Partner Spotlight: Interview with Tim Grant of Lifecycles

Lifecycles has played a key role in bridging the gap between sustainability knowledge and practical implementation. One of their most impactful contributions is the Packaging Impact Quick Evaluation Tool (PIQET), designed to simplify LCA assessments for packaging decisions. PIQET integrates ecoinvent emission factors to enhance its analytical capabilities, enabling users to make informed choices based on robust, high-quality data.

In this interview, Tim shares insights into his journey, the evolution of LCA, and how Lifecycles’ partnership with ecoinvent enhances their work. He discusses the importance of accurate data in driving sustainable packaging solutions, the challenges businesses face in assessing environmental impacts, and the growing role of LCA in meeting regulatory and corporate sustainability goals. Tim also offers valuable advice for organizations starting their sustainability journey and highlights upcoming initiatives and training opportunities from Lifecycles.

Tim, please start by sharing a bit about your journey and how Lifecycles was founded.

I got interested in LCA when I started at RMIT University in Melbourne. The research center I was in, the Centre for Design, was a dynamic, industry-focused group where you did what you wanted as long as it had a strong sustainability theme and you could find companies or research funding to support it. I was pointed to an old PC in the back office with SimaPro Version 2 installed and told to work on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) projects, and from this point on, I never looked back. RMIT was fantastic, but as a university, there were restrictions on the type of projects we could take on, so in 2003, I started Lifecycles to expand on who we could work with on projects big and small.

Please describe Lifecycles’ core activities and services, including the PIQET tool.

With over 20 years of experience, we’re Australia’s leading provider of LCA, sustainability metrics, and circular economy studies. We also focus heavily on training and tool development, ensuring businesses and governments can access the best sustainability knowledge in Australia and internationally.

At Lifecycles, we act as enablers of science-based environmental decision support. We try to fill the gaps that make it difficult for students, companies, and organizations to use LCA. Sometimes, the gap is skill and knowledge, so we provide training. Sometimes, it’s data, so we develop inventory. Sometimes, it’s access to LCA answers, so we develop LCA tools and software.

We also do many LCA projects that help answer questions and support our ability to deliver training, data, and tools. This is where the PIQET tool comes in. The Packaging Impact Quick Evaluation Tool (PIQET) embodies all the science and experience we have accumulated from over 25 years of consulting and data development. At the same time, it incorporates nearly 20 years of packaging industry user experience, which we have incorporated into our latest release.

What makes Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) such a powerful tool for understanding environmental impacts, and how has the field evolved over the years?

I think the power of LCA is in its coverage of space and time—impacts from across supply chains, country and organizational borders, and between generations. It is an extremely ambitious tool, aiming to include everything relevant and distil this into useful information to support decisions.

LCA is invaluable because it brings data-driven analysis into early-stage decision making.  Instead of relying on gut feeling or a quick Google search, LCA helps test ideas under a microscope, showing the real impact of material choices, supply chain decisions, and product design.

What’s interesting is how the field has matured. Early on, LCA was primarily used for academic research or compliance. Today, businesses use it as a proactive tool to drive sustainability strategies—the LCA literacy across industry is much greater today than it was even five years ago. More organizations are embedding LCA thinking into product development, which is a big step forward.

Lifecycles integrates ecoinvent emission factors into PIQET. Can you walk us through how this integration benefits the tool’s users?

We regionalize ecoinvent data across 54 regions, building on the internal regionalization already provided in ecoinvent. We aim to make as few modifications as possible, as one of the most potent benefits of ecoinvent is its reputation in the market as the most extensive third-party database focusing on consistency and transparency.

The structure of the unit process database means that any improvement to a particular sector flows through to all other sectors. It also allows us to investigate any counterintuitive results to understand how impact results evolve from version to version.

PIQET aims to simplify LCA assessments for packaging options. Why is it so important to focus on packaging, and how can high-quality data drive more sustainable packaging choices?

Packaging plays a huge role in product protection and environmental impact, making it one of businesses’ most visible sustainability challenges. With the push towards circularity, recyclability, and reduced carbon footprints, having accurate, high-quality data is essential for making the right material choices.

