Find An Expert

New to working with Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)? Many people find the learning curve steep, that software skills are key and most LCAs require a substantial subscription fee.

Our recommended course of action is to seek out an expert, or perhaps a series of experts, with access to the required data sources. This approach works whether one is seeking solid waste data, economic data or LCA data. The search may be time consuming, yet will be well worth the effort.

Be prepared: Before reaching out, follow the steps below to increase the chances of success:

1. 1. Read LCA for Beginners, review the examples and articles, watch the videos and try out some of the links that seem relevant to your focus.

1. 1. Brainstorm: Develop a broad list of possible data sources including but not limited to the project Client.

1. 1. Think Out Of The Box: Keep in mind LCAs are used for a variety of purposes including – Product Design and Development, Supply Chain Management and Procurement, Marketing and Sales, Executive Level and Strategic Management… See examples in the text box at right.

1. 1. Who, What, When, Where, How: Find out as much as you can about each option – study their website(s), read their publications, review staff profiles on LinkedIn. Which department or project – or a few of each, actively uses an LCA? What us the purpose of their LCA work? Is the team collaborative with others?

1. 1. Prioritize: Determine which options are most complimentary to your work, and then identify a few members of those teams you might be able to reach out to. (PMS – make a form and sample email?)

1. 1. Know vs. Unknown: Do you know any of the people on this list? Are they knowledgeable and helpful types?

1. 1. Reach out: Identify who is the appropriate contact person and plan to send an email to that person, cc’ing the others.