025 conference in Palermo, one of the most important gatherings for life cycle impact assessment (#LCA) professionals. At LCM, science meets business and policy. The conference is more than the technical detail: the ideas shared here shape regulation, investment, and digital solutions. Here are some highlights that stayed with me the most: ⚖️ Helena Viñes Fiestas from the European Investment Bank (EIB) reminded that while policy is never perfect, it will stay a key driver of the sustainability transition, channeling capital into key sectors from electricity production and distribution to vehicle manufacturing. 💻 Fabian Hassel from Makersite pointed out that the world is missing 150,000 LCAs. Done manually, it would take decades to fill the gap – we don’t have that much time. That’s why digital solutions like Makersite’s platform, powered by ecoinvent data, are so crucial to reduce emissions. 👜 Michela Gioacchini from TOD'S Group showed how regulation can become innovation. Their digital product passport doesn’t just tick a compliance box: by embedding environmental information via blockchain and NFC chips, they turned it into a vehicle to increase brand value and customer engagement, not just a cost of regulation. 🚆 Davide Bonaffini from Hitachi Rail made a powerful point: most environmental impact is locked in at the design stage. Ecodesign, contribution analysis, scenario testing are fast-growing use cases in manufacturing and digital tool development to design better products and reduce impact even before the product is fully born. 🌍 Marisa Vieira from PRé Sustainability now part of One Click LCA shared her vision of the evolving role of LCA experts acting as enablers, empowering all business functions with sustainability insights and scaling the impact of LCA beyond the specialist’s desk by helping to design models that power scalable, digital solutions. 📊 ecoinvent CTO Emilia Moreno Ruiz shared how the world’s most transparent and scientifically grounded background database is evolving: the next generation of ecoinvent will deliver radically improved regionalization and coverage, strengthening analysis and decisions across the ecosystem – from digital solutions to ecodesign to digital product passports. A huge thanks to Marzia Traverso and the organizing team for an excellent conference and for reminding us that LCA experts not only do serious work but also know how to have fun together. 🥂 #LCM #LifeCycleAssessment #DigitalProductPassport #ecoinvent #data

Honoring the past, inspiring the future. This #HispanicHeritageMonth, we celebrate some of the innovative leaders driving P&G forward. ⭐ Marlene Otero: A 27-year P&G trailblazer, Marlene leads product design, providing meaningful solutions that address consumers’ biggest frustrations and needs. Her work includes the groundbreaking Charmin Smooth Tear innovation, which transformed a common household experience through re-engineered perforation. ⭐ Misael O Aviles: A Principal Scientist with 14 years at P&G, Misael embodies P&G’s relentless pursuit of solutions without compromise. When developing Always pad technology, he tackled complex design challenges to create products that deliver superior comfort and reliable protection without trade-offs. ⭐ Klaus Vollmer: Driving innovation across P&G, Klaus is one of the brilliant minds behind products such as Gemz conditioner and Mr. Clean Magic Toilet Foaming Cleaner. He’s pioneering efficient solutions by precisely formulating chemicals that easily activate with water, delivering powerful results in a compact, dry form. ⭐ Sophie Hadley: Sophie is impacting product evolution through intelligent, data-driven insights. Using AI and online reviews, she smartly guides upgrades, understanding that innovation isn't always an overhaul – it's often about refining products to perfectly fit your evolving life, making them better for you. Innovation isn't just what we do — it's who we are. Explore more people who are shaping our future: https://lnkd.in/gr-KCtUU #PGInnovation #HispanicHeritageMonth

🌱 Innovating for a More Sustainable Future in BioManufacturing As the pharmaceutical industry expands, so does its environmental footprint. From energy-intensive processes to complex global supply chains, the challenges are real - but so are the opportunities. To address this challenge, biomanufacturers are turning to digital transformation to embed sustainability into every facet of production. This whitepaper explores how integrating advanced digital tools such as AI, virtual twins and data-driven modeling can help life sciences companies: • Reduce emissions, waste, energy, and water usage • Enhance operational efficiency without compromising quality • Make sustainability a core part of decision-making By adopting these innovative practices, the industry can move towards a greener, more sustainable future. 📄 Download the whitepaper to discover more: http://go.3ds.com/h61p #DassaultSystèmes #SustainableBiomanufacturing #DigitalTransformation #LifeSciences

🌱 Share Your Work – IEEE Workshop on Metrology for Sustainability 🌱 The Workshop on Metrology for Sustainability is looking for contributions from researchers and practitioners who use measurements and data to advance sustainability. We welcome papers from any field or application — from scientific research to industrial practice, from environmental monitoring to societal impact. The focus is on how measurements can drive sustainable solutions. 📢 Join an international community, share your insights, and help shape the future of sustainable practices. 👉 Learn more and submit your paper: https://lnkd.in/d4EfDF3E #Sustainability #Measurements #DataDriven #Research #Innovation #Workshop

Who is better at complex tasks? Ants or humans? Individual humans, of course, outperform ants in their cognitive abilities. But when we are in the group, ants win. Why? Ants have limited options, with cooperation being their sole strategy. In the end, they are all one big family. But humans become short-term-focused, selfish species, primarily when they can't communicate. And, then, lose... 🤷♂️ For more details, read this fascinating article - https://lnkd.in/daNucc9v by Weizmann Institute of Science & Tabea Dreyer. Video by Florian Palatini ---------- Follow Michal Ukropec for more 3D, innovation, and Industry 4.0 trends

If you really want to test group/team capabilities, make human test to scale (which I mean, make the 'I' bar larger, and have it require roughly the same number of humans to conduct the task as it did with the ants) and see if humans can do it as efficiently and effectively as the ants 😂 . Do they band together and succeed, or does communication break down and lead to failure? That's the real test.