Dr. Erwin M. Schau is a researcher at the InnoRenew CoE where his activities are to conduct science and research, including life cycle assessment (LCA).

He holds a PhD degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management and a Master’s degree from the Department of Industrial Economy and Technology Management within the Industrial Ecology program at NTNU.

Since 1996 he has been involved in research on the environmental impact of biobased systems and has more than 15 years of experience from different research companies, international institutions, and universities in life cycle sustainability assessment of feed, food, and fibre products like food products, paper and wood products (e.g. bamboo bicycles), but also on automotive products and transport systems.

His main focus has been on energy use and climate change, applying and developing the LCA of products for the biobased industry. From 2013 to 2018 Dr. Erwin M. Schau performed research and development for the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (Italy) on the European Union recommended life cycle assessment method – the Environmental Footprint (EF), where he led the pilot projects developing Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for the fields of intermediate paper and olive oil. The life cycles in these projects start with the raw material and seedlings production and finish with the end of life, like waste handling (e.g. incineration) or recycling.