INDICATE LIFE Newsletter May 2025
Welcome to the first INDICATE LIFE newsletter!
This biannual update outlines the progress of INDICATE LIFE, an EU LIFE co-funded project working to improve whole life carbon (WLC) data and regulation in the European built environment. Building on the foundation laid by the INDICATE pilot project, which supported WLC data development in Spain, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. INDICATE LIFE now expands this approach to Austria, Croatia, Italy, Luxembourg, while Hungary will participate as a follower country.
By advancing the quality and availability of national Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data, the project helps lay the groundwork for robust WLC policies that support the EU’s transition to a climate-neutral future. Coordinated by Smith Innovation, with core partners BPIE, KU Leuven, RISE and the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), INDICATE LIFE brings together 22 national partners from participating countries to deliver tools, benchmarks, and insights for a low carbon built environment.
Visit the INDICATE LIFE website to learn more about the project.
Map showing the five countries participating in the INDICATE LIFE project.
Design sprints across Europe
Snapshots from the design sprints in Austria, Luxembourg, Italy, and Croatia.
National Launch Events: Introducing INDICATE LIFE across four EU countries
Between November 2024 and March 2025, INDICATE LIFE was officially launched in Austria, Croatia, Italy, and Luxembourg. Each national event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and technical experts to align with WLC priorities and explore the project's role in supporting national implementation.
These launches built on the momentum of the design sprints and laid a solid foundation for data-driven climate strategies across the participating countries.
Croatia
Franciska Erdelj (Green Building Council Croatia) presenting INDICATE LIFE at the Croatian National Launch Event
The INDICATE LIFE project officially launched in Croatia on 21 November 2024 at the 7th Sustainable Building Conference, hosted by Green Building Council Croatia (GBC Croatia), reaching over 1,300 professionals across the built environment sector.
During the event, Franciska Erdelj (GBC Croatia) presented the national approach to accelerating LCA data and outlined how INDICATE LIFE supports the implementation of the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
“The event in Croatia brought together government, academia, and industry to accelerate WLC action, underscoring the project’s role in fostering cross-sector partnerships for systemic change.”
Italy
Zsolt Tóth (BPIE) participating in the INDICATE LIFE roundtable at the Italian National Launch Event.
On 20 November 2024, the INDICATE LIFE project was launched in Italy at a public event in Milan, organised in collaboration with the BuildingLife 2 initiative.
The event brought together public officers and key stakeholders from across the Italian built environment to introduce INDICATE LIFE and its relevance for Italy’s decarbonisation agenda. A dedicated round table focused on the project’s programme, with Italian partners detailing planned activities and presenting a proposal for a national WLC methodology.
“The Italian launch event of the INDICATE LIFE project provided an opportunity to bring together the ministries’ representatives responsible for the updating of the regulations related to the construction sector’s Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria and the implementation of the EPBD IV at national level, and making them aware of the contribution of INDICATE LIFE for the implementation of these policies in Italy.
The event also served as an opportunity to gather the main stakeholders in the construction sector, who identified the need to define a credible transition pathway for the built environment. This pathway should include key carbon targets for reducing life-cycle emissions and clearly defined implementation timelines, to enable the engagement of the entire construction value chain to deliver these objectives. In this sense, the INDICATE LIFE project plays a key role by identifying national carbon emission benchmarks for the main building typologies in Italy.”
Austria
Members of the INDICATE LIFE Austrian national team and key stakeholders at the National Launch Event in Vienna.
The INDICATE LIFE project was launched in Austria on 27 February 2025 during an event in Vienna. The session brought together national experts, policymakers, architects, and researchers to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding WLC in Austria.
The event began with a welcome from Anna-Vera Deinhammer (ÖGNI Austrian Sustainable Building Council), followed by a keynote presentation by Alexander Passer (TU Graz). A dedicated session highlighted the national relevance of the project, featuring contributions from Markus Pendlmayer (einszueins architektur), Dominik Hartmann, and Tobias Samwald (ATP Sustain). The event concluded with an engaging panel discussion and a networking session, providing attendees the opportunity to connect with the INDICATE LIFE consortium.
“The strong attendance at our Austrian INDICATE LIFE kick-off demonstrates the urgency felt across our building sector. While Austria aims for climate neutrality by 2040, we currently lack standardised WLC data for our specific building typologies and construction methods.
Our project directly addresses this gap, developing the essential benchmarks Austria needs before the 2027 national roadmap deadline, creating a scientifically sound foundation for our industry to innovate and thrive within the upcoming 2030 regulatory framework.”
Luxembourg
Members of the INDICATE LIFE Luxembourgish team at the national launch event.
The INDICATE LIFE project was launched in Luxembourg on 27 March 2025 at a national event attended by around 80 participants. Organised in collaboration with the Order of Architects and Consulting Engineers (OAI) and the Ministry of the Economy (MECO), and supported by the National Climate and Energy Fund, the event brought together key stakeholders interested in contributing to the development of WLC data.
Highlights from the session included the announcement of a plan to select and analyse 25 real construction project case studies as part of the project’s first data collection phase. National partners Energie et Environnement S.A.(E&E) and MECO presented the country’s WLC roadmap and outlined how INDICATE LIFE will support national efforts to align policy, data, and practice in the built environment.
“By joining forces with the Order of Architects and Consulting Engineers (OAI), the INDICATE LIFE kick-off event has allowed us to turn the page on WLC data scarcity in Luxembourg. This essential data will shape future regulations and allow us to set ambitious yet achievable sustainability targets for buildings.”
WLC network event in Brussels
The first INDICATE LIFE WLC Network Event will be held on 4 June in Brussels. This event will convene policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to:
Explore the evolving European policy landscape on WLC
Share early insights from INDICATE and participating countries
Examine additional strategies to address both operational and embodied carbon
Discuss pathways for implementation and overcoming key barriers
This is a key opportunity to exchange knowledge, align on priorities, and help shape the future of climate action in the built environment.
To learn more, please contact indicatedata@smithinnovation.dk