Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle. LCA describes the life cycle as consecutive and interlinked stages of a product system extending from the acquisition of raw materials through materials processing, technology manufacturing/construction, technology use/maintenance/upgrade, and the technology retirement. LCA also provides a framework for understanding economic and social impacts. In an LCA, data are collected at the unit process level, intended to represent a single industrial activity, in this case the food and agriculture industry. Each single industrial activity (a) produces product and sometimes co-products; (b) uses resources from the environment; (c) uses resources from other unit processes in the technosphere; and (d) generates emissions to the environment. In an LCA, the inventory analysis combines unit process data for the life cycle and the impact assessment estimates the impact associated with activities and flows to and from the environment for the inventory. Datasets have been developed for the LCA Commons in response to a national need for data representing US operations. The LCA Commons database is an open access database developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Library (NAL) for use in LCAs to support policy assessment, technology implementation decision-making, and publicly disclosed comparative product or technology assertions. K7612-17: Photo by Scott Bauer; http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/sep97/k7612-17.htm Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: LCA Commons website. File Name: Web Page, url: https://www.lcacommons.gov/

(i) The CPM LCA Database is developed within the Swedish Life Cycle Center, and is a result of the continuous work to establish transparent and quality reviewed LCA data. The Swedish Life Cycle Center (founded in 1996 and formerly called CPM) is a center of excellence for the advance of life cycle thinking in industry and other parts of society through research, implementation, communication and exchange of experience on life cycle management. The mission is to improve the environmental performance of products and services, as a natural part of sustainable development. The Center has been instrumental for the development and adoption the life cycle perspective in Swedish companies and has made important contributions to international standardization in the life cycle field. More information about the Center, see www.lifecyclecenter.se. The Swedish Life Cycle Center owns the CPM LCA Database, which is today maintained by Environmental Systems Analysis at the Department of Energy and Environment at Chalmers University of Technology. (ii) All LCI datasets can be viewed in in three formats: the SPINE format, a format compatible with the ISO/TS 14048 LCA data documentation format criteria, and in the ILCD format. Three impact assessment models: EPS, EDIP, and ECO-Indicator, can be viewed in the IA98 format. Also a simple IA calculator is provided where the environmental impact of each LCI dataset can be calculated based on the three different IA methods. (iii) unknown (iv) unknown

The global Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Database market size is projected to reach USD 247.4 million by 2033, exhibiting a CAGR of 12.1% during the forecast period. The increasing demand for sustainable products and services, along with stringent environmental regulations, is driving the growth of the market. Additionally, the growing adoption of LCA in various industries, such as manufacturing, construction, and transportation, is contributing to the market's expansion. The on-premise segment held a dominant market share in 2025, owing to the high cost of cloud-based solutions and the need for data security and control among enterprises. Key trends influencing the market include the rise of Industry 4.0 technologies, which enable real-time data collection and analysis, and the increasing adoption of cloud-based LCA platforms, which offer flexibility and scalability. However, the high cost of LCA software and the lack of trained professionals may pose challenges to the market's growth. Key players in the market include GHG Protocol, Ecochain, Sphera, openLCA Nexus, AssessCCUS, Ecoinvent, openLCA, Swedish Life Cycle Center, Psilca, Fraunhofer IBP, Metsims - Sustainability Consulting, and Carbon Minds. North America and Europe are expected to remain the dominant regional markets, driven by the presence of a large number of environmental regulations and the growing demand for sustainable products and services in these regions.

LCI and LCIA for water and wastewater treatment plants. This dataset is associated with the following publications: Xue, X., S. Cashman, A. Gaglione, J. Mosley, L. Weiss, C. Ma, J. Cashdollar, and J. Garland. Holistic Analysis of Urban Water Systems in the Greater Cincinnati Region: (1) Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Implications. Water Research X. Elsevier B.V., Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS, 2: 100015, (2019). Cashman, S., A. Gaglione, J. Mosley, L. Weiss, T. Hawkins, N. Ashbolt, J. Cashdollar , X. Xue, C. Ma , and S. Arden. Environmental and cost life cycle assessment of disinfection options for municipal drinking water treatment. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA, 2014. Cashman, S., A. Gaglione, J. Mosley, L. Weiss, N. Ashbolt, T. Hawkins, J. Cashdollar , X. Xue, C. Ma , and S. Arden. Environmental and cost life cycle assessment of disinfection options for municipal wastewater treatment. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA, 2014.

