Jim Fava is the recently retired Executive Director at Anthesis Group, which supports businesses and governments in understanding and navigating the risks and opportunities they face. Throughout his career, Jim has provided invaluable guidance, tools, and expertise on strategies and actions that enable organizations to operate in a more environmentally responsible and sustainable manner. Renowned as the "father of modern-day life cycle assessment," he has devoted his career to advancing and promoting the practice and application of life cycle information worldwide. His efforts have contributed significantly to supporting global decision-making processes. Notably, he led the United States delegation responsible for shaping the first generation of ISO LCA standards. Moreover, Jim co-founded influential organizations such as the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative, Five Winds International, and the Forum for Sustainability through Life Cycle Innovation (FSLCI).
Jim and I discuss what his career taught him about supporting businesses and governments, turning risks into opportunities, and strategies and actions to operate more sustainably. Jim shares his journey from frat house to c-suite and talks about how he saw the human impact on the environment firsthand and started focusing on sustainability. He outlines life cycle assessment and how it helps us understand the environmental impact of a product over its entire life. He cites disposable diapers as a case study to understand life cycle assessment. Jim also recounts his experience in developing the Technical Framework for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the Code of Practice that eventually became the foundation of the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) Environmental Management Standards.
“You have to put what we want to have happen in the language of the decision-makers, and that's our revenue, brand, cost, and risk management.” - Jim Fava
This week on Innovation Talks:
- Jim’s best sustainable business strategies
- The Life Cycle Assessment journey to sustainability
- What cloth diapers can teach us about sustainability
- How Jim played a leading role in the development the Life Cycle Assessment Methodology
- How Life Cycle thinking affects product design
- The ten golden rules for achieving sustainability
- How to drive change
- The urgency of sustainability in business management
- The role of the product manager
Resources Mentioned:
- Early Life Cycle Assessment Books Laid the Foundation for Modern-Day LCA
- The Origins of LCA: Perspective from The Father of Modern-Day Life Cycle Assessment
Connect with Jim Fava:
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