How does LCA work in sustainable building practices? The case for a pragmatic philosophy of life cycle assessment

Doctoral thesis, 2025

In recent years, environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) has become a rapidly growing practice among Swedish building companies, accompanied by a corresponding increase in scientific literature. Mostly, building LCA research has focussed on developing assessment tools and providing credible environmental information to support informed decision-making. In doing so, little empirical attention has been given to how LCA is actually used in building projects and organisations, and to how practitioners handle the recurring tension between scientific credibility and practical utility in LCA.

To address these issues, this dissertation has examined LCA-based practices in the context of Swedish building companies between 2017 and 2025. Studies have been carried out to examine simplification practices in the LCA literature (Paper I), the substantive effectiveness of LCA use in a development project for a standardised building design (Paper II), and the evolution of LCA-based practices in building companies responding to legislation on building climate declarations (Paper III). The findings of these studies demonstrate the intricate relations between scientific and contextually adaptive inclinations in LCA. The studies provided evidence of legitimate LCA-based practices that adjust what is assumed to be a relatively standardised LCA methodology to different purposes and contextual settings.

The findings support the case for a pragmatic philosophy of LCA use. Prioritising the practical usefulness and effects of LCA constitutes a response to deeply held beliefs in the intrinsic value of scientifically credible LCA knowledge. A pragmatic philosophy explains why LCA practices vary, as they are aligned with different purposes and contextual settings. Rather than being expressions of subjectivity or inaptitude, a pragmatic philosophy supports the notion that adjustments in LCA-based practices can be valid responses to real opportunities, constraints, and ambitions in the application context. The dissertation concludes that a pragmatic approach may support LCA researchers and practitioners in becoming more responsive to practical conditions for understanding and addressing product environmental impacts in building and other settings.