This is a high-resolution dataset of building design characteristics, life cycle inventories, and environmental impact assessment results for 292 building projects in the United States and Canada. The dataset contains harmonized and non-aggregated LCA model results across life cycle stages, building elements, and building materials to enable detailed analysis, comparisons, and data reuse. It includes over 90 building design and LCA features to assess distributions and trends of material use and environmental impacts. Uniquely, the data were crowd-sourced from designers conducting LCAs of real-world building projects.The dataset is composed of two files:buildings_metadata.xlsx includes all project metadata and LCA parameters for every project associated with a unique index number to cross-reference across other files. This also includes various calculated summaries of LCI and LCIA totals and intensities per project.full_lca_results.xlsx includes LCI and LCIA results per material and life cycle stage of each building project.data_glossary.xlsx identifies and defines each feature of the dataset including its name, data structure, syntax, units, descriptions, and more.material_definitions.xlsx a full list of material groups, types, and descriptions of what they include.This dataset is documented and described in a Data Descriptor, currently under review with a preprint available:Benke et al. A Harmonized Dataset of High-resolution Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment Results in North America, 07 March 2025, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6108016/v1When referencing this work, please cite both the Data Descriptor and the most recent dataset version on this Fighshare DOI.The dataset also appears on the Github repository: https://github.com/Life-Cycle-Lab/wblca-benchmark-v2-data. Access to the code used to prepare this dataset is available on an additional Github repository: https://github.com/Life-Cycle-Lab/wblca-benchmark-v2-data-preparation.Release Notes:2025-02-24 - First public release2025-05-05 - Title revised and two supplementary dataset files added: data_glossary.xlsx and material_definitions.xlsx.

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a comprehensive form of analysis that utilizes the principles of Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Cost Analysis, and various other methods to evaluate the environmental, economic, and social attributes of energy systems ranging from the extraction of raw materials from the ground to the use of the energy carrier to perform work (commonly referred to as the “life cycle” of a product). Results are used to inform research at NETL and evaluate energy options from a National perspective.

The demand for life cycle assessments (LCA) is growing rapidly, which leads to an increasing demand of life cycle inventory (LCI) data. While the LCA community has made significant progress in developing LCI databases for diverse applications, challenges still need to be addressed. This perspective summarizes the current data gaps, transparency, and uncertainty aspects of existing LCI databases. Additionally, we survey and discuss novel techniques for LCI data generation, dissemination, and validation. We propose key future directions for LCI development efforts to address these challenges, including leveraging scientific and technical advances such as the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and blockchain/cloud platforms. Adopting these advanced technologies can significantly improve the quality and accessibility of LCI data, thereby facilitating more accurate and reliable LCA studies.

Supplementary Material for the paper "Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based tools for the eco-design of wooden furniture". The ILCD file can be uploaded on LCA software, where an Ecoinvent database is available. This tool aims to support LCA of wooden furniture, as detailed in the paper.

Supplementary Data 4. Life cycle inventory selection for Food Commodities Intake Database Commodities. This table is provided as an excel file and shows which proxy group or ecoinvent life cycle inventory was used to model the impacts of each of the commodities in the Food Commodities Intake Database (FCID). For example, the commodity almond was modeled using almond production in the US from ecoinvent whereas the commodity acerola was modeled with the proxy group “tree fruit”. This table identifies which commodity impacts were modeled using proxies and the conversion factors applied if the commodity was served raw or cooked.

