CIRCOMOD team at CIRP LCE 2025: sharing on footprint of machinery and equipment

From April 7–9, 2025, the 32nd CIRP Conference on Life Cycle Engineering (CIRP LCE 2025) was held in Manchester, United Kingdom, bringing together leading experts in sustainability and production engineering. Organised by the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP), the annual flagship conference provides a platform for researchers, academics, and industry professionals to exchange cutting-edge knowledge on life cycle engineering (LCE) and sustainable production systems.

As part of this international gathering, CIRCOMOD was represented by Edgar Hertwich from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), who presented joint research with Meng Jiang and Yiwen Liu on the metal content and carbon footprint of machinery and equipment (M&E).

Their work offers vital insights into the embedded emissions and material dependencies across sectors that rely heavily on M&E, analysing patterns in sectoral use and intensity. By shedding light on the composition and usage rates of machinery across industries, the team contributes to a better understanding of the material flows and emissions implications critical for achieving a circular, low-carbon industrial transformation.

This research aligns with CIRCOMOD’s broader goals of modelling material demand and circular economy strategies to inform sustainable policy and business decisions. The CIRP LCE 2025 conference served as a valuable venue for cross-disciplinary exchange and advancing systems thinking in sustainable engineering and circularity.