On 2 October, 2025, at Pullman Bangkok King Power Hotel (Rangnam),
National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), through National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), in collaboration with the Research Laboratory for IDEA (IDEA Lab) of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan, and Kasetsart University (KU), organized the “Kick-Off Workshop in Thailand 2025” under the Asian Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Database Project. This two-day workshop, held on 2–3 October, 2025, aimed to share the current status and challenges of database development among Asian countries, explore effective data collection methodologies, promote understanding of the benefits of building comprehensive and systematic datasets, and establish a strong foundation for a reliable and collaborative network in the field of Life Cycle Inventory (LCI), including its applications in Carbon Footprint calculation and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
At the opening ceremony, Dr. Asira Fuongfuchat, Deputy Executive Director of MTEC, delivered a welcome address to the participants and officially opened the event as a co-host. Following that, Dr. Jitti Mungkalasiri, Research Team Leader, Life Cycle Inventory and Data Applications for Sustainability and Trade Research Team, Technology and Informatics Institute for Sustainability (TIIS), and Deputy Director of the Program Management Unit for Competitiveness Enhancement (PMUC), gave a keynote presentation titled “Life Cycle Assessment Journey: From Zero to Net Zero Era.” In his presentation, Dr. Jitti shared insights into the development of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) systems, beginning from the initial stage where data was limited (“Zero”), to the use of LCA as a key tool driving the transition towards Net Zero objectives in a systematic way. His talk emphasized the necessity of building a strong foundational understanding of LCA, as well as establishing a robust network for applying LCA at organizational, industrial, and national levels — particularly in the areas of carbon footprint calculation, life cycle assessment of products, and policy support for long-term sustainable development.
Following this, Dr. Kiyotaka Tahara, Director of the IDEA Lab, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), provided an overview presentation of the Asian Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Database Project. The workshop activities were structured into two sessions. The first consisted of presentations on the current status of LCA and LCI implementation from Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The second session involved breakout group discussions and joint summary activities to exchange ideas and define collaborative directions for future database development and application.
The event was attended by more than 30 participants from various Asian countries, including Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. This strong international presence reflects a growing regional collaboration to advance the development of environmental databases for a more sustainable future in Asia.
