Franklin Associates, a division of Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), specializes in life cycle assessment (LCA) and sustainability consulting. Founded in 1975 by William E. Franklin and Marjorie A. Franklin, it conducted some of the earliest LCA studies in the United States and maintains expertise in solid waste management and circular economy analysis.
The division delivers ISO 14040/14044-compliant LCAs, life cycle inventory development, customized modeling tools, carbon footprinting, embodied carbon assessments, and peer reviews. It curates data for the U.S. Life Cycle Inventory Database and Federal LCA Commons, develops user-friendly tools in openLCA and Excel, and provides training as the U.S. partner for openLCA software. Services support packaging, chemicals, energy, water treatment, construction materials, agriculture, and waste sectors.
Headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts, as part of ERG’s national operations, it serves federal agencies including the U.S. EPA, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Argonne National Laboratory, along with state governments, industry associations, and private companies in North America and internationally. ERG, founded in 1984 and employee-owned through The ERG Group, LLC, acquired and integrated Franklin Associates in 2003, expanding its capabilities while preserving its focus on objective, well-documented environmental analysis.
In the LCA field, Franklin Associates is recognized as a pioneer that helped establish foundational methodologies and public data resources, positioning it as a trusted provider of science-based insights for sustainable product design, policy, and supply chain decisions.
Also known as Franklin Associates, Ltd., ERG Life Cycle Services, Eastern Research Group, Inc., and ERG.
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