AGENDA
WORKSHOPS
LCA INST.
SESSIONS
SPONSORS
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
AGENDA
WORKSHOPS
LCA INST.
SESSIONS
SPONSORS
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

"The City by the Sea"

Where Coast and Community Meet

Professional Development Workshops: September 14

ACLCA Conference: September 15-17

The LCA Institute offers sessions specifically designed for professionals looking to expand their Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) skills. Led by industry experts who use LCA to drive sustainability efforts for organizations and clients, these sessions provide perfect content for professionals at every level.

VIEW AGENDA

Why Attend?

What's Included?

Benefits!

  • Build a Strong LCA Foundation: Designed for professionals expanding into LCA roles or strengthening core competencies across methods, tools, and applications.
  • Learn from Practitioners & Technical Experts: Sessions are led by experts actively applying LCA across industry, consulting, government, and research settings.
  • Stay Current on Priority Topics: Gain clarity on essential and emerging areas including GHG accounting alignment, Mass Balance basics, EPD/PCR fundamentals, modeling choices, data quality, and applied decision frameworks.
  • Increase Confidence & Capability: Develop the skills needed to perform and interpret LCA more effectively—whether supporting internal decisions, clients, product work, or program development.
  • Access to all sessions in the LCA Institute track

  • Daily lunch + coffee/refreshment breaks

  • Networking opportunities with Institute participants and ACLCA 2026 attendees

  • Digital Conference Platform access

  • Welcome Reception (Sept 15)

  • ACLCA Awards Reception (Sept 16)
  • Practical Skills You Can Apply Immediately:
    Hands-on instruction in LCA fundamentals, modeling considerations, data evaluation, system boundaries, hotspots analysis, and inventory development.
  • Clear Guidance on Tools & Methods:
    Understand key tools, datasets, frameworks, and methodological choices shaping LCA practice today—including high-interest topics like Mass Balance and GHG accounting.
  • Exposure to Real-World Applications:
    See how LCA is used across industries and contexts through examples, demos, and case-based learning.
  • Connections Across the LCA Community:
    Engage with peers, experts, and decision-makers from multiple sectors, creating relationships that support ongoing learning and professional growth.

Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your LCA capabilities and advance your professional growth. The LCA Institute gives you the structure, guidance, and expert insights you need to build confidence and deepen your practice.


Registration includes: access to all LCA Institute sessions only, daily lunch and refreshment breaks, networking opportunities, the Welcome Reception, and the ACLCA Awards Reception.

2026 LCA INSTITUTE AGENDA

(all times listed are PDT)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
7:00 - 8:00 AM
Registration (with full conference)
8:30 - 9:00 AM
Networking (with full conference)
9:00 - 10:30 AM
Carbon/GHG Accounting: Fundamentals and Reporting and Introduction to ACLCA
▾
SPEAKER: Christopher Richard, Lockheed Martin

This presentation provides a very brief introduction to ACLCA and is provided by the Outreach Committee of ACLCA.
Abstract 87: This session will cover the fundamentals of carbon accounting according to the GHG Protocol and relate the practice to drivers companies should know, both regulatory and voluntary. Two hands on exercises will be included to give attendees a direct introduction to the accounting process and direct considerations related to primary data, emissions factors and unit conversions.
10:30 - 11:00 AM
Networking (with full conference)
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
To Compare or Not to Compare: What you need to know when completing a comparative assertion LCA
▾
SPEAKER: Soshana Dodge, Long Trail Sustainability Experts

