Joint OICA and CLEPA presentation of industry-agreed automotive guidelines for life cycle assessment of passenger cars and parts. The guidelines establish a common global methodology for exchanging LCA values across supply chains. Key elements include: functional unit limited to passenger cars with declared units for parts; primary and secondary data approaches; chain of custody covering mass balance and book and claim; energy modelling allowing market-based and location-based approaches; representative vehicle concept for full vehicle LCA reporting; and representative part concept with interpolation for greenhouse gas emissions of declared parts.

Overview of regional legislative and non-legislative activities related to vehicle life cycle assessment, including mandatory reporting requirements in Brazil from December 2026 and China battery carbon footprint reporting from 2027, voluntary reporting in the EU from June 2026, and ongoing methodology development in Korea, France, Japan, China, Spain, India, and the United Kingdom. The document reports on overarching activities including EU carbon border adjustment mechanisms, product environmental footprint recommendations, ISO and GHG Protocol standard updates, and customer information initiatives such as Green NCAP. Key message: the LCA landscape has moved from drafting to enforcement, with first reporting duties taking effect soon and individual regions establishing their own rules if harmonization does not continue.

The A-LCA IWG decided not to submit a Working Document due to inability to reach agreement on outstanding issues. Activities are shifting to information and technical exchange rather than developing a Resolution until Contracting Parties are ready to share positions. The IWG has identified key contradictive issues including definitions of market-mediated effects and recycled content method, system boundaries for vehicle distribution stage, chain of custody, electricity modelling, use stage provisions, and replacement methodologies. New Terms of Reference are requested, reflecting the shift in focus and reduced meeting frequency.

Terms of Reference establishing the IWG on A-LCA under GRPE to develop an internationally-harmonised procedure to determine the carbon footprint of different automotive technologies from production to use and disposal as a resolution under WP.29. Working items include defining scope, inventory analysis methodology, and A-LCA report format. The group’s mandate ends in December 2026 with possible adoption of the UN Resolution by WP.29 in November 2026. The IWG is open to all experts from any country or organisation of WP.29, chaired by Japan and Republic of Korea, with technical secretaries from OICA, E-Mobility Europe and Japan.

The A-LCA IWG proposes to enter an Information/Technical Exchange phase following the 95th GRPE session, with activities including reference to currently available methodologies, maintenance of the compile document, study of methodologies to check linearity of GHG emissions against vehicle maths in the same LCA family, and any other items proposed by members. The IWG will report status during every GRPE session. Phase 2 is planned from October 2026 to April 2027, with a request for extension of one year once GRPE recognises a clear time schedule for A-LCA methodology development.

Draft agenda for the 44th session of the IWG on A-LCA scheduled for 13 October 2026. The session will cover discussion on next steps, revision of terms of reference, OICA and CLEPA industrial guidelines, review of report to GRPE, and any other business including updates on J3341_202608.

Non-binding industry guidance developed jointly by CLEPA and OICA providing internationally harmonised methodology to determine carbon footprint of passenger cars across all life cycle stages. Guidelines define four levels based on data granularity and intended use cases, from generic strategic planning to detailed supply chain reporting. Specifies methodological requirements for material production, parts production and vehicle assembly, use stage, and end-of-life stages; includes requirements for data collection, energy modelling, waste treatment and recycling, and reporting. Applies 100-year global warming potential characterisation factors from IPCC, with dual reporting of carbon footprint including and excluding biogenic CO₂ uptake. Establishes primary data share indicators and chain of custody requirements for supply chain transparency.

The Informal Working Group on Automotive Life Cycle Assessment decided not to submit the Working Document for the 95th GRPE session. The Mutual Resolution will not be submitted for adoption at the October 2026 GRPE session due to unresolved issues and lack of consensus. The leading team will prepare a status report for October 2026 GRPE describing progress, current status, remaining issues, and proposed way forward. A revised Terms of Reference extending the IWG mandate will be prepared. An additional meeting may be organized to determine the future work programme.

Draft agenda for the 43rd Session of the Informal Working Group on Automotive Life Cycle Assessment (IWG on A-LCA) meeting on July 6th, 2026, from 11:30~14:30 CET. The agenda includes welcome and introduction, adoption of the agenda and last meeting minutes, decision on Document Package, decision on Open Items, decision of the latest document, next steps including Report to GRPE and Revision of ToR, and closing.

The 42nd IWG on A-LCA session met to review the document package for GRPE submission. The group discussed three submission options: a working document with open issues; agreed provisions only with open issues in a separate informal document; or agreed provisions only with open issues remaining within the IWG. No final decision was taken. Further discussions are required on Pre-consumer Scrap, Chain of Custody, Electricity Modelling, OVC-HEV, FCV, Battery and Powertrain Replacement. A dedicated electricity modelling meeting will be held on 30 June 2026, and the 43rd session is confirmed for 6 July 2026.

Three options are presented for the document package. Option 1 proposes a Working Document to be submitted by 22 July 2026, with non-agreed items excluded from both memorandum and Informal Document, and a new section created to record non-agreement items. Option 2 proposes a Working Document submitted by 22 July 2026 and an Informal Document drafted by interest parties including Japan for submission during the 95th GRPE in October, titled Interim Guidance for A-LCA to assist practitioners with CFP calculation. Option 3 proposes a Working Document submitted by 22 July 2026 and an Informal Document produced by A-LCA IWG for submission during the 95th GRPE in October, with the same title and aim.

Proposal to establish Chain of Custody provisions for Automotive Life Cycle Assessment specifying five models—Identity Preserved, Segregation, Controlled Blending, Mass Balance, and Book and Claim—representing standardized approaches for collecting and managing company-specific information across supply chain settings. The Book and Claim model shall not be used. Government authorities reserve rights to define implementation rules specifying how Chain of Custody approaches are applied, based on alignment with global standards such as ISO and the GHG Protocol and the upcoming revision of the EF Recommendation (2279/2021). Minimum requirements shall be established for Mass Balance application to prevent diverse interpretations and misuse.

The 41st IWG on A-LCA session (26 May 2026) discussed the document package for submission to GRPE. Japan presented approaches for handling unresolved sections through working documents and supplementary explanatory material. The United States proposed including only consensus text in working documents. No final decision was taken. The group continued review of Table 1, Chain of Custody, Electricity and Energy Modelling, OVC-HEV and FCV methodology, and battery and major powertrain component replacement, with no agreement reached on these topics. The 42nd session is scheduled for 15 June 2026 and the 43rd for the week of 6 July 2026.

The IWG on A-LCA will discuss agreement on a document package to be submitted to GRPE, review the latest CoC covering general aspects including pre-consumer scrap, electricity/energy modeling, and OVC-HEV/FCV and battery/powertrain replacement, and determine next steps.

A-LCA IWG plans to submit a Working Document by 22nd July 2026 containing only items agreed by the entire IWG, with non-agreed items on CoC, Electricity Modeling, and Battery Replacement handled under one of three options: Option 1 creates a memorandum within the working document for non-agreement items; Option 2 submits a separate Informal Document titled Interim Guidance for A-LCA to help practitioners with CFP calculation; Option 3 similarly submits an Informal Document produced by A-LCA IWG during 95th GRPE in October, with both options reserving non-agreement items in the Working Document as discussion-starters for future work.