SETAC Europe 27th LCA Symposium

ARCHE Consulting will be present at the SETAC Europe 27th LCA Symposium from 19 till 21 October 2026 in Bruges, Belgium.

This year's SETAC Europe 27th LCA Symposium has chosen the meeting theme of "Designing Tomorrow: Advancing Life Cycle Approaches for European Sustainability Initiatives". The symposium aims to explore and enhance the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and associated approaches to effectively support European sustainability initiatives, including the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Critical Raw Materials Act, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, the upcoming Circular Economy Act, and the Clean Industry Deal. 

The symposium will bring together academia, industry, government agencies, research institutes, consultancies, and NGOs to share methodological innovations and practical applications. Central themes include prospective and consequential LCA, social LCA, environmental handprints, ecosystem services valuation, and integration of economic aspects such as life cycle costing and resource efficiency. Digital transformation, including artificial intelligence, advanced data science, and digital product passports, will also be explored as enablers for enhancing LCA practice. 

In light of ongoing global crises, growing geopolitical fragmentation, and the increasing urgency of sustainability challenges, the symposium will examine how advanced life cycle methods can provide robust evidence for decision-making and accelerate sustainability transitions. Particular attention will be given to biodiversity, recognising its loss as a major global challenge alongside climate change, and to the development of LCA-based approaches for assessing biodiversity impacts and footprints. 

The event will adopt a broad thematic structure, encouraging cross-sectoral exchange while welcoming sectoral applications in key value chains such as bio-based systems, energy, raw materials, healthcare, textiles, and packaging. Particular attention will be given to circularity, resource criticality, and biodiversity, reflecting their central role in European and global sustainability agendas.