Streamlining life cycle assessment for complex Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing products – Lessons from lighting

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a framework supporting quantification of a product’s environmental impacts. Such data is required for comprehensive assessment of carbon emission impacts over the full life-cycle of products and buildings. With policymakers and the private sector pursuing decarbonisation goals, the need to streamline development of LCA data for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) items has increased. MEP practitioners are tailoring existing LCA frameworks to accommodate supply chain complexity and unique use-phase scenarios. In lighting, LCA leadership is being driven by designers from consulting/engineering firms and manufacturers committed to identifying data gaps, inconsistencies, and uncertainty in the application of LCA. In 2025, lighting’s first Industry-Average LCA Report will be published as the result of an industry-led, international, collective analysis of five commonly used architectural luminaires. The findings suggest LCA development may be streamlined by articulating the role of manufacturers and designers in accelerating the closure of identified data gaps and adoption of consistent, industry-agreed interpretation of LCA for complex MEP items. Strategies include approaching industry LCA as a design innovation tool rather than compliance issue; assembling designer-manufacturer forums to incentivize commercial cooperation; improving global harmonisation and harnessing Industry-Average Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and other tools as an introduction to more specific analysis.