LCA for Infrastructure #1 - Getting the Fundamentals Right

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is now expected on almost every major infrastructure project, but most engineers were never trained for it, and the vocabulary alone trips people up before the real work even starts. What's the actual difference between an LCA, a carbon footprint, and Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions? What does an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) tell you, and what doesn't it tell you?

This session answers those questions in one sitting. And of course, no prior LCA experience required.

We will walk through what an LCA actually is (and isn't), the steps involved: definition, data collection, the basics of Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), emission factors, and CO₂ equivalent.

We'll clarify terms that get used interchangeably but shouldn't be. Then we'll get infrastructure-specific: the A1–A5 and B&C life cycle stages, what they mean for a single material versus an entire project, and the shift from a material-level view (your bill of quantities) to a project-level view (the road, the bridge).

💁 What you'll learn

• Introduction to LCA
• Definitions
• The steps to do an LCA
• LCA is/is not
• Clarification of confusing terms
• Focus on the carbon footprint in infrastructure
• The difference between LCA stages (A1-A5, B&C stages): what it is, what it means for an infrastructure project VS for a material

👀 Who should attend

• Civil Engineer / Highway Engineer / Pavement Engineer new to LCA
• Sustainability Manager / Carbon Manager / Low Carbon Lead new to infrastructure LCA
• Technical Director / Associate Director who wants the full picture in one session

This is the first session before the second one: LCA for Infrastructure: Hotspots & the Hard Data Choices

☺️ Why are we giving this class for free?

At ORIS, our mission is to enable the construction sector to design inclusive, efficient, resilient, and low-carbon infrastructure projects by making the most of local resources and social and environmental data, connecting them through digital solutions.

We deeply believe in enabling those who design projects every day to better understand and act on LCA.