Public and private interest in life cycle assessment (LCA) has grown as environmental disclosure norms tighten, driving demand for decision-relevant assessment early in technological development cycles. Early-stage LCA has the potential to guide design choices, steer innovation, and mitigate lock-in of adverse environmental impacts. However, many aspects of early-stage LCA practice remain unsettled. We convened experts in a series of Faraday Discussion-style workshops to address recurring debates across six key topics for emerging technologies: appropriate use of LCA, uncertainty, comparison with incumbents, standardization, scale-up, and stakeholder engagement. For each issue, we present a declarative resolution, summarize key arguments for and against it, identify points of consensus, and provide recommendations. Across topics, the research network converged on practical priorities including framing studies to the decision context; setting minimum reporting expectations for data and study quality; and explicitly stating limits of transferability for scenario-based uncertainty assessment or analytically scaled-up projections. Disagreements persisted on when to formalize standards and how extensively uncertainty can/should be treated for low-maturity technologies. Supplementing the workshop findings with examples and context from relevant literature, we synthesize outcomes into a set of shared challenges and research priorities to strengthen transparent, evidence-based, and context-informed approaches for early-stage LCA.

翻译：随着环境披露规范的收紧，公众和私营部门对生命周期评估（LCA）的关注日益增长，推动了在技术开发周期早期进行决策相关评估的需求。早期阶段LCA具有指导设计选择、引导创新以及减轻不利环境影响锁定的潜力。然而，早期LCA实践的许多方面仍存在争议。我们召集专家举办了一系列法拉第讨论式研讨会，以解决新兴技术六个关键议题中的反复辩论：LCA的适当应用、不确定性、与现有技术的比较、标准化、规模化以及利益相关方参与。针对每个议题，我们提出声明性决议，总结支持和反对的关键论点，识别共识点，并提供建议。在所有议题中，研究网络就实践重点达成一致，包括将研究框架与决策背景相匹配；为数据和研究成果设定最低报告要求；以及明确说明基于情景的不确定性评估或分析性规模化预测的可转移性限制。在何时正式制定标准以及对于低成熟度技术应如何处理不确定性方面仍存在分歧。结合相关文献中的案例和背景补充研讨会发现，我们将成果综合为一系列共同挑战和研究重点，以加强早期LCA的透明、基于证据且结合情境的方法。