Can you briefly introduce yourself and describe your role at EA?
My name is Marguerite, and I’m an environmental analyst at EA. I work on carbon footprint assessments, life cycle analysis (LCA), and the development of climate strategies to support companies in their transition. I have an academic background in energy science and sustainability from EPFL. Throughout my studies, I had the opportunity to work on several projects related to these topics, including the role of hydrogen in Switzerland and the design of educational tools on energy.
Why did we participate in the LCA Discussion Forum?
The LCA Discussion Forum is a unique platform where researchers, professionals, and public actors come together to discuss the challenges of applying life cycle assessment (LCA). Each edition focuses on a current topic, and this year it was all about circular construction and reuse. For us, it was a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas with others facing the same questions: how to integrate circularity into projects, how to adapt our tools, and how to translate scientific progress into practical solutions. This bridge between theory and practice is what makes the Forum particularly relevant for organisations like EA.
What stood out to you from the day’s presentations?
What struck me most was the variety and complementarity of perspectives. One clear takeaway was that for circularity – especially reuse – to scale up, we need to fundamentally rethink how we design and build.
For example, the City of Zurich shared a case study of a daycare and sorting facility built using reclaimed materials. Their experience shows just how much this approach disrupts conventional processes: instead of designing a building and then sourcing materials, the logic is reversed – you first identify what materials are available from demolition sites and then adapt the design accordingly. It’s a major shift that requires agility, new tools, and close coordination across the value chain.
There was also strong emphasis on digital tools needed to scale reuse. Much of the discussion focused on digital building passports:
- For new buildings, these passports record material specifications from the design stage.
- For existing buildings, the goal is to identify which components can be reused, and when.
A European initiative called Construct X is already working with industry stakeholders to define standards for digital building passports. On the research side, several labs showcased AI-based tools that use cadastral data, satellite images, or Google Street View to map the existing building stock, estimate the volume of reusable materials, and feed dynamic databases for reuse potential.It was also inspiring to see how different scales are starting to connect: from municipalities testing real-life reuse projects, to researchers building future-oriented data infrastructures.
What key discussion points emerged?
Several strong themes emerged throughout the day:
- Redesigning workflows around reuse: One major challenge is reversing the traditional project logic. Instead of designing first and sourcing materials later, we need to identify what materials are available and design accordingly. This shift impacts planning, regulation, and day-to-day practice.
- Material availability limits: In some regions, building activity is growing faster than demolition. This means that reuse alone won’t be enough to meet demand. We’ll need to combine it with other levers like renovation, extending building lifespans, and designing for flexibility.
- Data longevity and interoperability: If we create digital passports today for buildings that might be demolished in 60 or even 100 years, how can we ensure the data stays readable and usable? This raises both technical and strategic questions about long-term environmental traceability.
In the end, the forum showed how reuse is both a powerful opportunity to reduce environmental impact – and a systemic challenge that requires transformation across the entire construction ecosystem.
Get in touch with Earth Action for expert guidance on integrating reuse, circularity, and low-carbon strategies into your projects. Whether you’re rethinking early-stage design, navigating digital tools like building passports, or developing your climate roadmap — we’re here to help you turn ambition into action.
