Abstract submission for the UK LCA Network Annual Conference 2026 is open! We welcome your submissions. 

Timeline:

• Deadline for abstract submission: 5pm, Friday 10th April

• Authors informed by: 5pm, Friday 8th May

• Registration deadline for presenters: 5pm, Friday 15th May

• Conference Dates: 16 - 17 June 2026

Thematic areas:

We have 5 thematic areas, designed to cover the full spectrum of LCA and its use in regulatory science. When preparing your abstract, please select which thematic area your submission best fits.

Abstract submission:

Please keep your abstract to under 400 words. For guidance, we suggest including the following:

• One or two sentences to provide any necessary background

• A summary of the problem(s) or question(s) addressed by the work

• A hypothesis, if relevant, and the methods used

• Findings, results and conclusions

• How the work contributes to the thematic area and LCA more widely

Abstracts will be assessed on their novelty, relevance to the subject and thematic area, and the quality of the content. We welcome abstracts from both established and early-career researchers and academics, as well as from industry and policymakers.

Format:

When submitting your abstract, please select your preference for poster or platform presentation. We hope to offer the format requested, but this may not be possible and in some cases we may suggest a format.

There will be a few keynote presentations throughout the day, but the majority of presentations will be part of themed discussion sessions: three-four presenters will present for ~10 mins each (timings will be confirmed at the same time as abstract acceptance), followed by a discussion question session to all the presenters in that session. 

Posters can be A0 or A1 portrait format. We will not provide a template for posters or presentations, you may use your own.

Questions:

Any questions on the abstract submission process should be directed to 

lca-rsin@sheffield.ac.uk. Please note, we do not intend to extend the abstract submission deadline.

thematic areas

Thematic area 1: LCA for Net Zero

LCA and related techniques have roles in assessing potential routes to emissions reduction, in identifying opportunities, and in studying potential trade-offs or unintended consequences of actions towards net zero. This session aims to delve deeper into the role LCA may play in achieving net zero. We hope to discuss regulations such as CBAM, harmonisation of methods and data, and single impact focus.

Thematic area 2: How will AI affect the way we do LCA?

This area will focus on the potential for AI to alter the way LCA is undertaken, used and interpreted. Abstracts may consider the use of AI tools for data collection or impact calculation, or the use of AI to understand existing evidence. We hope the potential risks, challenges and opportunities presented by AI will be discussed in this session.

Thematic area 3: Bio-based materials and biogenic carbon

Materials based on biogenic sources, or products using these sources, may offer the chance to reduce the use of and emissions from fossil resources, but these products require LCA to understand their potential. In this session we hope to discuss how bio-based materials are considered in LCA, including technical consideration on how biogenic carbon is modelled, end-of-life challenges, and use of general or sector-specific standards and methods.

Thematic area 4: Looking forward - Prospective and ex-ante LCA

Considering future impact is a common LCA challenge. How do we estimate the benefits and risks of products or situations occurring in future so we can make decisions now? This session is likely to include work on scale-up, uncertainty, modelling of trends and temporal changes, and methods to develop, understand and present both foreground and background projections without overstating our ability to predict the future.

Thematic area 5: Putting LCA into action - implementing and communicating results.

How do we translate LCA outcomes into actions for businesses, policy and consumers? The session could include case studies on  adopting strategies based on LCA outcomes, LCA impacting consumer behaviour, challenges in policy and/or voluntary reporting alignment, communicating LCA outcomes to drive change.