The second module of the LIFE-C course, “Application of life cycle assessment,” is a natural continuation of the first module. In this course, the students have a chance to gain hands-on experience during the creation of the LCA model. Learning contents, e.g., Product and Organization Environmental Footprint, Carbon Footprint, Sensitivity and Uncertainty, are more advanced and specified for future LCA specialists and practitioners. What is worth noticing, for the best experience in this course module, the participants should already possess the basic knowledge on LCA, LTC, and ISO 14040-14044 framework as a starting point, e.g., by completing the first module of the course.
The main assignment for this course module is to perform a short LCA based on an industry-based challenge. The challenge is an LCA-related problem collected from the project Associated Partners from the industry and research, related to the most up-to-date problems that can be met in the industry and business. On this task, participants work on openLCA and a suggested by the Team educational, free- of-charge databases, for which we’ve provided guidelines in the course description on how to acquire them. To complete this task, students and participants need to complete the challenge goal described in the project task, create an openLCA model, prepare the project report, and present the project results in the form of a digital presentation.
Learning outcomes of the second LIFE-C course modules are aimed to provide practical skills on LCA, the ability to critically interpret your own results, create an LCA model, and provide recommendations based on a real-case scenario case study. In our opinion, the second module of the LIFE-C course is a great extension of the first module for everyone who wants to make a solid start in the world of LCA, sustainability, and practical application of environmental impact assessment based on LCA methodology.