LCA Fundamentals: Scope, Inventory, Impact
Build an end-to-end LCA workflow—scope to hotspots—using Python.
About This Course
This 3-day hands-on workshop teaches you how to perform a complete Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from goal & scope definition to inventory modeling and impact interpretation. You’ll learn how to define functional units, handle allocation, engineer high-quality inventory datasets, and convert emissions into impact metrics like Global Warming Potential. Through guided Google Colab labs, you’ll automate LCI table generation, run characterization scripts, and visualize hotspots using bar charts and Sankey diagrams—so you can communicate results clearly and defensibly.
Aim
To equip participants with a practical, step-by-step LCA workflow and the computational skills to build, automate, analyze, and communicate life cycle impacts using Python-based tools and reproducible notebooks.
Workshop Structure
📅 Day 1 — The Foundation & System Boundary Mastery
- Focus: Goal and Scope Definition (LCIA Phase 1)
- Key Topics:
- Defining functional units and reference flows
- Allocation methods: mass vs economic vs system expansion
- Data quality requirements and uncertainty types
- Hands-on (Google Colab):
- Notebook Title: LCA Setup & Functional Unit Calculator
- Task: Use Python to calculate and normalize reference flows for a multi-output chemical process
📅 Day 2 — Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) & Data Engineering
- Focus: Managing the “Heavy Lifting” of Data (LCIA Phase 2)
- Key Topics:
- Building the inventory: direct emissions vs supply chain inputs
- Sourcing data: primary sensing vs secondary literature
- Handling missing data through proxy modeling
- Hands-on (Google Colab):
- Notebook Title: Automated Inventory Modeling
- Task: Import a CSV of raw material inputs and map them to emission factors using a Python dictionary to generate a complete LCI table automatically
📅 Day 3 — Impact Assessment & Interpretation
- Focus: Converting mass into “Planet Impact” (LCIA Phase 3 & 4)
- Key Topics:
- Characterization, normalization, and weighting
- Sensitivity analysis: identifying the key hotspots
- Communicating results: Sankey diagrams and pedigree matrices
- Hands-on (Google Colab):
- Notebook Title: Impact Hotspot Visualizer
- Task: Feed the Day 2 inventory into a characterization script to produce a GWP bar chart and generate a Sankey diagram showing the biggest polluting stage
Who Should Enrol?
- UG/PG/PhD students in environmental science, chemical engineering, materials, energy, biotechnology, industrial engineering
- Academicians and researchers working on sustainable product/process design
- Industry professionals in EHS, ESG, product sustainability, LCA teams, R&D
- Analysts who need to translate operational data into impact-based sustainability insights
Important Dates
Registration Ends
02/21/2026
IST 4 : 30 PM
Workshop Dates
02/21/2026 – 02/23/2026
IST 5 : 30 PM
Workshop Outcomes
- Establish solid foundations in Goal & Scope and system boundary setting
- Build competency in inventory construction and emission-factor mapping
- Teach practical handling of uncertainty, data quality, and missing data
- Enable participants to perform impact assessment + interpretation end-to-end
- Train participants to produce reproducible, automated LCA workflows in Colab
- Improve ability to communicate LCA results using visuals and structured reporting
Fee Structure
Student
₹2499 | $75
Ph.D. Scholar / Researcher
₹3499 | $85
Academician / Faculty
₹4499 | $95
Industry Professional
₹6499 | $115
What You’ll Gain
- Live & recorded sessions
- e-Certificate upon completion
- Post-workshop query support
- Hands-on learning experience
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