These workbooks overview the availability of additive data in major LCA databases using the UNEP (2023) comprehensive list of additives with known use in plastics within the EU. SI 1 offers the lists of available data from the LCA databases reviewed and the CAS-RNs reviewed. SI 2 provides a tool that allows users to search for available additive data in their chosen LCA database. SI 3 provides the additive ranges used to assess additive coverage and trends in plastics data in CLA databases. The S4 workbook offers the full review outcomes of the UNEP (2023) additive list. Full details of this review and analysis of the results can be found in the accompanying article.

This excel workbook is a compilation of the major metadata schemas for life cycle assessment. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: LCADomain_MetadataSchema_Inventory_v1_0_2. File Name: LCADomain_MetadataSchema_Inventory_v1_0_2.xlsm

In the Chinese Food Life Cycle Assessment Database (CFLCAD), Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGE) for 80 food items, Water Use (WU) for 93 food items and Land Use (LU) for 50 food items are collected through a literature review. The CFLCAD applies conversion factors for the edible portion of food, food loss ratio and processing, storage, packaging, transportation, and food preparation stages to estimate the environmental footprints of food from production to consumption. Similar food groups and recipes are used to match those food items without LCA value in the Chinese food composition table, resulting in a total of 17 food groups in the database.

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) facilitates the systematic quantitative assessment of products, both goods and services, in terms of environmental, human health, and resource consumption considerations. The full life cycle of a product is taken into account– this includes the supply of raw materials, processing, transport, retail, use, as well as end-of-life waste management.

A quantitative LCA-study requires Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) data on technical processes included in the system under study. Mostly such data are collected on a case-by-case basis with the help of the companies involved.

In LCI databases process data are often organized around a unit process. A unit process describes the produced goods (economic output), consumed goods (economic input) , emitted substances (environmental output) and consumed resources (environmental input). A produced economic output is economic input of the next process in the chain. In this way unit processes are linked to a cradle-to-grave process chain relevant for a specific product.

ECOINVENT is a commercial database that provides well documented unit process data for thousands of products. The database contains both unit process data as also Life Cycle Inventory Results, which present the environmental inputs and outputs of a process chain.

Website: http://www.ecoinvent.org/

A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) spreadsheet tool was developed to analyze potential environmental benefits of a deep direct-use (DDU) geothermal energy system (GES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (U of IL) campus. The LCA spreadsheet tool is a unique contribution to the feasibility study that provides further insight into the cradle-to-grave environmental impacts associated with the GES over the operating life time, as well as other DDU GES with similar objectives. The tool allows for a more in-depth analysis of the feasibility of DDU GES with respect to the overall environmental impacts. For the U of IL assessment, a doublet (two-well) system is evaluated, which is connected to aboveground mechanical system to supply heating to six agricultural research facilities. The additional of new equipment are assessed for the technical and economic feasibility. The results from this study will also allow geothermal resources from the entirety of the Illinois Basin (ILB) to be assessed and allow the DDU technology to be extended to additional areas of the ILB and other low-temperature sedimentary basins with similar characteristics.

This material is part of the free Environmental Performance in Construction (EPiC) Database. The EPiC Database contains embodied environmental flow coefficients for 250+ construction materials using a comprehensive hybrid life cycle inventory approach.Rubber is a highly elastic polymer (elastomer) that can be obtained naturally, or produced synthetically using oil-based production methods. It has a high tensile strength, resistance to fatigue and tearing, abrasion resistance and a high resilience/ability to return to its original shape and size. In addition to this, it has good insulative qualities and adheres well to itself and other materials.There are many different types of synthetic rubber. Most are synthesised from petroleum by-products. Some are produced with distinctive properties or qualities for specific products. In comparison with natural rubber, synthetic rubber is generally tolerant to a broader range of temperatures, is resistant to oil and grease, and ages well against weathering. Natural rubber is favoured for its high performance and low cost, which is not directly tied to the price of petroleum.

