April 2026 The Shift e-newsletter
FREE Webinar: LCA and Customer Value | GFI Plant-Based Meat LCA | Vegetable Oils | Food & Ag
Leveraging LCA to Drive Business Insights and Customer Value
DATE: Thursday, April 30th, 2026
TIME: 1PM - 2PM EST
PRESENTER:
Laura Kowalski, Head of Sustainability & Marketing at Primient
Description:
In the world of corporate sustainability, it can often be difficult to find ways to connect sustainability investments with business insights and customer value. This conversation will explore how insights from Life Cycle Analyses can help inform business decisions, customer conversations, and ultimately drive value through the value chain.
About the Speakers:
Laura Kowalski, Head of Sustainability & Marketing at Primient
Laura serves as Head of Sustainability & Marketing at Primient, a leading provider of plant-based solutions, where she plays a critical role in shaping the company’s long-term growth strategy.
In this enterprise-wide leadership role, Laura sets and advances Primient’s sustainability agenda—driving progress across decarbonization, regenerative agriculture, water stewardship, and sustainability-focused business development—while also leading the evolution of the company’s marketing function.
With deep experience in corporate sustainability within manufacturing organizations, Laura is widely respected for her ability to translate a complex and rapidly evolving sustainability landscape into clear, actionable strategy that strengthens operational performance, reduces risk across the value chain, and delivers value for customers and stakeholders. Her work ensures sustainability is fully embedded into how Primient operates, grows, and partners across the bioeconomy.
Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and a master’s degree in Sustainable Management from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and two sons, and enjoys cooking and traveling.
Client Case Study: Life Cycle Assessment of Plant-Based vs. Animal-Based Meat
Authors: Joel Bonales Revuelta, Sustainability Analyst and Tess Konnovitch, Scientific Marketing Manager
As we focus on food and agriculture this month, we're revisiting a landmark ISO-certified life cycle assessment conducted by EarthShift Global for the Good Food Institute that puts hard numbers on one of the food industry's most pressing questions: how much does switching to plant-based meat actually matter for the environment?
The answer, it turns out, is quite a lot.
Vegetable Oils in Our Daily Life
Authors: Joel Bonales Revuelta, Sustainability Analyst
You pour them in your frying pan, you buy them in your supermarket, your skincare routine includes them, the walls in your house retain them, and they are possibly even in your car's fuel tank. Vegetable oils are everywhere — and most of us barely notice.
When we think of vegetable oils, cooking usually comes to mind first. And while they are essential for frying, baking, and flavoring food, their reach extends far beyond the kitchen. Vegetable oils are key ingredients in processed foods, snacks, and pet food, and are also critical components in cosmetics, soaps, detergents, candles, paints, and biofuels. Their versatility is remarkable — and largely invisible to the average consumer.
Upcoming Training
EarthShift Global offers a range of expert-led trainings designed to strengthen practical LCA skills — from foundational concepts to advanced interpretation and communication techniques.
Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
April 22 & 29 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET
A two-part course introducing the principles, methodology, and practical application of LCC to support better planning, budgeting, and decision-making.
Organizational LCA (O-LCA)
April 23 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET
This course will serve as an introduction to the basics of O-LCA including what should be included in a study, how it relates to Scope 1, 2 and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and what types of output can be expected.
Social Impact: Methods for Evaluating the Social and Economic Pillars of Sustainability
May 5 & 7 | 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM ET
This online interactive course will introduce students to methodologies used to assess societal and economic impacts from a sustainability point of view.
Integrating Sustainability into the Organization
May 4 & 5 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM ET
This course is a practical, hands-on workshop designed to equip sustainability professionals with the business knowledge and tools needed to engage internal teams and to create winning communication strategies that support your sustainability efforts.
Interpretation: Insights & Claims from Your LCA
May 12 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
This course focuses on the interpretation phase of LCA, including sensitivity analysis, uncertainty analysis, and deriving robust conclusions from study results.
View our fill training calendar to explore upcoming courses and register.
Interested in Partnering with EarthShift Global?
If you would like to explore your project ideas, learn more about our services, or seek other assistance, book a complimentary consultation with our lead business development associate Brad Rose.