Javier Dufour, researcher and Head of the Systems Analysis Unit at IMDEA Energy, has been appointed Chair of the newly established European Hydrogen Sustainability and Circularity Panel (EHS&CP) and Leader of its Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Task Force. The panel has been launched by the European Union’s Clean Hydrogen Partnership.

Comprising 16 experts from across Europe, the panel’s mission is to provide independent, evidence-based support to strengthen the sustainability and circularity of the entire hydrogen value chain in Europe. Its activities will focus on monitoring and assessing the sustainability and circularity performance of funded projects, developing approaches to integrate these aspects into future initiatives, and formulating recommendations and lessons learned.

The 16 experts are organized into four specialized working groups:

  • Task Force 1 – Environmental LCA, led by Javier Dufour

  • Task Force 2 – Social Sustainability and Acceptance

  • Task Force 3 – Techno-Economic Assessment (LCC)

  • Task Force 4 – Criticality and Circularity

The panel’s areas of work include eco-design, resource efficiency, critical raw materials, end-of-life management and recycling, systems integration, techno-economic assessment, and social sustainability—key elements for building a resilient clean hydrogen economy.

The panel held its first two-day workshop on 11–12 June, during which members engaged in in-depth discussions on these topics with the management team, represented by the Ecorys and Grant Thornton consortium.

This appointment further strengthens Javier Dufour’s international recognition and reinforces IMDEA Energy’s position as a leading European research center in sustainable hydrogen.

More information is available on the official Clean Hydrogen Partnership website.