LCA Training
Tailored to Your Needs, Led by Experienced Analysts
Sustainability Training Programs
For Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Sustainable Return on Investment (S-ROI)
Our Mission is to Empower Our Clients. That’s Why Our Training is Focused on You and Led by Our Experienced Analysts.
We’ve helped sustainability professionals at hundreds of organizations in a variety of industries build and perfect their skills and are ready to help you, too. Learn how to conduct and manage life-cycle assessments with confidence. Give managers and teammates on-point findings and recommendations. Bring new perspectives to strategic discussions.
Use the registration links provided to register for a course. Questions on the course(s) or which course(s) to take? Call +1 (207) 608-6228 or Contact Us.
Training Offered
Custom Training
Customize training with an EarthShift Global expert instructor
Participant(s) choose the focus of the custom training session. Topics could include developing a strategy for their assessment, learning how to model in one of the LCA or S-ROI software tools, identifying a major impact pathway for their industry and strategizing around reducing those impacts, learning how to use LCA results to conduct an internal design for sustainability workshop or other topics of choice. Custom training can be structured for one participant or several participants from the same organization. Includes free trial use of LCA and S-ROI software tools.
Audience
Any level of sustainability professional or any level of LCA practitioner looking for a day of hands-on support for your project. We have highly experienced professionals with more than ten years of experience in LCA, social impact assessment, chemistry, and sustainability management strategy to help you answer tricky questions in modeling, data selection, corporate strategy, and anything else you need to help you reach your goals.
Course Format: Online or Onsite
Course Duration: 7 hours per day
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates and Cost: As Scheduled
Group discounts available (contact us for more details)
Course Description
Co-developed with Professor Rafael Auras from the renowned School of Packaging at Michigan State University, this course is designed to give packaging engineers, packaging managers and sustainability engineers an introduction to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) including theory and hands-on experience.
The course will provide a simplified LCA learning experience that introduces participants to the concept of life cycle thinking in the umbrella of packaging, the basics of conducting an LCA, and some practical experience building simple LCA models in PackageSmart, a user-friendly packaging LCA program.
“I have taught packaging sustainability since the Spring 2008 to MSU packaging students. The main goal of this course is to evaluate the environmental footprint of product/packaging systems using LCA concepts and streamlined LCA software.
After using many types of software, I have found that PackageSmart does a great job of encouraging system thinking and developing a product/packaging life-cycle perspective among my students.”
— Rafael Auras, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Packaging, Michigan State University
Topics
- Sustainable Packaging Systems
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Goal & Scope
- Inventory Analysis
- PackageSmart Orientation
- Use of LCA in packaging to evaluate end-of-life scenario
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recovery, Residual management
- Life Cycle Assessment
- Impact Assessment
- Interpretation
- Keeping it in Perspective
Course Duration: 3 Hours, Each Session - plus one hour of one-on-one time (full price attendees only)
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: March 26-27, 2025, 2:00pm-5:00pm EST, both days
Course Format: Online, 2 days
Cost: $1,250 per person
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Life Cycle Assessment analyzes the environmental impacts of a product or service from raw material extraction through disposal and provides interpretation of the results to identify actions that can be taken. This scientifically robust method is used to assess the comparative sustainability of several alternatives and to identify high-impact areas where intervention may provide an environmental benefit.
Audience
Any level of sustainability professional or beginner LCA professional who wants a deeper level of LCA and understanding of impact assessment methods
Course Objectives
In this class you will learn the basics of Life Cycle Analysis including data gathering, inventory analysis, algorithms used to assess impacts, and common impact assessment methods and impact categories. The course will introduce you to modeling choices, such as allocation method, and how to interpret the results in light of those choices. Using ISO 14040 and 14044 as guidelines, you will learn the difference between a screening report and a full LCA and what is involved in writing an ISO-compliant LCA report. In-class discussion and hands-on exercises will solidify the knowledge.
Topics
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Life Cycle Thinking
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Why Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?
