From Data to Impact

Written by Mariana Ortega Ramirez, Senior Sustainability Analyst and Tess Konnovitch, Scientific Marketing Manager

Life Cycle Assessment is one of the most rigorous tools we have for understanding the environmental footprint of products, from cotton to semiconductors to biofuels. It tells us where impacts come from, what trade-offs exist, and where interventions matter most. But here's what we've learned over 25+ years in sustainability: the LCA itself is only half the story. The real question is how you use that data. And right now, across the cotton industry and beyond, LCAs are sometimes being misapplied in ways that undermine the very sustainability outcomes they're meant to support.

The Problem: When LCA Data Misleads

This is the core finding of the position paper, From Data to Impact: How to Get Cotton LCAs Right, developed collaboratively by Better Cotton Inc., Cotton Australia, Cotton Incorporated, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, and EarthShift Global. The paper tackles a problem that's quietly shaping supply chain decisions, sustainability claims, and farmer livelihoods: when companies use LCA data to justify sourcing shifts without understanding attributional versus consequential impacts, they often create unintended harm. 

A brand might shift cotton sourcing based on lower carbon numbers from one region, only to discover they've disrupted farmer livelihoods, increased water stress elsewhere, or created minimal net environmental benefit. The data looked good. The decision made sense on paper. But the outcome missed the point entirely.

Why This Happens: The Limitations of LCA in Agriculture

The real issue is that LCAs, powerful as they are, were originally designed for controlled industrial systems: manufacturing plants, power generation, transportation fuels. When applied to complex, variable agricultural systems, they reveal hotspots beautifully but also have inherent limitations. 

An attributional LCA shows you a snapshot of current impacts in a steady supply chain. A consequential LCA accounts for market ripple effects. Most companies making sourcing decisions don't know the difference, and few have the methodological rigor to apply the right type. 

Add in data quality variability, allocation choices, and the temptation to select favorable numbers—you get a landscape where misleading claims flourish and genuine improvements get overlooked.

The Solution: Strategic Data Use

But the position paper isn't just a critique. It's a call to action grounded in practical frameworks. 

For brands taking LCA data lightly, the recommendation is clear: stop using LCA numbers alone to justify sourcing shifts. Instead, use LCA data to identify hotspots, then commit to long-term engagement with suppliers to address them. 

Support farmers in implementing improvements—whether that's optimizing irrigation, reducing synthetic inputs, or building climate resilience. This approach aligns with principles of additionality, where impact comes from targeted interventions that wouldn't have happened otherwise. 

For policymakers, it's about establishing standards that prevent misleading claims and harmonizing methodologies so data is actually comparable. 

For cotton programs and standards, it's about transparent data collection, fair farmer compensation, and building feedback loops so producers see value from sharing their data.

Why This Matters Now

What makes this work especially important right now is the regulatory moment we're in. New disclosure frameworks like the EU's CSRD, state-level climate reporting requirements, and voluntary science-based targets are all driving demand for Scope 3 emissions data. Companies are scrambling to understand their supply chain impacts. 

The temptation to grab a generic LCA dataset and move on is strong. But as the position paper shows, that shortcut leads to decisions that look good in a report and bad in reality. 

The companies that come out ahead are the ones that invest time in understanding context, building relationships with suppliers, and using LCA data strategically—not as a compliance checkbox, but as a lens for understanding the environmental part of their business.

From Data to Decisions

This is where rigorous communication becomes critical. The position paper itself was designed with this principle in mind: complex sustainability science needs to be accessible, visual, and grounded in reality. 

EarthShift Global's work spans the full spectrum of what sustainability data actually requires:

• Conducting LCAs and SROIs that answer real business questions
• Visualizing results so decision-makers can see trade-offs and opportunities
• Developing communication strategies that translate technical findings into actionable insights

Whether it's a position paper challenging industry practice, a data visualization that makes GHG hotspots unmistakable, or a training program that teaches teams how to communicate LCA results responsibly, the underlying principle is the same: data has no value until it drives better decisions.

Read the Full Position Paper

If you work in sustainability, supply chain management, or compliance, the position paper is essential reading. It clarifies what LCAs can and cannot do, provides decision trees for responsible data use, and offers concrete guidance for making claims that withstand scrutiny.

Read the full publication: From Data to Impact – How to Get Cotton LCAs Right ?

Join Our Free Webinar: From Data to Impact – How to Get Cotton LCAs Right

Thursday, June 25th, 2026 at 1:00 PM EST

Life Cycle Assessment is a powerful tool for identifying environmental hotspots in cotton production and guiding long-term sustainability improvements. But when LCAs are used in isolation—to justify sourcing shifts, make comparative claims, or minimize farmer engagement—they often produce the opposite of intended impact.

This brown bag webinar dives into how LCA data should and shouldn't be used, drawing on a collaborative position paper developed by Better Cotton, Cotton Australia, Cotton Incorporated, and the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. We'll explore why attributional LCAs can mislead when applied to sourcing decisions, and introduce practical frameworks for responsible data use—whether you're reporting Scope 3 emissions, making marketing claims, or planning supply chain investments.

About the Speakers:

Eleanor Turner, Climate Reporting & Project Development Manager

Eleanor is a sustainability professional with over 7 years' experience working across the environment and carbon landscape. Her expertise spans carbon accounting, life cycle assessments, environmental impact methodology, voluntary carbon markets and end-to-end carbon project development. Eleanor currently works on carbon and sustainability programmes at BCI where she focuses on farmer level GHG quantifications, carbon project design and market-facing climate solutions.

Mariana Ortega Ramirez, Senior Sustainability Analyst

Mariana leads lifecycle assessments for agriculture, textiles, and energy sectors. She recently contributed to From Data to Impact: How to Get Cotton LCAs Right—a position paper challenging how the fashion industry uses LCAs, emphasizing that data alone doesn't drive impact. Mariana holds a Master's in Industrial Ecology and specialized LCA training from the Institute of Environmental Sciences in Leiden.

Register for the webinar ?

Ready to Use LCA Data Strategically?

If you're working to integrate LCA insights into your strategy—whether you need to conduct a full lifecycle assessment, evaluate the sustainable return of investment of a project, visualize complex results for stakeholders, or develop communication frameworks for your sustainability work—EarthShift Global specializes in turning rigorous environmental science into clarity and impact.

Book a free 30-minute consultation to talk through your sustainability goals and find out how LCA can work for your business.