Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ALIGNED (Aligning Life Cycle Assessment methods and bio-based sectors for improved environmental performance)
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-09-30
The ALIGNED project aims to enhance the environmental sustainability of bio-based industries by advancing the scientific field of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, ALIGNED brings together academic and industrial partners to develop a harmonized and interoperable LCA modelling framework tailored to five key bio-based sectors: construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper, and bio-chemicals.
The project focuses on creating tools and methodologies that enable high-quality, sector-relevant assessments, addressing current limitations in LCA practices such as fragmented approaches and lack of comparability. ALIGNED’s framework incorporates, among others: methods for prospective assessment of biobased products, methods for accounting constraints in biomass supply, methods for dynamic carbon accounting, methods for assessing socio-economic trade-offs, and methods for assessment of uncertainty. These innovations are tested and refined through six real-world case studies, ensuring practical applicability and stakeholder engagement.
By aligning LCA methods across sectors, ALIGNED supports evidence-based decision-making and contributes to the broader goal of improving the environmental performance of bio-based industrial processes.
The project focuses on creating tools and methodologies that enable high-quality, sector-relevant assessments, addressing current limitations in LCA practices such as fragmented approaches and lack of comparability. ALIGNED’s framework incorporates, among others: methods for prospective assessment of biobased products, methods for accounting constraints in biomass supply, methods for dynamic carbon accounting, methods for assessing socio-economic trade-offs, and methods for assessment of uncertainty. These innovations are tested and refined through six real-world case studies, ensuring practical applicability and stakeholder engagement.
By aligning LCA methods across sectors, ALIGNED supports evidence-based decision-making and contributes to the broader goal of improving the environmental performance of bio-based industrial processes.
The ALIGNED project, funded under the EU Horizon Europe programme, has successfully concluded its mission to enhance the environmental sustainability of bio-based industries through the advancement and harmonization of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies.
Over its 36-month duration, ALIGNED brought together academic experts, industry stakeholders, and policy actors across six bio-based sectors: construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper, bio-based chemicals, and blue bioeconomy. The project developed and implemented a shared LCA modelling framework that ensures scientific robustness, industrial relevance, and cross-sector interoperability.
Key Achievements:
- Methodological Innovation: ALIGNED established a comprehensive and harmonized LCA framework (WP1), integrating dynamic carbon accounting, spatial biodiversity impacts, socio-economic assessments, and future resource scenarios. This framework was not only developed but applied across all sectoral case studies, enabling consistent and high-quality assessments.
- Sector-Specific Applications:
Construction: Evaluated bio-based phenolic foams, exploring substitution of fossil phenol with lignin and bio-oil derivatives.
Woodworking: Assessed alternative timber feedstocks for façades and fencing, including untreated, treated, and painted wood.
Textiles: Focused on recycling polyester-cotton workwear, with emphasis on valorising shredded cotton fibres.
Pulp and Paper: Investigated lignin valorisation via aldehyde-assisted fractionation in emerging biorefineries.
Bio-based Chemicals: Explored sustainable vegetable oil use and biorefinery modelling for consumer product applications.
Blue Bioeconomy: Developed LCA models for microalgal-based biochemical production, emphasizing renewable energy and water efficiency.
-Sector-Wide Recommendations: Each case study informed sector-level guidance and policy-relevant recommendations, compiled in stakeholder reports (e.g. D2.2–D6.2) supporting broader adoption of sustainable practices.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Dissemination: Through workshops, conferences, newsletters, and policy briefs, ALIGNED ensured that its findings reached industry, academia, and policymakers. The project actively contributed to life cycle thinking communities
Over its 36-month duration, ALIGNED brought together academic experts, industry stakeholders, and policy actors across six bio-based sectors: construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper, bio-based chemicals, and blue bioeconomy. The project developed and implemented a shared LCA modelling framework that ensures scientific robustness, industrial relevance, and cross-sector interoperability.
Key Achievements:
- Methodological Innovation: ALIGNED established a comprehensive and harmonized LCA framework (WP1), integrating dynamic carbon accounting, spatial biodiversity impacts, socio-economic assessments, and future resource scenarios. This framework was not only developed but applied across all sectoral case studies, enabling consistent and high-quality assessments.
- Sector-Specific Applications:
Construction: Evaluated bio-based phenolic foams, exploring substitution of fossil phenol with lignin and bio-oil derivatives.
Woodworking: Assessed alternative timber feedstocks for façades and fencing, including untreated, treated, and painted wood.
Textiles: Focused on recycling polyester-cotton workwear, with emphasis on valorising shredded cotton fibres.
Pulp and Paper: Investigated lignin valorisation via aldehyde-assisted fractionation in emerging biorefineries.
Bio-based Chemicals: Explored sustainable vegetable oil use and biorefinery modelling for consumer product applications.
Blue Bioeconomy: Developed LCA models for microalgal-based biochemical production, emphasizing renewable energy and water efficiency.
-Sector-Wide Recommendations: Each case study informed sector-level guidance and policy-relevant recommendations, compiled in stakeholder reports (e.g. D2.2–D6.2) supporting broader adoption of sustainable practices.
- Stakeholder Engagement & Dissemination: Through workshops, conferences, newsletters, and policy briefs, ALIGNED ensured that its findings reached industry, academia, and policymakers. The project actively contributed to life cycle thinking communities
Main beyond state of the art result is strengthened scientific basis of LCA in the aforementioned bio-based industrial sectors.
In practice, the ALIGNED project has:
✅ Selected the best available methods based on scientific soundness;
✅ Increased applicability of methods (4 new tools and 5 guides);
✅ Developed new methods (background inventory, carbon flow, constraints to biomass);
✅ Performed better and more applicable uncertainty analysis.
✅ Introduced technical improvements in products (e.g. Dr. Green – better color & recycled content).
✅ Consolidated set of methodologies, sector-specific recommendations, tutorials, and advanced LCA tools.
✅Introduced new databases/models (e.g. forestry, temperature-based indicators, parametric models).
✅Provided scientific input to standardization (PEF, ISO).
✅Introduced broader shift from narrow to systemic approaches → reduced greenwashing, better long-term strategic decisions.
In practice, the ALIGNED project has:
✅ Selected the best available methods based on scientific soundness;
✅ Increased applicability of methods (4 new tools and 5 guides);
✅ Developed new methods (background inventory, carbon flow, constraints to biomass);
✅ Performed better and more applicable uncertainty analysis.
✅ Introduced technical improvements in products (e.g. Dr. Green – better color & recycled content).
✅ Consolidated set of methodologies, sector-specific recommendations, tutorials, and advanced LCA tools.
✅Introduced new databases/models (e.g. forestry, temperature-based indicators, parametric models).
✅Provided scientific input to standardization (PEF, ISO).
✅Introduced broader shift from narrow to systemic approaches → reduced greenwashing, better long-term strategic decisions.