LCA Databases in SimaPro

To quickly build and analyze your LCA model, you need transparent, high quality, widely accepted inventory data for most commonly used materials and processes. PRé is able to offer you a wide range of such data, including the well known Swiss ecoinvent database.

The following inventory or LCA databases are included or available for SimaPro 7:

Ecoinvent v1 and Ecoinvent v2 (v2 available November 2007)
US Input Output database
Danish Input Output database
Dutch Input Output database
Industry data
LCA food database
ETH-ESU 96
BUWAL 250
IDEMAT 2001
Franklin US LCI database
Data archive
IVAM database

The ecoinvent v1 database with over 2700 processes is included in all new professional SimaPro licenses, with the option to include v2 with a special early bird discount .

Descriptions of impact assessment methods in SimaPro are also available.

Ecoinvent database

Focus: General purpose database with over 2700 industrial processes. Data are included as unit processes and calculated results (systems). The unit processes contain uncertainty data, to allow Monte Carlo Analysis. Data are available for the following sectors:

Energy
Transport
Building Materials
Chemicals
Washing agents
Paper & board
Agriculture
Waste Management

Source: Ecoinvent centre, Switzerland. Licensed database.

Availability: Ecoinvent v1 and v2 are included in all professional SimaPro 7.1 versions (except 2 month licenses) and is available as add-on database for educational users.

The new Ecoinvent v2 will be available November. A package of v1 and v2 is available for new educational users. Current ecoinvent v1 users can buy ecoinvent v2 with an attractive discount.

Documentation: the reports (PDF) below are made available by the eco-invent centre for public dissemination. They are only a small part of all data documentation available on the ecoinvent CD-ROM. Note that the full documentation is partially in the German language.

US Input Output database

Focus: Input-output database on 481 sectors of the US economy.

The US input-output (IO) database consist of a commodity matrix from 1998, supplemented with data for capital goods. The IO commodity matrix is linked to a large environmental intervention matrix.

Environmental data have been compiled using several data sources: Toxic Releases Inventory 98 (TRI), Air Quality Planning and Standard (AIRS) data of the US EPA, Energy information administration (EIA) data of the US dep. of energy, Bureau of economic analysis (BEA) data of the US Department of Commerce (DOC), National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy (NCFAP) and World Resource Institute (WRI).

With the use of the above databases, the impacts from small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and diffuse sources such as transport have been added to the environmental intervention matrix.

Source: CML, University of Leiden, The Netherlands Licensed database.

Availability: included in all SimaPro versions.

Download the US Input Output Database Manual (PDF, 1.8 MB)

Danish Input Output database

Focus: Input-output database on the Danish economy.

This Danish input output database is based on the Danish statistical data (NAMEA) for 1999. A number of modifications and improvements have been made to these basic data in order to make them more relevant for LCA purposes.

Source: 2.0 LCA Consultants, Denmark.

Availability: included in all SimaPro versions.

Download the Danish Input Output Database Manual (PDF, 1.8 MB)

Dutch Input Output database

Focus: Economic Input Output database, for use on it own or in hybrid LCA studies.

Starting point was an overview of how the average consumer distributes its spending over 350 categories, such as buying tomatoes, driving to work and maintaining the garden. A link was made between these categories and the economic sectors. The economic input output table was used to trace the trade flows between these sectors.

We also introduced foreign input output tables for the OECD and non OECD regions. This allows us to actually trace the impact of goods produced outside the Netherlands.

Source: own data collection, as part of a project for the Dutch goverment.