We help our clients identify opportunities for achieving more sustainable consumption and production. Our particular expertise lies in applying life-cycle approaches to conduct this for the transport, construction and waste management sectors.

Life-cycle Approaches

TRL provides a range of services to clients who wish to assess and reduce the impacts of their activities, and at the same time improve their efficiency and financial yields. The techniques we employ are life-cycle approaches which include full life-cycle assessments (LCAs) to the meet the standard of the ISO14040 series, carbon footprinting using the new Publically Available Specification (PAS 2050) and resource flow analysis techniques including mass balance. We're currently producing a sustainability management system for the highways sector with funding from the Highways Agency, the Quarry Products Association and the Refined Bitumen Association.

Bespoke Measurement Tool Development

Our speciality lies in working with our clients not just to perform one-off assessments of impacts, but in developing state-of-the-art tools to enable ongoing measurement of impacts and performance improvement against objectives. Examples of tools produced include carbon calculators, environmental impact profiling tools, tools to evaluate waste minimisation measures and resource efficiency indicators. Our clients include the Waste and Resources Action Programme, the Highways Agency and private enterprises.

Our key capabilities in this field include:

• full and streamlined life-cycle assessment
• carbon footprinting
• resource flow analysis including mass balance
• bespoke measurement tool development
• policy guidance through evidence gathering
• compliance reviews (for EU and international directives/targets).

Further information on how we help our clients improve resource efficiency can be found in the Resource and Waste Management section of this website.