I am the Director of the New Zealand Life Cycle Management Centre (NZLCM Centre) and hold a professorship in Life Cycle Management at Massey University.

My research focuses on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and related approaches, including planetary boundaries, industrial ecology, and the circular economy. I’ve been dedicated to advancing Life Cycle Management in New Zealand, co-founding the Life Cycle Association of New Zealand (LCANZ) and contributing to technical advisory groups and panels such as the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s Rethinking Plastics Panel and the Ministry for the Environment’s Planetary Boundaries NZ Advisory Board.

I collaborate with organisations like the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ), BEACON Bioeconomy Research Centre in Ireland, and the NZ Food Awards to translate Life Cycle Management principles into actionable strategies. My work is focused on driving sustainable practices and supporting industries to adopt more environmentally responsible methods.

I currently serve as Chair of the Standards New Zealand International Review Group on LCA, New Zealand representative on the ISO 14046 “Water Footprint: Requirements and Guidelines” Working Group, and Co-Chair of the Massey University Steering Group on Sustainability. Previously, I was Research Leader at Landcare Research, where I led two carbon footprinting projects for the horticultural sector and managed the Life Cycle Management Project to integrate LCM into manufacturing companies’ operations, management, and strategies. Before that, I directed the postgraduate Environmental Life Cycle Management Programme at the University of Surrey, UK, and chaired the SETAC Europe LCA Steering Group.

Sarah’s recent kōrero