October 4th, 2022
November 29th, 2022
8 weeks
8 to 10 hours a week
English
Online
$2,900 USD*
6.4
October 4th, 2022
November 29th, 2022
8 weeks
8 to 10 hours a week
English
Online
$2,900 USD*
6.4
*
The methodology for assessing environmental impacts
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process, or activity by identifying and quantifying energy and materials usage and environmental releases, to assess the impact of those and to evaluate and implement opportunities to effect environmental improvements.
Life Cycle Assessment is an increasingly significant concept and method for assessing and supporting sustainable transitions in manufacturing, reducing costs, and improving brand identity. Its features become additionally important in terms of compliance with the evolution of sustainable policy agreements and the maintenance of a reputable sustainable organization.
2 billion tons
Today, the world produces over 2 billion tons of solid waste yearly, and that’s expected to grow to 3.4 billion tons by 2050. About one-third of that waste is not managed properly.
Source: The World Bank
50 million tons
Today we’re throwing away over 50 million tons of electronic and electric goods, worth over $62 billion, every year, including rare earth minerals, gold, and copper.
Source: UN Environment Programme
An approach to quantifying the environmental impact of a product’s life cycle
The course serves as a starting point for conducting a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), in accordance with the methods and policies defined by the International Standards Organization (ISO). Information surrounding a product’s life cycle is useful for making decisions about design, policy, acquisition, and corporate strategy.
This course includes the stages of goal and scope definition, inventories and life cycle impact assessments, and interpretation.
You will learn to
1.
DEFINE
the objective and scope of a LCA.
2.
COLLECT
primary data from inventories and secondary data from database.
3.
QUANTIFY
the environmental impacts of products, using various impact assessment methods.
4.
INTERPRET
the results of an LCA through the prism of uncertainty.
5.
SUPPORT
decisions using an LCA.
In addition, you will receive a Certificate of Completion
All participants who successfully complete the online course Life Cycle Assessment will receive an MIT Professional Education Certificate of Completion. In addition, they will also earn * Continuing Education Units* (MIT CEUs).
In order to obtain CEUs, participants must complete a required CEU accreditation form. CEUs are calculated based on the number of learning hours in each course.
* An MIT CEU is a unit of credit equivalent to 10 hours of participation in an accredited program for professionals.

This program is directed towards
- CONSULTANTS
of manufacturing companies who must be aware of current sustainability policies and how to enact them within an organization.
- COMPANIES IN INDUSTRIES
concerned with meeting or setting carbon targets, or hoping to reduce their impact on the environment.
- ACCOUNTING FIRMS
analyzing procedure and process costs of product creation and duration.
- LEGISLATIVE BODIES
implementing policies regarding sustainable manufacturing practices.
* It is highly recommended that functional and cross-functional teams carry out the program together, in order to accelerate the process of adopting smart manufacturing practices.
Meet the faculty for this course
JEREMY GREGORY
Executive Director, MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium

“We have people who have specialized in materials science, engineering and in economics and environment. My specific background is about trying to tie those things together, particularly engineering, economics and environmental issues.”
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Jeremy Gregory is the Executive Director of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium. He studies the economic and environmental implications of engineering and system design decisions, particularly in materials production and recovery systems.
Research topics include product and firm environmental foot-printing, manufacturing and life-cycle cost analysis, and characterization of sustainable material systems. He has applied these methods, often with industry partners, to a range of products and industries, including pavements, buildings, automobiles, electronics, consumer goods, and waste treatment and recovery. Gregory earned a BS in mechanical engineering from Montana State University, and an MS and PhD in mechanical engineering from MIT.
ELSA OLIVETTI
Associate Director, MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium | Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Associate Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering

“An important way to improve the environmental performance of industry is to quantify, treat, and reduce industrial byproducts. This objective could be achieved through industrial symbiosis or byproduct synergy, terms used for beneficial reuse of materials or energy streams from one facility by another.”
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Elsa Olivetti is the associate director of the MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium and the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Associate Professor in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT. Her research centers on improving the environmental and economic sustainability of materials in the context of growing global demand.
Her interests span three levels of materials production: operational-level, industrial network-level and market-level strategies. She is focused on two areas with the potential for significant environmental benefits: improving the sustainability of materials through increased use of recycled and renewable materials, recycling-friendly material design, and intelligent waste disposition; and understanding the implications of substitution, dematerialization, and waste mining on materials markets.
Olivetti earned a BS in engineering science from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from MIT.