2023 ACLCA Conference | Burlington, VT

Scope 3, or value chain, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions often vastly outweigh the emissions of an organization’s direct operations, but their indirect nature can complicate quantification. As companies advance along their sustainability journey, they look to understand their value chain impacts and set targets to manage and reduce them over time. Life cycle assessment (LCA) can be a useful tool for understanding the scale of emissions, determining opportunities to reduce emissions and tracking changes over time.

Previous presentations and webinars to ACLCA and other groups have been given on the useful role that LCA can play in scope 3 accounting, but the accounting framework evolves over time, requiring continual updates to the understanding of how LCA can apply to scope 3 accounting. SBTi updated its ambition in July 2022 to align itself to the near-term SBTs for net zero targets. Another key update is the preliminary release of the GHG Protocol’s Guidance for Carbon Removals and Land Use, which impacts how scope 3 accounting addresses biogenic carbon, carbon removals and impacts from land use. This workshop will cover the basics of how LCA can be used to inform scope 3 accounting, provide a valuable update on how the accounting landscape has changed and conduct activities on the ways LCA can support emissions tracking over time.

Concerns with the accuracy and reliability of life cycle assessment results are major barriers to broader adoption of LCA. Real and perceived issues with the reliability of LCA methods and datasets can lead to a lack of trust in LCA results. By improving our understanding of the sources of uncertainty in LCA and learning methods to mitigate them, practitioners can create more transparent reports and communicate more robust findings.
Uncertainty analysis and sensitivity analysis are two types of tools we can use to explore the efficacy of LCA models and the quality of inputs. ISO defines uncertainty analysis as the method that helps us describe a range of results given certain variability in inputs, and sensitivity analysis as the method that helps estimate the impacts of any specific changes in inputs, either due to uncertainty or to known changes in the model system. Both uncertainty and sensitivity analyses are integral parts of the modeling process and when conducted together inform the user about the context for and confidence in the results.

This workshop will familiarize participants with sources of uncertainty, use a case study to walk participants through examples of analysis methods (including Monte Carlo simulation, pedigree matrices, and sensitivity analyses), and provide a structured forum for sharing experiences, tools, and resources. Key topics for this pre-conference workshop are confidence, uncertainty methods, sources of uncertainty, and communicating uncertainty.

There is currently a dire shortage of qualified LCA talent in the world. The demand and need for this capability by companies across global supply chains is unprecedented. Companies need to respond to requests for product-specific carbon footprint information, and/or generate EPDs, and/or report to customers and stakeholders about how their impacts are lower than average and/or are improving. To respond to this demand, students and recent graduates are highly desiring rapid, efficient, cost-effective educational opportunities, and chances to develop and demonstrate practical, real-world experience applying LCA in industry.

Responding to these demands, the Environmental Impacts Academy (EIA) has developed a successful model which: (a) provides an intensive 2-week web-based introduction to LCA, (b) pairs qualified interns with participating companies that have a practical LCA project need that can be tackled in approximately 2 months. The EIA has served as a successful, low-cost way for companies to obtain LCA results and to learn about LCA; it has also served as a successful stepping-stone for students and recent graduates into full-time sustainability employment. The EIA has also built and refined a model of LCA mentorship, which addresses the need for person-to-person live and interactive teaching and learning in a scalable and global way. This session will describe the EIA in depth, with the goal of fully informing: (a) companies and other organizations who might be interested to participate as an intern host; (b) students and recent graduates plus other full-time employees who might wish to participate as an intern; and (c) experienced LCA practitioners and experts who might wish to participate as mentors.

The session will also explore and discuss with all participants about ways that the approach can be further scaled to help address the global demand and opportunity for LCA capability development.

We will begin the session with a concise overview of the need for conducting S-LCA caused by the growing demand for a deeper understanding of social impacts within the supply chain. Next, we will introduce the Social LCA methodology, which provides a comprehensive approach to evaluating the social impacts of products and services throughout their entire lifecycle. Our discussion will cover the UN guidelines for S-LCA and the methodological sheets. Furthermore, we will explore the practical application of a generic database, such as the Social Hotspots DataBase, for conducting S-LCA. Several case studies will be shared to illustrate real-world scenarios.
Additionally, we will delve into the Handbook for Product Social Impact Assessment, a framework developed by a consortium of companies under the guidance of PRé Sustainability. This framework enables collecting primary data and evaluating positive and negative social impacts across the supply chain. Through case studies, we will demonstrate the practical implementation of this framework.
Furthermore, we will provide you with the latest updates on developing an ISO standard for S-LCA.