- Goal & Scope
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Functional Unit
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Boundary Conditions
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Life Cycle Inventory
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Impact assessment
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PCRs & EPDs
- Interpretation
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Screening vs. Full LCA
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ISO 14044 LCA Reporting requirements
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Limitations in LCA
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Software Tool choices
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New Developments in LCA
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Staying informed
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 6 hours
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: April 16-17, 2025, 1:00pm-4:00pmEST over two days
Cost: $1,250 per person
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
Introduction to Sustainability Assessment
From greenhouse gas accounting to environmental and social risk assessment, there are now numerous ways to assess the sustainability of a product, service, or organization. In this course, you will be introduced to the most common of these methods and how they can be applied. You will learn the philosophy behind the methods as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each one. In-class discussion time will provide guidance and give a hands-on learning experience relevant to your specific needs and challenges. At the end of the course, you will have the tools to identify the best techniques for a specific situation.
Audience
Beginner sustainability professionals or beginner LCA professionals as well as experienced environmental management professionals who want concrete tools to identify best practices and solutions
Course Objectives
The objective of the course is to provide those new to sustainability theory and sustainability assessment basic knowledge about the tools used to evaluate the sustainability of a product, process, service, organization or investment. Benefits and limitations of each method will be presented. The course is geared for new sustainability professionals and experienced environmental management professionals wanting concrete tools to identify best practices and solutions.
Methods Discussed
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Greenhouse Gas Accounting (GHG Accounting)
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
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Environmental Risk Assessment
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Full cost accounting/ecosystem service valuation
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Social LCA (SLCA)
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Social Risk Assessment
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Social Return on Investment (SROI)
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Sustainability Return on Investment (S-ROI)
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Staying informed
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 3 hours
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: June 17, 2025; 11:00am-2:00pm ET
Cost: $750 per person
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
Impact Assessment Methods
Our Impact Assessment Methods course delves into the science behind the evaluation of the effect of emissions on the environment. We will demystify how impact assessment methods are modeled and calculations made.
This interactive online training course provides an overview of commonly used and accepted impact assessment methods, including background on how these methods model the fate, transport and exposure pathways (causality chain) of emissions, allowing you to understand each impact category and why your results change when you use different impact assessment methods. The class will point out the strengths and weaknesses of the major internationally accepted impact assessment methods, allowing you to choose the best approach for your life cycle assessment (LCA) study.
Using slides, your instructor will visually show you the structure of impact assessment and how various impact categories are assessed.
Topics
- Structure of impact assessment methods, including
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Midpoint;
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Endpoint
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Characterization
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Normalization
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Weighting
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Single score
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Fate, transport and exposure pathways
- Comparison of impact assessment methods
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Strengths and weaknesses
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Similarities and differences
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Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 3 hours
Prerequisites: Familiarity with the ISO 14040 and 14044 (2006) Standards
Available Dates: April 11, 2025 - 10:00am-1:00pm ET
Cost: $750 per person, includes one hour of 1-on-1 consulting time (full-price, paid class attendees only).
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
The course will provide a simplified LCA learning experience that introduces participants to the concept of life cycle thinking, the ISO standardized methodology for conducting LCA, and some practical experience building simple LCA models in EarthSmart, a user-friendly LCA software program. Upon completion of this course, participants will be comfortable applying LCA in a practical project settings such as product design decisions, will be able to scope out LCA projects and develop practical LCA models for products and processes, and will have a better understanding of how LCA can be used effectively to achieve their organization's sustainability goals.
This course is offered On Demand/self paced as well as Online/led by an EarthShift Global instructor.
Topics
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Life Cycle Thinking
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Why LCA?
- Goal & Scope
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Functional Unit
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Boundary Conditions
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Life Cycle Inventory
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Intro to EarthSmart
- Impact assessment
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Data Aggregation
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ES Method
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Classification
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Hands on experience in EarthSmart
- PCRs & EPDs
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Mannington Carpet EPD example
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Printer EPD example in EarthSmart
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- Interpretation
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Screening vs. Full LCA
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Limitations in LCA
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What’s coming?
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Staying informed
Course Format: On Demand or Online
Course Duration: 4 hours, taught over two days (Online)
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: December 4-5, 2024, 12:00-2:00pm ET both days and On Demand
Cost:
Online/Instructor led session: $1,250 per person, includes one hour of 1-on-1 consulting time (full-price, paid class attendees only).
On-demand/self-paced : $200 per person
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
Have you ever thought about the life cycle of a product that is made from recycled material? What about the life cycle of a product that is partially recycled at its end of life? The objective of this course is to give students an understanding of the procedures/methods being used to best allocate for different recycling scenarios.
