As sustainability moves from aspiration to expectation, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become one of the most valuable tools available to businesses across the agri-food sector. From understanding carbon footprints and environmental impacts to supporting regulatory compliance, customer requirements and investment decisions, LCA provides the evidence needed to make informed choices.
Whether you're developing new technologies, advising clients or working towards Net Zero, understanding LCA can help you identify where the biggest environmental impacts occur - and where the greatest opportunities for improvement lie.
Cost:
Agri-TechE member: free.
If your organisation is listed in our Member Directory, the event is free for you to attend. The discount is applied automatically at checkout. To access it, simply login or register with your company email address.
Non-member: £30 (ex VAT). Not an Agri-TechE member? Join today!
Early-Career Innovators' Forum (ECIF) members can attend free using the discount code included in their invitation. If you've been working in agriculture for fewer than five years and aren't yet part of ECIF, find out more and join here.
Please note the fee is non-refundable for cancellation within 5 working days of the event.
Agenda
01st October 2026
12:00 - Event Start
12:00 - 12:10 - Welcome words from Agri-TechE
Kate Brunswick, Director of Strategic Partnerships - Agri-TechE
12:10 - 12:25 - The theory – what LCA is and why it matters
Dr Gavin Milligan CChem MRSC CEnv MISEP FIFST FRSA
Gavin worked for 9 years in the chemical sector before moving to food and has held functional responsibility in procurement, supply chain, operations, distribution, sales, marketing and customer service. He has worked up to Board level in businesses from SMEs to multinationals and is now an independent sustainability consultant at Green Knight Sustainability Consulting working with private, public and third-sector organisations to develop and deliver effective environmental and social strategies.
His work has included businesses and other organisations in a range of sectors including agri-food, chemicals, energy, construction, engineering, infrastructure, logistics, manufacturing, local authorities and the third sector. He served a full term as Independent Scientific Advisor at Campden BRI, was a director at ethical trade specialists Sedex and sits on a range of business and academic Advisory Boards. He also has long experience of the bioeconomy through board positions at FoodWasteNet, and Biomass Biorefinery Network and the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre.
Gavin Milligan, Director - Green Knight Sustainability Consulting
12:25 - 12:35 - The innovation case study – Ponda demonstrates how LCA enables commercialisation
Anna Bateman is Business Development Lead at Ponda. She has extensive experience in stakeholder engagement and partnership building at the intersection of textiles and sustainability. Before joining Ponda, she worked at The Microfibre Consortium (TMC), a textile science non-profit organisation, where she helped scale global industry action to address fibre fragment pollution. Driven by a passion for meaningful collaboration and material innovation, Anna saw the opportunity to help scale BioPuff® adoption as a natural next step in her career - moving from industry-wide coordination to tangible, on-the-ground environmental impact. Anna currently leads Ponda's efforts to build pioneering partnerships that support both the adoption of next-generation materials and the regeneration of vital wetland ecosystems.
Anna Bateman, Business Development Lead - Ponda
12:35 - 12:45 - The practical industry application – Smartfert shows LCA in action through circular nutrient systems
Robin Watchorn is the Owner and Managing Director of RCN and SmartFert ltd, bringing more than 50 years of experience in the fertiliser industry. Throughout his career, he has developed extensive expertise across granulating, blending, liquid and suspension fertilisers, crop production, sales and marketing, as well as all operations including importing and exporting.
In 2020, Robin founded RCN Ltd with a focus on formulating high value fertiliser products from low value residues now from the bio energy sector to provide performance akin to conventional based mineral fertilisers.
Robin Watchorn, Managing Director - Recycled Crop Nutrients Ltd
12:45 - 13:20 - The Future – Panel and Q&A exploring wider adoption, challenges and skills
13:20 - 13:30 - Next steps and training opportunities
13:30 - Event Close