By the end of this workshop, you will:
• Gain a clear understanding of how to formulate a business case for conducting S-LCA (Why)
• Familiarize yourself with the fundamental concepts of S-LCA, including stakeholder categories and social impact considerations (What)
• Learn practical techniques for conducting S-LCAs at the product/service, company, and industry levels using the SHDB (How)
• Develop the skills to measure product-specific and company-wide social footprints, identifying social hotspots in the process (How)
• Comprehend the Product Social Impact Assessment framework (What)
• Explore different data sources and risk assessment methods relevant to S-LCA (How)

This workshop is designed for anyone interested in gaining an introduction to S-LCA, its methods, and applications, and learning how to conduct an S-LCA whether you are a professional, a researcher, or simply curious about socially sustainable practices, we welcome your participation.

One of the obstacles to the broader use of LCA is the difficulties in the understanding and communication of results (Hollberg, et al., 2021). An effective LCA visualization must specify: Hotspots, correlation and sensitivity, benchmarks, spatial distribution, and temporal distribution.
Some examples on the most commonly used visualizations from the 27 different types of visualizations discussed in the published literature.

The impact of a given elementary flow depends on where that flow occurs – this is the general trend observed in LCIA methods (Potting & Hauschild, 2006). The limitation of input data availability for distinct regions and specific characterization models is either addressed through spatial interpolation and autocorrelation or by aggregation method (Mutel, et al., 2020). Example of how a recent LCA study was conducted using regional and global characterization factors.

Characterization factors are expressed using the reference units (Acero, Rodríguez, & Ciroth, 2015). Comparing the most commonly applied impact assessment methods (CML, TRACI, PEF, ReCiPe), the reference units are the mandrake (plants) of LCA. Acidification potential is expressed as kgSO2-eq and also as mole H+-eq. Eutrophication potential as kg-N-eq and also as kgPO4-eq. Smog formation potential as kgC2H4-Eq, kgO3Eq and also as Kg NMVOC. Examples of conversion factors when integrating characterization factors with different reference units. "

As more corporations are making climate pledges and commitments, the significance reliable accounting and reporting of GHG emissions gaining greater significance. LCA is a versatile tool that can meaningfully support corporate GHG accounting, in particular Scope 3 reporting. In this workshop, we will explore synergies between LCA and GHG accounting and feasible way to integrate the two types of analysis towards more comprehensive corporate and product-based carbon footprint. The session will be interactive, with a multitude of practical examples, discussions and opportunities for knowledge exchange among participants. Participants will be able to learn about how LCA work can be leveraged through GHG accounting process and how the GHG data can be used to inform LCA.

Most corporations and nations have pledged to reach net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases within a few decades. Meeting this pledge in an economically feasible, socially desirable, and ecologically viable manner requires models, methods and software tools to guide the transition. In addition to considering the life cycle emissions of greenhouse gases and other environmental impacts, companies also need to identify promising emerging technologies, and develop a roadmap for a sustainable transition while accounting for long-term changes such as the energy mix and climate. Furthermore, minor changes in the current system may not be enough for meeting environmental challenges: a complete reinvention of the industry may be needed.

Critical review of LCA has evolved from recommended peer review in the early '90s to the detailed requirements of ISO/TS 14071 in 2014 and beyond. Critically reviewed LCAs are now required to support and verify type III Environmental Declarations. This course covers the LCA critical review process, best practices and how to get the most benefit from a critical review. Attendees will find answers to these questions:
• When is a critical review needed?
• How should reviewers be selected?
• What is the review process and my role in it?
• How can I prepare the LCA report for critical review?
Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an LCA review (for educational purpose only).

The Federal LCA Commons (FLCAC) is evolving to be more aligned with international LCI data standards and conventions. The USLCI and other FLCAC repositories are now publishing according to, and being retro-fitted to align with, emerging FLCAC data guidelines. The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), in partnership with the USDA National Agricultural Library (NAL), has developed a comprehensive online USLCI data publication handbook and online support tools to help implement a streamlined, transparent, user-focused USLCI publication workflow. The handbook and support tools outline how to prepare your data for publication to the USLCI, including: data extractions, file export and conversions, metadata descriptors, nomenclature, categorization, and the representation of flows and processes. There are also detailed descriptions on how to use openLCA to prepare your data, and how NREL will support the publication of your work. The USLCI data handbook and support tools are fully aligned and compliant with the emerging FLCAC conventions and data guidelines.

