During the InLCA/LCM 2007 conference, a session was devoted to the issue of certification of LCA professionals. Rita Schenck reported on the results of the survey that ACLCA sponsored (view report). The survey showed overwhelming support for development of a certification system. A lively discussion ensued. There was complete consensus that we, the LCA community, need to support LCA quality. Possibly the best way to accomplish that is to develop a credible verification of the skills and experience needed to perform an LCA critical review.

There is also a need expressed for increasing the pool of LCA professionals in the USA. Developing a low-level certification for entry-level professionals can help with this capacity issue. As a result of the input from both the survey and the discussion the following steps/decisions were taken:

1. In the interest of assuring that any US program can coordinate with existing and
   planned certifications in other countries, the ISO 17024 standard “Conformity
   assessment — General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons”
   will be followed.
2. A committee was formed that will develop the management system for the
   certifications
3. A separate committee was formed to provide technical criteria: what are the
   required knowledge & skills for LCA professionals and test material.

Many of the people at the conference session signed up for participation on one or both of these committees:

The criteria list for LCA Professional Certification has been finalized. The first examinations will be offered at the Life Cycle Assessment VIII conference this fall.

Certification Management System Committee
Committee charge
Certification Management System
Procedure for Handling Complaints
Committee member documents (password protected)

Minutes - 13 November 2007
Minutes - 4 December 2007
Minutes - 8 January 2008
Minutes - 5 February 2008

Certification Technical Criteria Committee
Committee charge

Minutes - 7 November 2007
Minutes - 7 December 2007
Minutes - 7 January 2008
Minutes - 12 February 2008 - the criteria list draft is open for public comment
Minutes - 20 March 2008
Minutes - 3 April 2008 - the criteria list is now finalized
Minutes - 21 April 2008
Minutes - 22 May 2008
Minutes - 5 June 2008
Minutes - 23 June 2008
Minutes - 10 July 2008