Most LCA studies include some sort of comparison, but some are benign scenario analyses within a single product LCA report. How do you know if your study qualifies as a "comparative assertion" according to ISO 14044, when the standard can be unclear? What are the extra steps and resources required for comparative assertion studies? We will walk you through the tell-tale signs and then help you prepare for next steps if you are working on a comparative assertion. Learn about the data quality assessment, sensitivity analyses, and uncertainty analyses required in a comparative assertion and leave with a comprehensive checklist. Many people get to the end of their LCA, only to find out that they need to complete many more steps and spend more money before having it certified as an ISO-compliant report suitable for marketing. Don't let that be you! Get ahead of the game so your next LCA will get to the marketing step quicker.
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Lunch (with full conference)
1:30 - 3:00 PM
Claims, Greenwashing, and the Law: How to Stay on the Right Side
▾
SPEAKER: Tim Pohle, Beveridge & Diamond PC

What can you actually say about your product's environmental performance -- and what opens you up to legal or regulatory risk? This session covers the FTC Green Guides, the EU Green Claims Directive, and how LCA-backed claims are your best protection. Essential for marketing, legal, and sustainability teams.
3:00 - 3:30 PM
Networking (with full conference)
3:30 - 5:00 PM
EPDs Decoded: What Every Buyer, Builder, and Brand Needs to Know
▾
SPEAKERS: Anna Lasso and Nicole Meyer, Smart EPD

Environmental Product Declarations are increasingly required in construction specs, government procurement, and supply chain due diligence. This session explains what EPDs are, how they are created, how to read them, and what to require of your suppliers -- no LCA background needed.
6:30 - 8:30 PM
Welcome Reception (with full conference)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
9:00 - 10:30 AM
Scope 3 Unlocked: Using LCA to Map, Measure, and Manage Your Value Chain Emissions
▾
SPEAKER: Brandon Kuczenski, Scope 3 Consulting

Your value chain is where the biggest emissions are -- and where the data is hardest to get. This session shows how LCA is the methodology that makes Scope 3 credible, auditable, and defensible across your supply chain. Whether you're responding to customer questionnaires, investor pressure, or preparing for mandatory disclosure, this session gives you a practical framework for where to start, what data you actually need, and how to make progress without waiting for perfection.
10:30 - 11:00 AM
Networking (with full conference)
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
The Standards Behind the Science: ISO, EN 15804, and the Rules That Govern LCA
▾
SPEAKER: Terrie Boguski, Harmony Environmental

LCA doesn't happen in a vacuum -- it happens inside a framework of international standards that define what counts, what gets measured, and what claims you can make. This session cuts through the alphabet soup -- ISO 14040/14044, ISO 14025, ISO 14067, EN 15804, and more -- explaining what each standard does, why it matters to your organization, and what's changing right now. The standards landscape is moving faster than it has in decades. This session ensures you understand the rules of the game -- and why they matter whether you're commissioning an LCA, pursuing an EPD, or responding to a procurement requirement.
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Lunch (with full conference) + Keynote Speaker
3:30 - 4:00
Networking (with full conference)
4:00 - 5:30 PM
Perspectives on LCA Critical Review and EPD Verification: Challenges, Best Practices, and Future Directions
▾
SPEAKER: Dr. Sevda Alanya Rosenbaum, John Beath Environmental
SPEAKER: Brandie Sebastian, Brandie Sebastican Consulting

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) have become essential tools for quantifying and communicating the environmental impacts of products across global supply chains. As the use of EPDs expands in regulatory programs, green building systems, the credibility and consistency of both the underlying LCA studies and published EPDs have become increasingly important. Independent verification and critical review therefore play a central role in ensuring that studies are scientifically robust, transparent, reproducible, and compliant with applicable standards and Product Category Rules (PCRs). This session aims to provide an overview of the methodology, principles, and current practices associated with LCA critical review and EPD verification.

Particular focus will be placed on key aspects of the verification process, including reviewer competency, consistency in interpretation of PCR requirements, documentation quality, resource limitations, and other current challenges facing reviewers and verifiers. The session will also highlight current best practices and practical recommendations aimed at improving consistency, transparency, efficiency, and overall quality in LCA critical review and EPD verification processes.

