Business Model Life Cycle Assessment (BMLCA), an introduction

Course overview

  • Course codeFTME011
  • ECTS credits1.5
  • DepartmentTECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT AND ECONOMICS
  • Starts2025-06-16
  • Ends2025-06-17
  • LanguageEnglish
  • Nordic Five Tech (N5T)The course is free of charge for PhD students from N5T Universities.
  • ApplicationContact course administrator

Course coordinator

About the course

Aim: 

The course introduces BMLCA as a novel LCA methodology adapted for the environmental performance assessment of business models. The introduction covers the scientific backgrounds to BMLCA as well as the methodology and applications of BMLCA,  The overall aim with the course is to build capacity regarding the understanding and application of the business model life cycle assessment method.
 
Learning goals:

•     Be able to distinguish between BMLCA and conventional LCA
•     Understand the differences and links between business model and product system
•     Understand some key complexities of a business model
•     Understand the principles of the BMLCA methodology
•     Learn from cases studies: methodological challenges and environmental properties of business models
•     Utilise BMLCA results for business model innovation for sustainability
•     Consider the applicability of BMLCA to your own research
 
Course structure:

1) seminars: a lunch-to-lunch seminar (on-site), and a follow-up seminar 6-8 weeks after with presentations and reflections. The follow-up seminar can be held online.
2) a study visit / dinner to collectively experience and discuss a version of a sustainable business model; and, 
3) an individual exercise for exploring the application and potential contribution of BMLCA in one own’s research.
 
Course readings:

• Baumann, H, et al. (2022). Switching the focus from product function to business profit: Introducing Business Model LCA (BM-LCA). E3S web of conferences. Vol. 349, p. 06004. EDP Sciences. (foundational paper of the method)
• Böckin, D., Goffetti, G., Baumann, H., Tillman, A. M., & Zobel, T. (2022). Business model life cycle assessment: A method for analysing the environmental performance of business. Sustainable production and consumption, 32, 112-124. (foundational paper of the method)
• Goffetti, G., Böckin, D., Baumann, H., Tillman, A. M., & Zobel, T. (2022). Towards sustainable business models with a novel life cycle assessment method. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31(5), 2019-2035. (foundational paper of the method)
• Baumann, H (2010). Lifecycle assessments. In Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability, vol 2 The Business of Sustainabilty: 309-314. (Introduction to LCA) https://publications.lib.chalmers.se/records/fulltext/129685/local_129685.pdf
• Lüdeke-Freund, F., Carroux, S., Joyce, A., Massa, L., & Breuer, H. (2018). The sustainable business model pattern taxonomy—45 patterns to support sustainability-oriented business model innovation. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 15, 145-162. (conceptualizations of sustainable business model)
• Lüdeke-Freund, F. (2010). Towards a conceptual framework of'business models for sustainability'. Knowledge collaboration & learning for sustainable innovation, R. Wever, J. Quist, A. Tukker, J. Woudstra, F. Boons, N. Beute, eds., Delft, 25-29. (conceptualizations of sustainable business model)
• Bocken, N. (2023). Business models for Sustainability. Bocken, N." Business Models for Sustainability." Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science, Forthcoming. (conceptualization of sustainable business model)
• Wells, P. E. (2004). Creating sustainable business models: The case of the automotive industry. IIMB Management Review, 16(4), 15-24. (conceptualizations of sustainable business model)

Examination:

Individual exercise on the applicability of BMLCA to own research. The exercise report is submitted before the follow-up seminar, presented and discussed. Individual feedback is given on each report.

Frequency of course: 1-2 times per year.

More information

Henrikke Baumann

Lecturer

Examiner: Prof Henrikke Baumann, ESA. Other teachers: Dr Ana Carolina Bertassini, ESA, and sometimes guest speakers.