On October 2, 2025, at Pullman Bangkok King Power (Rangnam), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), through the National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), in collaboration with the Research Laboratory for IDEA (IDEA Lab), the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan, and Kasetsart University, organized the “Kick-Off Workshop in Thailand 2025” under the Asian Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Database Project. This two-day workshop (October 2–3, 2025) aims to improve understanding of the importance of developing comprehensive and systematic datasets, creating a strong network to support Life Cycle Inventory development and its various uses, such as carbon footprint calculation and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
During the opening ceremony, Dr. Asira Fuangfuchat, Deputy Executive Director of MTEC, delivered the welcome remarks and officially inaugurated the event on behalf of the co-organizing agency. This was followed by a special lecture by Dr. Jitti Mangkalasiri, Team Leader of Life Cycle Database Development and Applications for Sustainable Development and Trade at the Technology and Informatics Institute for Sustainability (TIIS), and Deputy Director of the Program Management Unit for Competitiveness Enhancement (PMU-C). His talk, titled “Life Cycle Assessment Journey: From Zero to Net Zero Era,” delineated the evolution of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from a stage of limited data availability (“Zero”) to its current role as a key tool in propelling systematic progress toward Net Zero goals. Dr. Jitti underscored the importance of understanding LCA deeply and creating strong collaborations to support its practical applications at organizational, industrial, and national levels—ranging from calculating carbon footprints and assessing product life cycles to shaping long-term sustainable development policies. Dr. Kiyotaka Tahara, Director of IDEA Lab, AIST, also provided an overview of the Asian Life Cycle Inventory Database Project. The workshop was structured into two sessions: the first featured presentations on the current state of LCA and LCI development in Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia; and the second included group discussions and a joint synthesis of findings.
The workshop hosted more than 30 participants from across Asia, representing Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lao PDR, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. Their participation underscores the growing international collaboration in advancing environmental data development to support a sustainable future for the region.
