Vehicle Life Cycle Assessment 101
Webinar on Friday, November 17, 2023
9:00 – 10:00 AM
A free A/SP Leadership Series Webinar
In order to achieve effective and sustainable environmental solutions, it is necessary to understand environmental impacts across the complex and interacting value chains of the products and services we use. Failure to take such a holistic approach will not only make reducing environmental impacts more difficult but could also lead to unintended consequences.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an environmental assessment method that can be used to understand the environmental impact of a product or service across its entire life cycle. Though awareness of LCA has grown rapidly over the last 10-15 years, LCA methodology and practice have been developing since the early 1970s. Today, it is a mature assessment tool with global standards, and many organizations employ life cycle thinking and LCA as a tool in product and process design. Automotive companies and material producers are among the most active members of the global LCA community.
This webinar will be an introduction to the basics of LCA and why it is important. We will discuss what “life cycle” means, review the steps of an LCA, and give a few examples of how changes to one part of a product or process can cascade through the total vehicle life cycle. The objective is to give you a better understanding of the life cycle perspective and how it can help achieve sustainable environmental solutions.
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Your Instructor:
Russ Balzer, Technical Director, WorldAutoSteel
Russ Balzer is Senior Director – Technical Programs at the Phoenix Group providing environmental, quality, and operations support to the steel industry. Presently, Russ acts as Technical Director for WorldAutoSteel, managing engineering and life cycle assessment (LCA) programs and working closely with stakeholders to improve their understanding of the impact of material choices on achieving greenhouse gas reduction objectives.
Russ acts as WorldAutoSteel’s liaison to the World Steel Association’s LCA Expert Group, which develops and aligns procedures and processes for the global steel industry. He also leads WorldAutoSteel efforts for the conversion of global automotive emissions regulations from tailpipe measurement to regulations that embrace Life Cycle thinking as the avenue to more comprehensive transport emissions mitigation.
Russ earned a BSS in Environmental Compliance from Ohio University and is a Life Cycle Assessment Certified Professional through the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA). In 2018, Russ was recognized for his work in the field of LCA with ACLCA’s inaugural Rising Star Award.