LCANZ Summit 2026 in Partnership with EPD Australasia: Communicating LCA and EPD results

The upcoming Summit, “Communicating LCA and EPD Results”, will bring together LCA practitioners, EPD owners and users, sustainability directors, and industry leaders to discuss how we can turn data into a compelling business case for sustainability. This year’s programme is designed to provide practical insights into:

• Translating complexity: Moving beyond technical jargon to present findings in plain language that resonates with executive leadership and procurement teams.
• Sector-specific narratives: Examining how transparency and data-sharing are evolving across diverse industries—from agriculture and healthcare to technology and the built environment.
• Internal influence: Using LCA and EPD results to drive cultural change and operational shifts within an organisation.
• External credibility: Navigating the requirements for external reporting and stakeholder engagement without falling into the traps of over-simplification or greenwashing.
• Using EPDs: Communicate verified LCA results in a standardised format.

We have an exciting lineup of speakers, who will share insights from across a range of industry sectors:

* Verified disclosure (EPD Australasia)

• State of Play: Presented by Kelly Taylor, CEO at EPD Australasia Ltd

One of the key objectives to establish EPD Australasia in 2014 was to provide Australia and New Zealand businesses an option to communicate their LCA work in a credible manner via Environmental Product Declarations. It has been wildly successful with 4,000 EPDs published by over 180 companies. Kelly will provide an update of where the programme is at and what is planned for the future.

Kelly has served as EPD Australasia’s Programme Manager since June 2016 and was appointed CEO in October 2024. She has extensive experience in environmental certifications and has worked previously as an Environmental Management System consultant and auditor accredited with Toitu Enviro-Mark NZ, advising on ISO14001, and as an approved assessor for Environmental Choice New Zealand. Kelly has 20 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors in sustainable business. Prior to joining EPD Australasia, Kelly had worked in local government, health, and as an independent consultant and EMS auditor.

• Verification for Credible Communication: Presented by Andrew Moore, Founder and Principal Sustainability Scientist at Life Cycle Logic, EPD Australasia Technical Advisor

Independent verification is vital to the credibility of EPD data. Andrew will outline the verification process and the new tools and verification pathways that are being introduced to deal with the huge growth in market demand for EPDs.

Andrew is a Certified LCA Practitioner, an approved EPD verifier within the International EPD System, and current Chair of EPD Australasia’s Technical Advisory Group. He is passionate about seeing the big picture. Carbon footprinting and LCA are some of the tools that he uses to see where we are and where we are headed to get us on the path to a more sustainable future. Andrew has helped people from a wide range of industries including agriculture, building and construction, mining, tourism, energy, renewables and the startup sector.

• EPDs in the Market – What we Know: Presented by Steve Mitchell, Director at EPD Australasia Ltd; Principal of Stephen Mitchell Associates

Recognition of EPDs within green building and infrastructure sustainability rating tools is a key driver for manufacturers to develop them – but why choose LCA-based communications tools?  Steve will outline learnings from dealing with the rating tool providers and EPD users in a market inundated with sustainability ‘green tick’ certifications.

Steve is a sustainability professional with over three decades of experience with community organisations, state government and industry. He is a specialist in sustainable constructions products, waste recovery, and LCA-based environmental declarations for building and construction products. Co-authoring multiple EPDs for Australian timber products Steve has also been a Director of EPD Australasia since 2015. He is a long-term member of ALCAS with a Masters degree in Environmental Management.

* Energy

• Communicating Renewable Electricity in EPDs and LCAs: Navigating the Role of New Zealand Energy Certificates and the Residual System Mix: A joint presentation by Delphine David, Head of Partnerships at Bravetrace and Emily Townsend, Service Director at thinkstep-anz

Recent updates to standards supporting development of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Product Carbon Footprints (CFPs) specify the use of the market-based approach for electricity used in processes modelled with specific data. The market-based approach is designed to recognise the intentional use of electricity generated from renewable sources while avoiding double-counting. The market-based approach requires any purchased renewable generation to be demonstrated by contractual instruments, such as New Zealand Energy Certificates (NZ-ECs). Any grid supplied electricity that is not covered by contractual instruments must be modelled to reflect the Residual Supply Mix (RSM), which represents the electricity consumption of the New Zealand grid, excluding any previously claimed attributed electricity. The Residual Mix Factor (RMF) for New Zealand is calculated and published by BraveTrace, along with detailed RSM information, including generation by source. Aligned with this year’s summit theme, “Communicating LCA and EPD Results”, this session, co-presented by thinkstep-anz and BraveTrace, will provide practical insights into how organisations can transparently convey their electricity choices, ensure traceability and credibility, and navigate evolving standards – while continuing to drive meaningful decarbonisation signals that encourage broader market action.

Delphine strongly believes that organisations can drive positive change, and strives to empower them to achieve their best. After leading the Business Development Team at Toitū Envirocare, she joined BraveTrace in August 2023 to put her passion into the acceleration of Aotearoa New Zealand’s renewable energy transition. Delphine’s role is to partner with corporate energy users for impactful renewable energy procurement and help them successfully navigate the market.

Emily Townsend has over 15 years of experience in sustainability. With a background in the construction materials sector, and an experienced LCA practitioner, she supports businesses to make better decisions based on data. She enjoys working with organisations to identify, plan and take actions leading to real change. She is particularly passionate about projects that prompt discussion and wider action. As thinkstep-anz’s Service Director, she brings the team’s shared knowledge together to maximise the impact of projects. She strongly believes in the key role of business in the transition to a sustainable future.

* Agri-food

• Starting Strong: Our first steps towards a net zero future: Presented by Edwin Massey, General Manager Sustainability at NZ Wine

Edwin’s presentation will outline the development and delivery of the New Zealand wine industry’s road map to net zero. It will focus on how LCA techniques were important to quantify our industry’s scope 3 emissions and how making progress towards the Roadmap’s objectives is vital to our reputation in export markets where key retailers are using EPDs or equivalents as gatekeepers to preferential market access. The presentation highlights key progress that NZ Wine have made in starting their journey, and next steps that need to be taken to accelerate progress.

In September 2019, Edwin took the role of General Manager Sustainability at New Zealand Winegrowers. His team is responsible for the implementation of the wine industry Environment Strategy to protect and enhance the industry’s reputation as a world leader in sustainable wine production. Edwin joined New Zealand Winegrowers in January 2016 as Biosecurity and Emergency Response Manager. Prior to that, he worked for central government between 2005 and 2015, first in fisheries management and from 2010 in biosecurity response. He completed a PhD in Geography from the University of Auckland in 2006, where I first developed a passion for sustainable resource management. Edwin is based in Blenheim in the heart of the Marlborough wine region.