Apple made headlines in 2020 when it announced that its iPhones would no longer come with a charger or headphones. This upset some consumers, but the accessories-lite packaging also led to a demonstrable reduction in the company’s global greenhouse gas emissions..
Apple’s decision is but one example of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) at work. In an era defined by accelerating climate urgency, LCA has evolved beyond a technical tool to become a crucial element of business sustainability strategies.
As pressure for accurate carbon reporting intensifies, LCA is indispensable for organisations aiming to understand their product footprints from conception to disposal—and to align their sustainability plans accordingly. When executed effectively, LCA will also bring in many economic benefits. While LCA is essential learning for both enterprises and individuals, a pressing question remains: how quickly will companies in Singapore come on board?
Unpacking LCA
Last month, SIM Academy hosted a breakfast session for leaders and sustainability managers who wanted to learn more about LCA. As part of the session, titled “Understanding Life Cycle Assessment: A Pathway to Sustainable Business Practices”, I moderated a panel discussion between Ms Celia Chua, a Senior Carbon Specialist at Global Green Connect, which provides sustainability consulting services, alongside HP’s Learning and Development Manager Jimmy Ong. We talked about how LCA can drive cost savings, improve organisational competitiveness, and support informed, sustainable decision-making.
In a nutshell, LCA systematically evaluates environmental impacts of a product through every stage of its life — from raw material extraction to transportation to end-of-life disposal. By quantifying carbon emissions, energy usage, and resource consumption, LCA enables businesses to make sound, evidence-based decisions. It is a vital process for addressing growing regulatory requirements and customer expectations around environmental responsibility.
As Ms Chua pointed out, LCA is about determining the “multiplier effect” behind the making of each product — the carbon footprint of suppliers should also have a bearing on manufacturers’ emissions. This emphasis on interconnectedness is at the heart of the systems thinking promoted by SIM, which entails seeing the bigger picture in every scenario.
A poorly sourced part or an inefficient end-of-life process can wipe out the gains of an otherwise “green” product. LCA forces organisations to take into account all of the upstream and downstream implications of their manufacturing processes.
Green New Deal
At the same time, what was once optional is fast becoming mandatory around the world. Take for instance the European Union’s Green Claims Directive and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Companies importing CBAM-applicable goods, including aluminium, cement, electricity, fertiliser, and steel into the EU must now declare embedded carbon emissions. Meanwhile, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) sets stringent sustainability and circular economy requirements in the EU for a wide array of consumer goods — from furniture to smartphones to tyres — that impact design, production, and supply chains across various industries.
For Singapore-based exporters, it is clear what is at stake: prepare now or risk exclusion from key markets. As the panellists highlighted, digital transformation is a prerequisite for sustainability. Companies must embrace artificial intelligence that can assist with automated data extraction and structuring, predictive analytics and maintenance, eco-design recommendations, and so on. They must invest in systems that can compile and verify life cycle data, not only to meet regulatory standards but also to build trust with increasingly discerning and environmentally-conscious consumers.
A Boon, Not a Bane
When implemented thoughtfully, LCA can give companies a competitive advantage. It can drive innovation, reduce costs, and transform entire business models. Mr Ong shared a compelling example about HP’s shift to a service model built around tank printers instead of cartridge printers. With the former, consumers no longer have to individually purchase ink cartridges on an as-needed basis, but are instead charged a certain amount each time HP has to refill their ink tanks. Consequently, consumers will be motivated to switch to larger and longer-lasting ink tanks. From this alone, the company recorded a 74 per cent reduction in environmental impact based on LCA insights, Mr Ong shared.
The Singapore-listed Pan-United Corporation, a leading specialist in low-carbon concrete technologies, provides another case in point. By empowering clients such as architects and contractors to select low-carbon mixes based on verified data, it gained a competitive edge in Green Mark and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified projects. These local and global certifications in turn enhanced its brand credibility and success rate in securing tenders.
However, despite its vast potential, LCA remains untapped by many companies. The breakfast discussion underscored the importance of both consulting support and capability-building. While external experts can help kickstart LCA efforts, developing in-house sustainability champions is essential for long-term impact. As Ms Ong noted, developing internal competencies would allow a quicker response to evolving regulations.
Cautious Optimism
At the end of the day, action trumps intention. In a business environment where greenwashing is rife, real impact demands more than glossy sustainability reports. It requires tough conversations, trade-offs, and a willingness to upend long-established systems.
Environmental problems are no longer theoretical. They’re real, and they’re here. Every job role should be viewed as a sustainability role, as Mr Ong pointed out, which means that all individuals should be well-versed in LCA.
In today’s increasingly brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible world, LCA offers a way forward. It is much more than just a checklist or reporting tool. It is a mirror, a compass, and a blueprint, revealing hidden impacts, guiding strategically complex choices, and enabling organisations to build a credible path towards building a more sustainable world.
The transition to this new way of life will take time. To build LCA capability within your organisation, explore SIM Academy’s Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainable Organisations programme, developed with Global Green Connect and supported by SkillsFuture Funding here.