Source code of ELDAM (ELsa DAta Manager), a software developed in Python to manage Life Cycle Inventory (LCI). The purpose of ELDAM is to allow better LCI documentation, archiving and exchange by providing a user-friendly, spreadsheet based interface and a complete review procedure. A software with a graphical user interface allows easy conversion from the spreadsheet based format to the SimaPro Life Cycle Assessment software.

This carbon footprint study for fluid milk was commissioned in order to identify where the industry can innovate to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the supply chain. To proactively meet the needs of the marketplace, the U.S. dairy industry is working together to further improve environmental performance in a way that makes good business sense for the entire supply chain. In January 2009, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy -- which represents approximately 80% of the dairy industry -- endorsed a voluntary goal to reduce GHG emissions of fluid milk by 25% by 2020. Based on a preliminary assessment of GHG emissions, a portfolio of ten mitigation projects across the supply chain were launched in 2009. At the same time, the industry commissioned a greenhouse gas life cycle assessment, or carbon footprint study, for fluid milk in order to identify where the industry can innovate to reduce GHG emissions across the supply chain to achieve the greatest gains. The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy selected the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas to conduct the first U.S. national-level fluid milk carbon footprint study, and Michigan Technological University was chosen to assist. The study provides a benchmark to measure the industry’s progress toward achieving its voluntary reduction goal. The data will serve as the foundation for the creation of best practices and decision-support tools for producers, processors and others throughout the dairy supply chain. The data are being released through the USDA -National Agricultural Library's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Digital Commons to provide transparency in the project and allow LCA practitioners working in the dairy industry access to the data to use and build upon. This study was limited to GHG emissions in order to estimate a carbon footprint for U.S. dairy operations (fluid milk). The study follows International Organization for Standardization (ISO) protocols to provide credibility, transparency and objectivity of the methods, data, and results. Part of the ISO compliance is an external review by a panel of LCA and agricultural experts. Their full review is included as an appendix to the main report, which is included in the link below. Fully ISO-compliant life cycle assessments are required to include additional environmental impact areas such as water quality, air quality, and/or human health, for example; interpretation of the results presented in this document, and more importantly, actions taken in response to the reported results should be used with caution because GHG emissions represent only a single dimension of the environmental impacts of fluid milk production. The Innovation Center is commissioning further studies to expand this work to include other environmental impact categories. Similarly, the unit processes in the database released here were developed specifically to measure the GHG emissions of fluid milk produced in the United States. Practitioners should use caution if using the upstream processes, developed here, outside the context of U.S. fluid milk production. The upstream processes developed in this project were developed for a specific purpose and were developed using industry specific information. The data may not be applicable outside of the context of this project. The National Agricultural Library and the University of Arkansas are currently collaborating to release the new product flows that stand alone developed through this project individually in the LCA Digital Commons. The complete project data are available at the links below. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Dairy Innovation - OLCA. File Name: Dairy_Innovation_OLCA_1_3.zipResource Description: Data files that contain processes, systems, and style sheets.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has grown rapidly and is now well established within the electronics industry. The growing number of journal publications, conferences, and special issues is a proof for the same. A number of literature reviews have been published till now in this area focusing on different aspects. This study has identified 134 significant journal articles to conduct a systematic and narrative literature review. This review covers a wide range of product categories and analyzes the usefulness of LCA as a decision-making tool within the electronics industry which has not been explored fully in previous reviews conducted in this area of research. For this purpose, we organized LCA studies into 10 main product categories. A narrative review was employed to summarize the significant findings from the LCA studies. Although the central objective of all the studies was to evaluate the environmental impact created by the product, the focus and methods employed differed. A systematic review was used to categorize the overall frameworks used in the studies. The studies were classified based on their research purpose, types of approach, LCIA methods used, system boundaries involved, data collection methods, and data analysis levels. Within the subcategory of research purpose, three research domains were identified and the studies were classified accordingly. Generally it has been revealed that use phase, end of life, and production phase are the dominant phases in that order. However discrepancies occur owing to functional units, data usage, and assumptions made. All these and more make benchmarking difficult. Finally we identified gaps that merit attention in future research. It is also hoped that this review is a good resource for anyone interested in doing research on LCA of electronic products, helping them identify current research trends, provide suggestions for future research, and stimulate interest in creating new research directions.

