Embracing life cycle management for sustainable innovation
Life cycle assessment affords researchers and policymakers a nose-to-tail view of the value chain and a clearer picture of the impact of new technologies. But with the accelerating pace of technological evolution, more dynamic models are needed to drive sustainability
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New technologies are almost always full of promise. Over time, however, their impact might turn out to be negligible or even harmful. Engineers call this a regrettable substitution – when the solution ends up being worse than the problem it was meant to fix. This is one of the biggest challenges to green innovation, said Shauhrat S. Chopra, associate professor at City University of Hong Kong, at a session held during the 2025 THE Global Sustainability Development Congress.
The session explored how new technologies must be viewed through the lens of life cycle assessment to critically evaluate innovations from their inception and roll-out to end-of-life. “[Sometimes] we end up displacing emissions from one part of the life cycle to another,” said Chopra. “Life cycle assessment is a systematic accounting of material and energy flows associated with any product, process, project or technology that we are considering.”
Considering all stages of the value chain is especially crucial when addressing large-scale innovation, such as decarbonising a complex transport system. If researchers can vouch for the efficiency, resilience and sustainability of all constituent parts, it can improve the whole system. For example, while Hong Kong’s multimodal transport system is considered one of the best in the world, new technologies can make it more efficient and greener while bolstering its resilience.
Technologies also need to be evaluated in context, and location is an important factor in this. “We need to make region-specific and context-specific decisions,” said Chopra. “We must select the right technologies to integrate into our existing systems for sustainability and resilience. And for that, we need a data-driven systems approach.”
Public perception also matters. People need to trust and engage with new technologies and systems. Genetically modified crops are an example of how scepticism could threaten widespread adoption. Even when there are successful innovations, the concern remains how these technologies will degrade when dumped in a landfill. What is the environmental impact once they’re no longer of use? Can they be reused? These are urgent questions for anyone concerned with sustainability, Chopra said.
There are limits to the existing life cycle assessment models as the pace of technological evolution challenges their effectiveness. “Decarbonisation mandates are driving a big push towards new technology integration,” said Chopra. “Traditional life cycle assessment is good for existing technologies, but not for new technologies. That is why dynamic models, where we can do scenario analysis of new technologies integrated into systems, are important. Scenario analysis will help us decide which technologies to integrate into our existing systems.”
The panel:
- Shauhrat S. Chopra, associate professor, City University of Hong Kong
- Kenneth Leung, chair professor of chemistry and director of the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong
Find out more about City University of Hong Kong.