This course will look at the allocation issues involved in building life cycle models that have recycled material coming into the product/process as well as recycled material leaving the product/process. It will familiarize you with both open and closed-loop recycling procedures established by ISO guidelines as well as other commonly used methods. Your instructor will be an experienced LCA professional.
Topics
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Overview of the Recycling Debate
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Framework for Models
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Issue of Consistency
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ISO 14044 (2006) guidelines
- Recycling Models covered:
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Closed Loop
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Open Loop
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Economic
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Number of Uses
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Cut off
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Consequential
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Sensitivity
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Sector Guidance
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GHG Protocol, product carbon standard
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Risk Perceptions; driving behavior
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Hands on experience in EarthSmart
- PCRs & EPDs
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Mannington Carpet EPD example
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Printer EPD example in EarthSmart
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- Interpretation
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Screening vs. Full LCA
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Limitations in LCA
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What’s coming?
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Staying informed
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 4 hours
Prerequisites: Familiarity with ISO 14040 and 14044 (2006) Standards
Available Dates: March 4, 2025, 1:00pm-5:00pm EST
Cost: $750 per person, includes one hour of 1-on-1 consulting time (full-price, paid class attendees only).
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
The objective of this class is to provide students with expert guidance on carrying out the interpretation phase of an LCA, including instruction on the conceptual background and need for interpretation, review of ISO guidelines and requirements for interpretation, practical methods and tools for interpretation, and helpful hints and strategies. Delivery of the course material will be facilitated by practical LCA examples which the instructor will use to illustrate key points.
The Interpretation phase of an LCA serves two purposes
- To gain insight so you can efficiently guide and refine the selected methodology and inventory model
- To derive robust conclusions and well-founded recommendations, as appropriate
This course presents the details of how to conduct an ISO-compliant interpretation that meets all the required completeness, sensitivity and consistency checks. You will learn how to use contribution, scenario, uncertainty, and sensitivity analyses to conduct a fully detailed interpretation that will ensure your study results are robust and well-founded.
Topics
- Concepts and Methods
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Conceptual background for interpretation
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Sources of uncertainty in LCA
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Guidance from ISO standards and key literature
- Description of tools and methods available for interpretation
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Consistency checks
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Completeness checks
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Data quality checks
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Interpretation tools and methods.
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- Practical Exercises and Strategies
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Review and discussion of interpretation practice assignment
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Practical interpretation methods in a case study
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Data quality and uncertainty analysis
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Tips and strategies for interpretation
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Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 6 hours, taught over two days
Prerequisites:
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Familiarity with ISO 14040 and 14044 (2006) Standards
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Completion of an LCA (internal screening level LCA is fine)
Available Dates: November 5-6, 2025 - 12:00pm-3:00pm ET, both days
Cost: $1,500 per person, includes one hour of 1-on-1 consulting time (full-price, paid class attendees only).
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
Anticipatory LCA is an advanced LCA approach designed to improve decision-making in the early stages of the design process. LCA researchers have developed several Anticipatory LCA techniques which enable the application of LCA early in the research and development phases where uncertainty, but also potential for improvement, is greatest. Anticipatory LCA can be applied as a design tool to explore the environmental variability of alternative technology configurations and applications. This is especially beneficial in the design phases when data is uncertain and fast-changing and limits a full traditional LCA.
This course will provide an introduction to the concepts of Anticipatory LCA, and an exploration of the applications of the concepts through industry case studies. In this interactive online course, participants will also have the opportunity to apply Anticipatory LCA concepts to their own case study.
Content Outline
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Anticipatory LCA – definition and concepts
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Use of Anticipatory LCA in product development
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Case Study examples and application
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 3 hours, taught over two days
Prerequisites:
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Basic knowledge of LCA
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Experience with LCA type projects as manager or analyst is sufficient
Available Dates: January 15-16, 2025, 2:00-3:30pm ET
Cost: $750 per person, includes one hour of 1-on-1 consulting time (full-price, paid class attendees only).
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
This popular course is a custom LCA class designed around the attendees' needs. The topics are diverse and the discussions intense as the day moves between practical application and the latest theories and methods being proposed. The course includes free use of LCA software tools as well as access to a free trial at the end of the course.
