UTokyo LCA Center for Future Strategy (hereinafter referred to as “UTLCA”), established in April 2023 by bringing together LCA researchers from the University of Tokyo and working across 10 faculties and institutes together with researchers of advanced science and technology, will shift from conventional Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which evaluates the current environmental impact of the entire life cycle of a product or service, to “Pre-emptive LCA” to strategically build a future sustainable society. On Friday, July 28, UTLCA held a symposium to commemorate its establishment at Takeda Hall in the Takeda Advanced Knowledge Building. About 80 people gathered at the venue, and about 210 people participated online.

At the symposium, Vice President Okubo gave opening remarks and spoke about the University of Tokyo’s vision for the scope of the GX and the importance of the role played by the UTLCA. Mr. Horigami, Deputy Director-General, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of the Environment; Mr. Tanaka, Deputy Director-General, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; and Mr. Iwamura, Executive Director, Nippon Keidanren, spoke about LCA initiatives in policy and industry and their high expectations for UTLCA. UTLCA Director Sugiyama explained its significance and future development. This was followed by two lectures, “Expectations and Challenges for LCA toward a Decarbonized and Circular Economy” by Director Moriguchi of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, with which UTLCA is collaborating, and “Maintenance and Management of LCA Infrastructure, Development and Issues” by Director Genchi of the Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. After a short break, a panel discussion entitled “Preemptive LCA Contributing to Future Strategies” by eight UT researchers participating in the UTLCA provided an opportunity for them to make discoveries about each other’s research, which served as a major stepping stone for future collaborative research activities. Finally, Dr. Ishii, Director of the Center For Global Commons at UTokyo, expressed her expectations for UTLCA to help solve global-scale issues, and called for collaboration among all parties involved in this effort.

UTLCA will facilitate research across faculties and institutes within the university, and will also collaborate with advanced science and technology research groups within the university, LCA research institutions outside the university, companies, and government agencies, aiming for social implementation of the results.