New Zealand Life Cycle Management (NZLCM) centre

Building capability in life cycle management, and providing education, training and research to life cycle management professionals.

Overview

The New Zealand Life Cycle Management (NZLCM) centre is a partnership between Massey University, AgResearch, Landcare Research, Plant and Food Research, and Scion. The centre acts as a focal point for cooperation more widely across organisations, industry and government.

We're leading life cycle management in New Zealand through:

  • education, training, and research in both life cycle management and life cycle assessment
  • understanding and communicating the environmental impacts of product systems – from raw materials to production, distribution, use and end-of-life management
  • life cycle approaches to support decision-making around more sustainable value chains, alternative product systems and reduced environmental impacts.

Our people

Massey staff

The New Zealand Life Cycle Management (NZLCM) centre is hosted by Massey University and the Director is Professor Sarah McLaren. Professor Chris Anderson is the Chair of the Management Group.

Non-Massey staff

NZLCM is a partnership initiative between Massey University, AgResearch, Landcare Research, Plant and Food Research, and Scion.

Dr Kate Parker

Kate is a chemist who is developing new packaging materials using biomaterials, particularly biopolymer foams as an alternative to expanded polystyrene. View Kate Parker's profile on Scion.

Dr Miko Kirschbaum

Miko researches the biophysical controls of net greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture & forestry, developing approaches to better link greenhouse gas emissions to their climate-change impacts. View his profile at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.

Miko Kirschbaum Miko Kirschbaum Miko Kirschbaum Miko Kirschbaum

Dr Stewart Ledgard

Stewart's focus is resource use management & the environmental impacts of pastoral farming systems, as well as the application of Life Cycle Assessment across a range of NZ agricultural systems and products. Read about his work at AgResearch.

Dr Brent Clothier‬

Brent is a Principal Scientist with Plant & Food Research. Brent has published over 300 scientific papers on the movement & fate of water, including life cycle assessment, carbon & water footprinting, & more. Read his profile on Google Scholar.

Study with us

Massey University offers courses in life cycle assessment and life cycle management for postgraduate students, as well as a short course for professionals interested in learning more about the role of life cycle assessment when it comes to decision-making.

Life Cycle Assessment and Footprinting Case Studies – 238711

Credits 15.0

Case studies, selected to meet learner requirements, are used to examine the philosophical, methodological and empirical issues in LCA and Footprinting across different scales (e.g. product, company, city or country), contexts (e.g., supply chain management, product design, eco-certification, urban planning and public policy evaluation) and sectors (e.g. dairy, energy, fibre, forestry, horticulture, manufacturing, meat, or tourism).

Partnerships to support life cycle thinking

We are involved in – and facilitate – national and international partnerships to develop and promote life cycle-based approaches to environmental sustainability.

The Life Cycle Association of New Zealand

We regularly co-organise & participate in events with LCANZ, an independent special interest group for those interested in promoting & raising awareness about life cycle thinking & assessment.

International Organization for Standardisation (ISO)

We have coordinated Aotearoa New Zealand responses to inform development of the ISO 14046 water footprint standard, & other life cycle assessment-related ISO standards.

International LCA Food Conference series

Professor Sarah McLaren is a member of the Scientific Committee for this conference which is held every two years & brings together researchers & others interested in applying LCA to food products.

NZ Food Awards

Professor Sarah McLaren is the Sustainability Judge for these annual awards, assessing the life cycle-based environmental & social sustainability attributes of the submitted entries.

Research projects

The NZLCM centre is involved in a number of life cycle assessment projects and studies across a wide range of industries, including national and international partnerships, internal studies and student group projects. These are just a few of the recent projects we have been involved in.

Left: avocado on toast, an example used in the research on nutritional LCA. Top right: Students investigate whether grazing sheep reduce the carbon footprint of wine. Bottom right: Food scraps collected for incorporation into banana swales, Northland.

Left: Rejected produce at a horticultural packhouse; student group project on sustainable horticultural systems. Top right: Avocados used in research on nutritional LCA. Bottom right: Reusable packing crates; student project on sustainable distribution.

Partners

New Zealand Life Cycle Management (NZLCM) centre

Phone (New Zealand)

0800 627 739 extension 84796

Phone (International)

+64 6 356 9099 extension 84796

Location

Postal address
C/- Institute of Agriculture and Environment
Massey University
Private Bag 11222
Palmerston North