Audience
Experienced LCA practitioners who want to move to the next level by digging into difficult issues and working through real problems with the help of leaders in the field and fellow attendees.
Course Objective
This course is designed to help experienced LCA practitioners move to the next level by digging into difficult issues and working through real problems with the help of leaders in the field and fellow students. The course is always different as it takes its content from the needs of the attendees. You will be exposed to the latest thinking in LCA, including the conflicting views of those in the forefront of LCA development as well as clearly identified biases on the part of the instructors. Starting from the premise that we can learn something from many different ways of considering the same problem, students often find ways to make their studies more robust as well as new ways to create value from their work.
Topics
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Leveraging parameters for rapid scenario analysis and sensitivity testing
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Modeling and interpreting recycling and the use of recycled materials
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Developments in Impact Assessment methods
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Leveraging midpoint, endpoint and single scores for better decision-making
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Introduction to Consequential modeling
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Anticipatory LCA
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Allocation
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Composting
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Carbon sequestration in LCA
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Preparing your report for critical review
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Interpretation: sources of uncertainty, model evaluation and/or identifying significant issues
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Others as requested by the attendees
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 7 hours, taught over two days
Prerequisites:
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Completion of at least one screening level LCA
Available Dates: TBD
Cost: $1,250 per person, includes one hour of 1-on-1 consulting time (full-price, paid class attendees only).
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
Robust methods to assess the social side of sustainability are just beginning to be accepted and used. This course will introduce you to the several social impact assessment methods sharing the strengths and weaknesses in each. Several of the methods will be combined with Life Cycle Assessment results in a class exercise looking at a policy, decision or investment chosen by the participants. Included is free use of LCA and S-ROI software tools as well as access to a free trial at the end of the course.
Audience
Any level of sustainability professional or any level of LCA practitioner who wants to incorporate social metrics into their assessments
Course Objectives
The objective of this course is to provide an in-depth introduction into assessing social impacts. At the end of the course, you will have a basic understanding of how to facilitate several of these assessment techniques.
Topics
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Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA)
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Social Risk Assessment
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Social Return on Investment (SROI)
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Sustainability Return on Investment (S-ROI)
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 6 hours, plus optional 1 hour webinar after the course
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: September 10-11, 2025, 10:00am-1:00pm ET, over two days
Cost: $1,250 per person, includes one hour of 1-on-1 consulting time (full-price, paid class attendees only).
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Overview
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. In addition to providing a strategic roadmap for integrating sustainability with the business, we will cover best practices on how to effectively communicate your sustainability efforts.
Audience
Beginner or experienced sustainability professionals and beginner or experienced LCA practitioners who want to get managements’ support of their strategies and programs and learn how to effectively communicate sustainability programs and results. If you have a program you are working on, work on your own project with expert guidance. If you don’t have your own strategy or communications program yet, there will be suggestions to use for hands-on learning.
Topics
- Introduction: Integrating Sustainability with the Core Business
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Why integrating sustainability with the business is needed to create value; A roadmap for integrating sustainability; Case study.
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- Strategy 101
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What is strategic positioning?; How to map a company’s core strategy; Case study.
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- Exercise: Integrating Sustainability (case study)
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Materiality assessment; Connecting the dots between sustainability initiatives, strategy, and value creation; Making an effective pitch to executives.
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- Exercise: Integrating Sustainability at your Organization
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Advancing a sustainability initiative; Identifying your company’s high-level strategy; Connecting the dots; Communicating your sustainability programs/results.
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- Wrap-up and Debrief
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Solidifying insights; Applying what you’ve learned back home.
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Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 6 hours plus 1 hour of 1-1 consulting time (full price attendees only)
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: March 19-20, 2025, 12:00-3:00pm ET, both days
Cost: $1,250 per person, includes one hour of 1-on-1 consulting time (full-price, paid class attendees only).
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
The Sustainability Boot Camp includes these three separate courses taught over three days.
- Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment
- Methods for Evaluating the Social and Economic Pillars of Sustainability
- Integrating Sustainability into the Organization
Course Format: On Location (Location can vary)
Course Duration: 6 hours per day
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: TBD
Cost: $3,000 per person
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
An introduction to basics of S-ROI and its ability to help decision-makers reduce risk and make projects more successful through rigorous, quantitative, financially oriented modeling of environmental, social and economic issues on stakeholders.