The objectives of this course are to:

• update participants on the status of the FLCAC resources and how to navigate and obtain public data for use in their projects, and

• to use online USLCI support resources to walk participants through formatting and submitting their data for publication in the USLCI. The course will walk through the publication workflow from a local file to published dataset on lcacommons.gov using openLCA and the LCA Collaboration Server (a repository and version control software developed through a cooperative agreement between USDA and GreenDelta).

At the end of the course, the user will have a clear understanding of steps to publish LCI data on the USLCI, gain deeper insight into the Federal LCA Commons, and become aware of other developments in this space.

Since Davis et al. (2009) seminal article combining life cycle assessment (LCA) and agent-based modeling (LCA), so called AB-LCA have become more and more popular (with 10 publications referenced in Scopus in 2022 alone). ABM can improve the realism of system modeling in LCA, especially regarding consumption and the use phase. For example, in the context of the circular economy, ABM can simulate consumers’ waste disposal behaviors and determine which are the explanatory factors behind them, while LCA informs on the environmental impacts of such behaviors.

This course will shortly present the benefits of using ABM in LCA studies through examples from the literature (part 1: 45-60 minutes), provide a hands-on tutorial on ABM (part 2: 45-60 minutes) followed by a concrete modeling exercise combining ABM and LCA (part 3: 60-75 minutes). The course will make use of the ABM Python library Mesa as well as the LCA Python library Brightway2. To enhance the learning experience, the ABM tutorial and AB-LCA exercise will be presented through a Jupyter Notebook that will be made available to participants ahead of the course. In addition to providing an introduction to ABM, the course will also be a great example of how participants could take advantage of the many available Python libraries and combine them with Brightway2 to enhance LCA studies.

This interactive workshop invites participants to walk through the workflow of using the new PNNL LCI Luminaire Template for streamlining and automating generation of LCA/EPD results. Participants will learn how this approach can be adapted to other product categories. The expected audience for this special workshop will range—from non-LCA expert industry stakeholders and public agency representatives developing implementation plans for Federal Sustainability Plan programs [2]—to those experience in developing PCRs and EPDs such as LCA practitioners, consultants, reviewers, members to the ACLCA 2022 PCR Open Standard [3] User Group, and Product Category Rule (PCR) Committee members and Program Operators [4]. The primary focus and expected outcomes will be on sharing practical experience in how model-linked, PCR-conformant LCI data collection templates can streamline and automate the process for generation of standardized, comparable LCA/EPD results. The workshop will include demos for functionalities including data quality and uncertainty information, flagging results for ACLCA 2022 PCR Open Standard tiers eligibility, automating geospatial granularity in supply chain data collection, and interoperable linking of provider-specific foreground to a mix of public and proprietary background datasets.

[1] EPDs are Type III Environmental Declarations based on life cycle assessment (see ISO 14040) results providing quantified environmental data using predetermined parameters and, where relevant, additional environmental information as defined in ISO 14025
[2] Both LCA and EPDs are environmental accounting and labeling methodologies, respectively, specified in the US Federal Sustainability Plan, Inflation Reduction Act, and US Federal Buy Clean Program.
[3] ACLCA 2022 PCR Open Standard: Creating standardized, consistent, and reliable PCRs & EPDs for transparency, procurement, and supply chain data; see: https://aclca.org/pcr/
[4] Product Category Rules are a specific set of rules, requirements, and guidelines for developing EPDs and footprint communications for one or more product categories as defined in ISO 14027; core rules are PCRs that apply across multiple categories, e.g., ISO 21930 for construction products and services; PCR Committees compile these rules in an open consultation process
[5] Interoperable Federal LCA Commons repos including: the Electricity Baseline or eLCI, the USLCI Database, and EPA’s Heavy Equipment repository: see: https://www.lcacommons.gov/

The workshop will give an overview of the theoretical underpinnings and practical implementation of the most common EoL allocation approaches in LCA, including avoided burden, cut-off, substitution, embodied burden, and value-corrected substitution approach.

The attendees will gain a better understanding of the differences and commonalities between the different approaches as well as the strengths and weaknesses. This will help them both in applying the approaches in their own work as well as increasing their LCA literacy regarding work published by others.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

Conference Questions: info@aclca.org