PIQET makes LCA accessible and practical, helping businesses compare different packaging scenarios, understand trade-offs, and design for sustainability from the outset. By using robust, science-backed data, companies can avoid greenwashing, comply with regulations, and reduce their impact.

How was the partnership with ecoinvent established, and how does Lifecycles use ecoinvent data?

Lifecycles has been involved in data development for 25 years, and this has involved us initially trying to follow the rules and procedures of ecoinvent when developing the Australian Life Cycle Inventory Database – AusLCI. PIQET initially drew heavily on AusLCI processes, but as we began addressing the broader global market, it became clear we needed ecoinvent as the backbone of our calculations.

We now start with the most recent version of ecoinvent data and build on top all the additional materials, manufacturing, and waste management processes required by PIQET.  We also regionalize the underlying processes one layer down the supply chain before we allow the ecoinvent global supply to take over.

Tell us about your experience working with the ecoinvent team.

We’ve worked closely with ecoinvent for over three years, both as users and suppliers of LCI data. We got great insights into ecoinvent when working on submissions of Australian agricultural datasets. Seeing how strict the entry rules are, to ensure the conventions in ecoinvent are met, and then working through the review process gave us an understanding of the rigor behind the database.

With growing regulatory pressure on industries to reduce their environmental impacts, how do you see the role of LCA and data integration evolving over the next five to ten years?

While LCA has been used extensively for decision support, it will also play a significant role in reporting and tracking emission trajectories in the future. This is evident through the greater focus on Scope 3 emissions and Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. Over the next decade, demand for detailed LCAs will only increase, particularly for the harder-to-abate sectors.

At Lifecycles, we’re preparing for this shift by enhancing our tools and training programs, ensuring businesses have the data, skills, and frameworks to stay ahead of regulatory and market expectations.

I believe we will also see the re-emergence of other impact categories that have been sidelined with the singular focus on climate change. Once a strategy for net zero carbon becomes clear, ameliorating other impacts will come back into focus.

Are there any projects or initiatives you or your team look forward to participating in in the coming year(s)?

We’re particularly excited about integrating LCA into organizational footprinting, a key focus area we’re actively pursuing with PIQET. This initiative will enhance sustainability decision-making by providing deeper insights into packaging impacts within broader corporate sustainability strategies.

As the founder of Lifecycles, you’ve worked with many clients on sustainability projects. How do you guide them in selecting the right data and tools for their sustainability goals, and what advice would you give to businesses starting their sustainability journey?

We advise clients to always use a consistent set of data, and consistent boundaries, and to remember that all LCA data is a useful model but not absolute truth. What’s important is to look at the direction of results under different circumstances and to use those insights to design better products. Avoid having two fixed designs and trying to over-interpret a 10% or 15% difference. We also suggest using LCA with the design team as early as possible. Empowering the packaging designers to understand the environmental drivers will hopefully lead to better, more integrated solutions.

What are some common challenges you’ve encountered when working with clients to assess environmental impacts, and how does Lifecycles help address these challenges?

One of the biggest challenges is when the results don’t go the client’s way. They often have expectations of the environmental outcomes, and when the LCA suggests something different, the tendency is to blame the messenger, question the data, or question the indicator design. While it’s always good to question the data and methods, we must work with clients to understand some of the dynamics of the product and the background economy. Usually with patience, transparency and testing of model parameters, we come to a place of understanding and find a path forward.

Tell us about an upcoming event where our readers can connect with you or other experts from the Lifecycles team.



We run a range of training programs throughout the year, including: LCA 1.01, our foundational course covering key LCA principles; LCA 1.0, our advanced training using SimaPro; Lifecycles Lab, a rapid LCA workshop for startups and SMEs; and Packaging LCA Training, our newest course focused on packaging-specific sustainability challenges.

More details on all our courses are available on our website.

The best way to stay updated is to subscribe to our newsletter, which shares insights from conferences, industry trends, and updates on new developments at Lifecycles.

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?

We offer a commitment-free, 15-day trial of PIQET to all new users. This also includes a live training session with one of our LCA experts.