Free Webinar

Ethical Data Visualization in Life Cycle Assessment: Balancing Clarity, Accessibility, and Impact

Date: February 13, 2025

Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET

Presenters:

Tess Konnovitch, Data Visualization Specialist, EarthShift Global

Gianni Guglielmo, Life Cycle Analyst and Engineer, KeyLogic

Description:

In an era of increasing sustainability demands, life cycle assessment (LCA) professionals are tasked with presenting complex environmental data in ways that inspire understanding and action. This talk explores the ethics of data visualization, focusing on how thoughtful design choices can bridge the gap between scientific rigor and guided decisions.

Drawing on over eight years of experience visualizing complex data, including a strong foundation in science education, Data Visualization Specialist Tess Konnovitch will discuss strategies to balance stakeholder priorities, ensure inclusivity, and avoid common pitfalls like misrepresentation or oversimplification.

Joining as co-presenter is Engineer and Life Cycle Analyst Gianni Guglielmi, whose MS thesis focused on visualizing LCA data is complemented by his professional expertise in LCA and data visualization.

With a combination of research insights and practical techniques, attendees will leave with actionable guidance to make their visualizations more ethical, understandable, and impactful—whether for brands, policymakers, or the public.

Brown Bag Webinar Registration and Recordings

EarthShift Global Receives 2024 PowerBest Award

Matter^PD, EarthShift Global's latest LCA software, has been recognized by Electronic Design as a 2024 PowerBest Winner in Applications.

Electronic Design is a premier independent information source for electronics engineers, programmers and designers. To read more about their resources and the PowerBest awards, click here.

Matter^PD is designed to support design for sustainability and earlier identification of impacts and hot spots in the design process. Unlike other LCA or design tools, Matter^PD allows for underspecification and Monte Carlo analysis, among other distinct features. A free 14 day trial and affordable monthly subscription pricing are available. To learn more about Matter^PD, click here.

Sharing LCA Is More Important Than Ever

Sustainability is a critical consideration for businesses, consumers, and policymakers. To encourage continued support and momentum for sustainability, transparency in environmental impact assessments is more important than ever.

One of the most effective tools for measuring the sustainability of a product, service, or process is Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). However, the true potential of LCA can best be realized when its findings are shared openly and publicly. Here’s why public disclosure of LCA data is crucial for fostering a more sustainable world.

Source: 2024 GFI Comparative LCA

Promoting Industry-Wide Improvements

When organizations share LCA data, they contribute to a collective knowledge base that benefits entire industries. Sharing LCA data allows businesses to benchmark against competitors, identify best practices, and collaborate on sustainability innovations. This knowledge-sharing can lead to more efficient production processes, reduced waste, and overall lower environmental impacts across various sectors. The Good Food Institute (GFI) is a nonprofit think tank and international network of organizations working to accelerate alternative protein innovation. In the spirit of fostering industry understanding and collaboration, they recently published the results of a comparative LCA study conducted by EarthShift Global on the relative impacts of plant based and meat based meat options. The full report can be found here.

Supporting Policy and Regulation Development

Governments and regulatory bodies rely on accurate data to craft effective sustainability policies. Public LCA information provides policymakers with real-world insights into industry impacts, helping them design regulations that are both ambitious and achievable. Transparent LCA reporting can also encourage the adoption of sustainability incentives and certifications that reward businesses for reducing their environmental footprint. Working with NIST and other partners, EarthShift Global has shared research results on how to improve the end of life management for integrated circuits via articles and a recent webinar presentation.

Advancing Scientific Research and Innovation

Academics, researchers, and sustainability professionals rely on LCA data to develop new methodologies, improve environmental impact modeling, and drive innovations in sustainable design. Public access to LCA findings ensures that the latest insights are available to those working on solutions for pressing environmental challenges, from reducing carbon emissions to minimizing resource depletion. The annual ACLCA conference is an excellent source of shared findings from the LCA community.

Enabling Informed Consumer Choices

Today's consumers are more environmentally conscious than ever, but they often lack access to reliable information about the sustainability of the products they buy. Public LCA information allows consumers to compare the environmental impact of different products and make purchasing decisions aligned with their values. This, in turn, creates market pressure for companies to improve their sustainability practices.

Driving Corporate Accountability

When companies share LCA data, they provide verifiable proof of their environmental claims. This transparency helps hold businesses accountable for their sustainability commitments and prevents greenwashing—where misleading environmental claims deceive consumers. By publicly disclosing LCA results, companies can build credibility and trust while demonstrating a genuine commitment to reducing their environmental footprint.

Despite its advantages, many companies hesitate to share LCA information due to concerns about competitive disadvantage, data complexity, and potential misinterpretation. These barriers can be addressed by:

- Standardizing LCA reporting formats for consistency and clarity.

- Providing context and explanations alongside raw data to enhance understanding.

- Encouraging third-party verification to ensure credibility and prevent misinformation.

- Establishing regulatory frameworks that incentivize transparency.

Sharing Life Cycle Assessment information publicly is a powerful step toward a more sustainable and responsible world. As leaders in LCA, EarthShift Global provides supporting guidance to our clients on how to best leverage their LCA investments, including appropriate public sharing of results. To learn more about how we can help you, contact us.

Upcoming Online Training

Handling Recycling in Life Cycle Assessment

March 4, 2025

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March 12, 2025

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