Liz Lanphear
Sustainability and LCA Analyst
I believe we have a critical opportunity—and responsibility— to recover materials before they reach end of life. Doing so helps secure access to strategically important, high-value resources necessary for the energy transition and national security. At the same time, it supports efforts to reduce environmental impact and reclaim economic value.
Liz Lanphear is committed to improving waste systems and advancing material recovery through the circular economy. Her research background includes developing a tool to uncover waste and material footprints in life cycle assessment databases and supporting chemical release modeling using Python-based tools. At ERG, she currently leads efforts to generate national waste estimates and develops methodologies for tracking material flows across numerous case studies within the U.S. economy.
Liz holds a B.A. in mathematics and biology from Swarthmore College and will soon complete her master’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Her master’s thesis explores the ethical implications and economic realities of using waste as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel.