Understanding the Full Life Cycle – Free LCA Course in July
Steel is everywhere — but how do we measure its environmental impact?
From the buildings around us to the cars we drive, the infrastructure we rely on, and the products we use every day, steel supports modern life in countless ways. But understanding its environmental impact means looking beyond production alone.
This July, steeluniversity is offering free access to Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a course that introduces one of the most important tools for understanding environmental impact across the full life cycle of products and materials.
Why LCA matters
Because steel is everywhere, its sustainability story cannot be told from one stage alone. Life Cycle Assessment helps us understand the full journey — from raw materials and production to use, reuse, recycling, and recovery.
What will you learn?
Through this course, you will build a foundational understanding of Life Cycle Assessment and how it is used to analyse the environmental burdens of product and service systems.
- The principles of life cycle thinking
- How environmental impacts are assessed across a product’s life cycle
- The role of system boundaries, data, and indicators in LCA
- How LCA supports decisions in design, production, use, recycling, and end-of-life management
Why take this course?
Life Cycle Assessment is increasingly used by companies, policymakers, customers, and researchers to better understand environmental performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
In the context of steel, LCA provides a more complete view of sustainability by looking beyond a single production stage and considering the full journey of materials and products. This is especially important in a circular economy, where durability, recyclability, reuse, and end-of-life recovery all play a role in reducing environmental impact.
And since July marks the beginning of summer holidays for many learners in the northern hemisphere, this is a great opportunity to use a quieter period to build a practical sustainability skill at your own pace.
Whether you are a student, engineer, sustainability professional, policymaker, or simply interested in sustainable manufacturing, this course offers a valuable introduction to one of the most important tools used to assess and communicate environmental impact.
About the course
This course is guided by Prof Dr. Matthias Finkbeiner and introduces learners to LCA through instructional videos designed to make the methodology clear and accessible.
The course was developed to help learners understand how environmental data can be organised and used to support informed decisions for the design, production, use, and end-of-life management of products and services.
A professional asset for sustainability
Understanding LCA is not only important for sustainability — it is also becoming a valuable professional skill.
When steel is everywhere, life cycle thinking becomes even more important. Professionals who understand LCA are better prepared to contribute to meaningful sustainability discussions, support data-driven decisions, and communicate environmental performance more effectively.
📅 Free access is available throughout July 2026.
Start learning now and strengthen your understanding of Life Cycle Assessment and its role in building a more sustainable future.