About

I trained as a physicist in Gothenburg and spent my twenties as a systems engineer, writing the Bluetooth and telematics specifications for the Saab 9-3 and working on product programmes in Sweden, Germany and the US. In 2005 I came to Australia to study. I got hooked on climate adaptation and life cycle assessment, and stayed for the work I could see coming in the lucky country.

In 2008, I co-founded Edge Impact with two colleagues and a bet on life cycle assessment, environmental product declarations and carbon transparency. The market barely existed. We were early and rigorous about the method, and we were also the friendly consultancy, which proved commercially decisive.

Over the next 16 years, we grew from three people to more than 100 across Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and the USA. We earned B Corp certification and a Platinum Consultancy rating. I took on industry governance roles including Vice Chair of the Technical Advisory Group at EPD Australasia, which I held from 2014 to 2026, and President of the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society from 2017 to 2019.

In early 2024 I handed over as CEO, and that November Edge Impact was acquired by RSK Group. That chapter taught me as much about transactions, leverage, and decision-making under pressure as the previous 15 years combined. The lessons are captured in my Operating Principles, which exist to interrupt the forgetting that happens between hard decisions.

Most of my energy now goes into advisory work with startups and early-stage companies in circular economy, embodied carbon, and sustainable specification and procurement. The engagements vary across board roles, technical review, and advisory retainers, and they share the same character: direct, responsive, and complementary to delivery teams already in place, including my colleagues at Edge.

Jonas Bengtsson

What I'm working on now

Most of my time goes to Klar Advisory, which is the vehicle for the advisory retainers, technical review and board work. It sits alongside delivery teams rather than competing with them.

I advise Rebuilt and Circulr Tech, both early stage, on turning early traction into market position and the technical credibility that has to come with it. I am also building a venture of my own in construction data, sustainable design and specification, which I will say more about when there is something worth saying.

On the governance side I sit on the UNEP Life Cycle Initiative Steering Committee and on the Technical Advisory Group at EPD Australasia, where the decisions get made about how product carbon footprints and EPDs are verified and reported. I continue as Founder and Senior Advisor at Edge Impact, working on technology direction and external partnerships as the firm scales under RSK Group.

The writing and speaking is mostly about disclosure regimes and embodied carbon, and the gap between what companies commit to and where they actually put capital. The most recent piece, Bluetooth for Green Products, argues that ecolabels need the shared data protocol that Bluetooth gave devices. I also lecture on sustainable materials and environmental assessment at the University of Sydney and UNSW, which I have done since 2011, and review for Elsevier journals.

Current Roles

Principal
Founder & Principal, Klar Advisory
Independent advice, technical review and EPD verification, delivered through Klar Advisory Pty Ltd. Held in a personal capacity, complementary to and non-competing with Edge Impact
Advisory
Founder and Senior Advisor, Edge Impact
Part-time strategic role shaping Edge Impact's technology roadmap, capability development, and external partnerships. Technology governance, quality assurance, and business development support
Advisory
Expert Reference Panel, Rebuilt
Independent technical oversight and thought leadership for Rebuilt's embodied carbon platform. Reviewing product carbon footprints, governance aligned to ISO standards, and supporting transparent carbon accounting in the built environment
Advisory
Advisory Board, Circulr Tech
Advising Circulr Tech on sustainability strategy and market development. A circular economy platform enabling businesses to track and improve material circularity across their value chains
Governance
UNEP Life Cycle Initiative Steering Committee
Steering Committee member for the United Nations Environment Programme Life Cycle Initiative
Governance
Technical Advisory Group, EPD Australasia
On the Technical Advisory Group since 2014, Vice Chair from 2014 to 2026, advising the Board on LCA and EPD programme development, verifier approval and technical governance
Technical
Technical Advisor, NZ Green Building Council
Technical advisory for the New Zealand Green Building Council
Teaching & Review
Guest Lecturer, University of Sydney & UNSW
Lecturing on sustainable materials and environmental assessment since 2011 at Sydney and 2013 at UNSW. Peer reviewer for Elsevier journals since 2012

Past Roles & Recognition

Founder & Director
Co-founder, CEO & Executive Director, Edge Impact
Co-founded Edge Impact with two colleagues in 2008 and grew it to 100+ people across four countries. CEO until early 2024. Executive Director on the board throughout. Acquired by RSK Group in 2024
Founder & Director
Founder, CEO & Executive Director, BPI Rating
Building Products Information Rating, an online platform driving transparency and access to product information for a more sustainable built environment
Chair
Chair, Edge Latam
Chaired the board of Edge Impact's Latin American subsidiary from 2017 to 2024, overseeing market entry and operations in Chile
Industry
President, ALCAS
President of the Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society from 2017 to 2019, and a Director from 2012 to 2022, advancing life cycle thinking across industry and government
Standards
Standards and working groups
Committee roles including Standards Australia Environmental Labelling Committee, ACE Hub Metrics Working Group, ISC Materials Working Group, and Living Future Institute Technical Working Group
Recognition
Green Star Champion & Expert Panel
First-generation Green Star Champion, and Expert Reference Panel Member for LCA at the Green Building Council of Australia, helping deliver the Green Star Future Focus LCA and upfront embodied carbon credits
Education
Physics, Environmental Management & Governance
MSc in Physics from the University of Gothenburg, Master of Environmental Management from UNSW, the AICD Company Directors Course, and, less predictably, a diploma in psychology
Speaking & Events

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