Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a well-established methodology for evaluating the environmental burdens associated with products, processes, and industrial systems throughout their entire life cycle - from raw material extraction to disposal. While widely adopted in sustainability analysis, conventional LCA approaches are often limited by the use of static datasets, fragmented data management practices, and a lack of transparency in data sourcing and validation. These limitations hinder the credibility and dynamic application of LCA, particularly in contexts that demand real-time decision-making, collaborative reporting, and regulatory verification. This work introduces a novel framework that integrates blockchain technology into the LCA process, with the goal of addressing key challenges in data integrity, traceability, and cross-stakeholder trust. By leveraging blockchain’s distributed ledger architecture and programmable smart contracts, the framework enables secure, immutable storage of environmental performance metrics and automates aspects of data verification. This shift from centralized to decentralized data governance enhances accountability across supply chains and opens pathways for integrating LCA with digital markets and compliance systems. A prototype is being developed to demonstrate the technical feasibility of recording and validating essential LCA parameters - such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and material throughput - on a permissioned blockchain network. The prototype is designed to simulate a collaborative environment where multiple actors can contribute verified data points, triggering automated checks and audits through smart contracts. This research contributes to the evolving discourse on digital sustainability by offering a foundation for scalable, transparent, and interoperable LCA tools. Future extensions of this work may explore integration with IoT devices, AI-driven predictive analytics, and token-based incentives for sustainable behavior within industrial ecosystems.