The session will further examine current practices in the United States and Europe. Key differences in EPD verification approaches, and verification methodologies, including tool-based verification practices, will be discussed, along with the emerging role of automation and AI-supported verification approaches. Overall, this session aims to bring together different perspectives from the panel to provide a concise overview of best practices, methodological considerations, current challenges, and emerging trends in LCA critical review and EPD verification to support practitioners, reviewers, program operators, and stakeholders seeking credible environmental reporting.
5:30 - 6:30 PM
Awards Reception (with full conference)
6:30 - 7:00 PM
Awards Ceremony (with full conference)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
9:00 - 10:30 AM
AI + LCA: What's Real, What's Hype, and What You Should Do About It
▾
SPEAKERS: Elmar Kert, Sarah Tang and Ihsan Ali, Sluicebox

Artificial intelligence is transforming how LCA data is collected, modeled, and communicated. This session separates the signal from the noise -- covering where AI is genuinely accelerating LCA practice, where caution is warranted, and what it means for professionals who buy and use LCA results.
10:30 - 11:00 AM
Networking (with full conference)
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
How to Commission, Manage, and Review an LCA Study
▾
SPEAKER: Abhijeet Parvatker, Sphera

This session is for the professionals who will hire, direct, and review LCA work -- not do it themselves. What is a realistic scope and timeline? What questions should you ask a consultant? How do you evaluate the quality of a study? What are the red flags? A practical playbook for LCA buyers.
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Lunch (with full conference)
1:30 - 3:00 PM
Counterfactuals in LCA--How Can They Be Made More Robust?
▾
SPEAKER: Lise Lauren, EarthShift Global
SPEAKER: Ben Kolosz, University of Hull, United Kingdom
SPEAKER: Ashley Jreuder, Electra, USA

In this session sponsored by the ACLCA Working Group on Environmental Quality Credits, we will first share the definitions of the word "counterfactual" and how it may or may not be appropriately used in LCA. We will then share how counterfactuals are used in other fields to provide context. A third presentation will share how counterfactuals have been used in LCA. As a group with the audience, we will then discuss which applications seem to be appropriate and why, and which seem to be inappropriate. The working group will share some proposed best practices for discussion among the attending group.

Attendees will learn the definitions of counterfactuals. They will learn how they are applied in other fields as well as in LCA. And they will learn to think about whether counterfactuals have been applied constructively in a given application.
3:00 - 3:30 PM
Networking (with full conference)
3:30 - 5:00 PM
Laying the Foundations for Scalable and Reliable LCA Automation
▾
SPEAKER: Abhijeet Parvatker, Sphera

Organizations have shown an increased interest in adopting LCA automation solutions in the last few years. This trend is driven by growing reporting requirements, ambitious decarbonization targets, and the utility of LCAs in providing actionable insights for sustainability strategies. These solutions range from automation at the enterprise-level to using online AI-based calculators.

LCA automation is a promising avenue for scaling LCA efforts which can enable organizations to generate LCAs and carbon footprints in large volumes, covering products in the hundreds and thousands while using the most up-to-date data, something unattainable if performing one LCA at a time. While LCA automation is a powerful approach, for the results to be meaningful at a large scale, it requires a certain level of data maturity. For organizations embarking on the journey to automate LCAs, there are key preparatory steps to consider.

One of the main challenges to address when preparing for automation is data collection and integration at-scale as data is usually dispersed across several different source systems, in different formats, and with varying update frequencies. Another challenge is the number of standards and industry guidelines that organizations may be subjected to, each requiring specific calculation procedures and data. While LCA automation is intended to solve the resource problem in LCAs, it is important to consider the resources required to implement and maintain a solution capable of scaling LCAs across an organization.

Ensuring scientific robustness, transparency, and auditability is critical when scaling LCAs. Organizations need to fully understand the requirements in LCA automation or risk loss of time and investments due to failed implementation that may result in unintended greenwashing due to inaccurate claims. The purpose of this session is to explore the key challenges of LCA automation by sharing case studies and industry insights, to help participants prepare for successfully implementing LCA automation.