Life Cycle Assessment Service Market Outlook

The global Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Service market size was valued at USD 1.5 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 4.8 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.3% during the forecast period. The market is driven by the increasing awareness and implementation of sustainability practices across various industries, as companies strive to minimize their environmental footprints and comply with stringent regulatory frameworks. The growing emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the necessity for transparency in environmental reporting are also significant growth factors for the LCA service market.

One of the primary growth factors for the LCA service market is the rising demand for sustainable practices and eco-friendly products. Industries are increasingly seeking methods to evaluate the environmental impacts of their entire production processes. This necessity is further amplified by consumer demand for greener products and services, pushing companies to adopt LCA services to identify areas for improvement and innovation. As more businesses acknowledge the economic benefits of sustainability, the LCA market is poised for substantial growth.

Another critical factor contributing to market growth is the strict regulatory landscape surrounding environmental protection. Governments worldwide are implementing rigorous environmental regulations and standards, compelling industries to reduce their carbon emissions and environmental footprint. Life Cycle Assessments provide the necessary data and analysis to help companies meet these legal requirements. The pressure to adhere to such regulations is particularly high in regions like Europe and North America, where environmental legislation is stringent, thereby driving the demand for LCA services.

Technological advancements and the integration of artificial intelligence and big data analytics into LCA methodologies are also propelling market growth. These technological innovations enhance the accuracy and efficiency of life cycle assessments, making them more accessible and cost-effective for businesses of all sizes. The ability to process large volumes of data quickly and accurately allows companies to make informed decisions about their sustainability strategies, further encouraging the adoption of LCA services.

In the context of the evolving market, the integration of Sustainability Systems has become increasingly crucial. These systems provide a structured approach for organizations to manage and improve their environmental, social, and economic performance. By adopting comprehensive sustainability systems, companies can streamline their processes, enhance resource efficiency, and reduce waste. This not only helps in meeting regulatory requirements but also aligns with the growing consumer demand for transparency and accountability. As businesses strive to integrate sustainability into their core operations, the role of structured systems becomes indispensable, driving the demand for Life Cycle Assessment services.

Regionally, the Life Cycle Assessment Service market exhibits varied growth patterns. North America and Europe are leading markets due to their advanced regulatory environments and high adoption rates of sustainable practices. Asia Pacific is emerging as a significant market, driven by rapid industrialization, urbanization, and growing environmental awareness. The Middle East & Africa and Latin America also show promising growth potential as governments and industries in these regions increasingly recognize the importance of sustainability and environmental protection.

Service Type Analysis

The Life Cycle Assessment Service market can be segmented by service type into Product Life Cycle Assessment, Corporate Life Cycle Assessment, and Comparative Life Cycle Assessment. Each segment serves a unique purpose, catering to different needs within the industry. Product Life Cycle Assessment focuses on evaluating the environmental impacts of individual products throughout their entire lifecycle, from raw material extraction to disposal. This service is particularly beneficial for manufacturers looking to improve product design, reduce waste, and enhance overall sustainability.

Corporate Life Cycle Assessment, on the other hand, examines the environmental performance of a company as a whole, including its operations, supply chains, and product portfo

This dataset contains the complete inventory data for direct import and re-use in LCA software (ILCD and JSON-ID format; exported from openLCA), together with a short manual about the import and use of the provided LCI datasets in openLCA. Additionally, the modified and parametrized LCI data are also provided in tabulated form (supplementary information document). The LCI data are based on ecoinvent 3.71., and eventually require update for use with more recenzt ei databases (re-linking of providers / flows). Import into openLCA using the JSON-LD format should maintain all default providers except those that suffered changes between the ei versions