We will explain the S-ROI approach and the types of situations when it can best be applied, and share our experience using S-ROI to identify opportunities and uncover risk factors on behalf of companies, organizations and government agencies in the US, Asia, South America and Africa.
Audience
Any level of sustainability professional or any level of LCA practitioner looking to learn more about S-ROI.
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: February 5, 2025, 1:00-2:00pm ET
Cost: Free
Course Description
If you’re ready to dig deeper into the planning and execution of S-ROI analyses, this class is for you – three hours of practical insights from one of the world’s most experienced S-ROI practitioners.
You’ll learn how to identify stakeholders and ensure that their views are represented, ways to make the information-gathering process as efficient as possible, and how to integrate S-ROI findings into your organization’s decision-making process for maximum effectiveness. Also includes a short hands-on introduction to using EarthShift Global's 3Pillars, the only general-purpose S-ROI software package on the market.
Audience
Any level of sustainability professional or any level of LCA practitioner looking to learn more about S-ROI.
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 3 hours
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: March 12, 2025, 2:00-5:00pm ET
Cost: $750 per person
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
This online interactive course will introduce students to methodologies used to assess societal and economic impacts from a sustainability point of view.
Various methodologies will be presented including: Social Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Sustainability LCA, Life Cycle Costing, Ecosystem services valuation, Full Cost Accounting, Total Cost Accounting, Multicriteria Decision Analysis and Sustainability Return on Investment. As a group, we will explore the various methodologies, their strengths and weaknesses and learn how each is best used. Additionally we will expose the gaps in analysis techniques and show you how those gaps might be filled. At the end of the course, you will have a basic understanding of the different methodologies and how to apply them accordingly.
Topics
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Social LCA
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Life Cycle Costing
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Full cost accounting/valuing ecosystem services
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Social/Sustainability ROI
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Working session – Gap analysis
Audience
Any level of sustainability professional or any level of LCA practitioner looking to learn more about S-ROI.
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: Online: 3 hours plus 1 hour of 1-1 consulting time (full price attendees only)
Prerequisites: Practical Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) or a working knowledge of LCA
Available Dates: April 23, 2025, 1:00-4:00pm ET
Cost: $750 per person
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).
Course Description
Organizational LCA (O-LCA) expands on the methods used in traditional LCA to assess the impacts of an entire organization including the impacts of its products from cradle to grave. With increased pressure on companies to include Scope 3 impacts in their greenhouse gas accounting, O-LCA provides a structured methodology under the ISO standards to perform a robust assessment that can be refined over time.
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.
We will explain the O-LCA approach and the types of situations when it can best be applied, and share our experience using O-LCA to create benchmarks, develop goals, and create roadmaps to net zero.
Audience
Any level of sustainability professional or any level of LCA practitioner looking to learn more about O-LCA.
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 1 hour
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: May 21, 2025, 2:00pm-3:00pm ET
Cost: Free
Course Description
Organizational LCA (O-LCA) expands on the methods used in traditional LCA to assess the impacts of an entire organization including the impacts of its products from cradle to grave. With increased pressure on companies to include Scope 3 impacts in their greenhouse gas accounting, O-LCA provides a structured methodology under the ISO standards to perform a robust assessment that can be refined over time.
This course will serve as a broader introduction to the basics of O-LCA including what should be included in a study and where to find the data needed for the analysis. For those unfamiliar with LCA, the course will include a brief discussion on how impact assessment is done and what types of impacts can be assessed and included. Further discussion will include how those results relate to Scope 1, 2 and 3 of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and how to present results to satisfy both ISO and GHG requirements.
We will explain the O-LCA approach and the types of situations when it can best be applied, and share our experience using O-LCA to create benchmarks, develop goals, and create roadmaps to net zero.
Audience
Any level of sustainability professional or any level of LCA practitioner looking to learn more about O-LCA.
Course Format: Online
Course Duration: 3 hours
Prerequisites: None
Available Dates: June 11, 2025 - 2:00-5:00pm ET
Cost: $750 per person
Student Discount: Students receive a 50% discount on all EarthShift Global classes (provided minimum attendance requirements are met).