Dr Veerle Van linden and Dr Reindert Heuts from the Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO) hosted a webinar on life cycle assessment (LCA) on 10 February 2022. The aim of the webinar was to provide the InnCoCells consortium with theoretical and practical guidance on the application of LCA to sustainable cosmetic ingredients from plants.
LCA is a well-established approach used to determine the environmental impact associated with a product or process, taking into account all stages of the life cycle from the sourcing of raw materials to the recycling or disposal of waste. The first part of the webinar covered the theoretical aspects of LCA as applied to plant-based products, including system boundaries, functional units, impact categories, impact assessment methods, and allocation. This was followed by a practical demonstration of the four stages of LCA using cosmetic ingredients and products as case studies.
Dr Veerle Van linden has a PhD in Bioscience Engineering. She is a senior scientist at ILVO’s Agrifood Technology department and a steering member of ILVO’s Center of Expertise for Agriculture and Climate. Since 2010, Dr Van linden has established and run research projects on the sustainability of agricultural production processes, mainly using LCA. She provides expert advice and policy support, and also serves on the European Commission’s Technical Advisory Board for Product Environmental Footprinting. Dr Reindert Heuts has a PhD in Bioscience Engineering. He is a scientific researcher at ILVO’s Agrifood Technology department and a member of ILVO’s Center of Expertise for Agriculture and Climate. Dr Rein is involved in several research projects using LCA to quantify and improve the ecological sustainability of agricultural production, especially in context of a changing climate.