EcoEngineers’ LCA Academy teaches how to measure farm-to-fuel carbon footprint

Understanding and implementing lifecycle analyses (LCA) is crucial for farms and agribusinesses to stay ahead of regulatory requirements, consumer expectations for sustainability, and the competitive landscape shaped by environmental disclosures.

To help the industry learn how LCAs function and their role in reducing environmental impact, EcoEngineers (Eco) is launching a new executive education program, the LCA Academy, June 25-26 in Des Moines, Iowa.

An LCA is a systematic and comprehensive method for evaluating the environmental impact of a product, service or system from inception to end-of-life.

This analysis examines energy usage, raw material extraction, processing inputs and various outputs throughout each lifecycle stage, including coproducts and waste.

Following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Internal Revenue Service announced that starting in 2025, biofuel tax credit applicants under 45Z will be required to perform an LCA to determine the amount of credit they can receive.

Further guidance from the IRS declared a 10-point reduction in a farm’s carbon footprint if it adopted certain regenerative-farming practices such as cover cropping, no-till management or nitrogen management.

“This is the first time the IRS requires an LCA to apply for a biofuel production tax credit,” said Jim Ramm, director of U.S. Biofuels at Eco. “As climate regulations and tax credits evolve, consumer preferences shift, and opportunities in voluntary carbon markets emerge, LCAs have become the cornerstone of impactful innovations in carbon removal. Now, there is an opportunity for farmers and ethanol producers to take advantage of this.”

Participants in the LCA Academy will learn about LCA concepts, methodologies; and the role of LCA in environmental, social and governance (ESG); compliance and conservation.

They will gain a deeper understanding of the regulations that require LCAs and the drivers shaping the global marketplace.

Eco’s LCA Academy offers two tracks on the second day.

In the Practitioner Track, participants will gain hands-on experience in modeling LCA scores using the Greenhouse gas, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) model developed by Argonne National Laboratory and modified and used by various federal and state programs.

In the Executive Track, participants will join a roundtable along with representatives from the U.S. DOE, the U.S. EPA, and the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

The roundtable will facilitate a moderated discussion between industry and regulators on creating a consistent LCA approach in policies.

Eco has performed more than 1,000 carbon LCAs on various products, including grains, oils, fuels, plastics, supplements, lubricants and metals.

Eco is adept at utilizing all available LCA tools, delivering a wide range of strategies and solutions to help organizations reach their carbon management and ESG goals.

To learn more about Eco’s LCA Academy and register to attend, click here.