Impact assessment methods

• ReCiPe
• Eco-indicator 99
• Eco-indicator 95
• CML 92
• CML 2 (2000)
• EDIP/UMIP
• EPS 2000
• Ecopoints 97
• Impact 2002+
• TRACI
• EPD method
• Cumulative Energy Demand
• IPCC Greenhouse gas emissions

More impact assessment methods will be added over time. 

Download the Methods Manual (PDF, 0.6 MB) for a concise overview of the methods in SimaPro.

Eco-indicator 99

The Eco-indicator 99 method comes in three versions, the Egalitarian, Individualist and the Hierarchist (default) versions. Normalisation and weighting are performed at damage category level (endpoint level in ISO terminology).

Three damage categories are used:

1) Human Health (unit: DALY= Disability adjusted life years; this means different disability caused by diseases are weighted)
2) Ecosystem Quality (unit: PDF*m2yr; PDF= Potentially Disappeared Fraction of plant species)
3) Resources (unit: MJ surplus energy= Additional energy requirement to compensate lower future ore grade)

Damage assessment step means that the impact category indicator results that are calculated in the Characterisation step, are added to form damage categories. Addition without weighting is justified here because all impact categories that refer to the same damage type (like human health) have the same unit (for instance DALY). This procedure can also be interpreted as grouping.
The damage categories (and not the impact categories) are normalised on an European level (damage caused by 1 European per year), mostly using 1993 as base year, with some updates for the most important emissions. Please note that the normalisation set is dependent on the perspective chosen.

The normalised damage categories can also be used with the triangle tool that is build into SimaPro. This is useful if two products are to be compared without weighting, in case the damage indicators for Product A and B are conflicting (A is higher on Human health and B is higher on Ecosystem Quality). In such a case the answer is dependent on the weighting factors for Ecosystem quality, Resources and Human health.

The triangle must be understood as a way to show all possible combinations of weighting factors (represented as a percentage in such a way that they add up to 100%). If damage categories have conflicting values, the triangle will display two areas. One area represents all weighting sets for which product A has a lower environmental load, the other area will represent all weighting sets for which B has a lower load than A.

Includes:  characterization, damage assessment, normalization and evaluation

Source: Eco-indicator 99, Methodology report. Download

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Eco-indicator 95

The Eco-indicator 95 method was developed under the Dutch NOH programme by PRé consultants in a joined project with Philips Consumer Electronics, NedCar (Volvo/Mitshubishi), Océ Copiers, Schuurink, CML Leiden, TU-Delft, IVAM-ER (Amsterdam) and CE Delft.

The characterisation conforms with the CML 92 method; however the toxicity scores are specified into heavy metals, carcinogenic substances, pesticides and winter smog.

Normalisation is based on 1990 levels for Europe excl. former USSR.  Weighting is based on distance to target. Criteria for target levels are:
- one excess death per million per year
- 5% ecosystem degradation.
- avoidance of smog periods

Includes:  characterization, normalization and evaluation

Source: Eco-indicator 95, Final report. Download

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CML method 1992

One of the first LCA methods available.

Includes:  characterization, normalization

Source: Centre for Environmental Studies (CML), University of Leiden, 1992.

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CML 2 baseline method (2000)

The CML 2 baseline method elaborates the problem-oriented (midpoint) approach. The CML Guide provides a list of impact assessment categories grouped into:

1. Obligatory impact categories (Category indicators used in most LCAs).
2. Additional impact categories (operational indicators exist, but are not often included in LCA studies).
3. Other impact categories (no operational indicators available, therefore impossible to include quantitatively in LCA).
   
   In case several methods are available for obligatory impact categories, a baseline indicator is selected, based on the principle of best available practice. These baseline indicators are category indicators at "mid-point level" (problem oriented approach). Baseline indicators are recommended for simplified studies. The guide provides guidelines for inclusion of other methods and impact category indicators in case of detailed studies and extended studies.
   Only baseline indicators are available in the CML method in SimaPro.

Includes:  characterization, normalization

Source: Centre for Environmental Studies (CML), University of Leiden, 2001. More information on http://www.leidenuniv.nl/interfac/cml/ssp/lca2/index.html

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EDIP/UMIP

The EDIP method (Environmental Design of Industrial Products, in Danish UMIP) was developed in 1996.

Includes:  characterization, normalization, weighting

Source: Institute for Product Development, Technical University of Denmark. The reports are published as books:

• Environmental Assessment of Products.
  Volume 1 (methodology, tools and case studies in product development) Henrik Wenzel, Michael Hauschild and Leo Alting
  Chapman and Hall, 1997, ISBN 0 412 80800 5
  See http://www.wkap.nl/book.htm/0-7923-7859-8
• Environmental Assessment of Products.
  Volume 2 (scientific background)
  Michael Hauschild and Henrik Wenzel
  Chapman and Hall, 1998, ISBN 0 412 80810 2
  See http://www.wkap.nl/book.htm/0-412-80810-2

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EPS 2000

Environmental Priority Strategies in product design (default methodology).

The EPS system is mainly aimed to be a tool for a company's internal product development process. The top-down development of the EPS system has led to an outspoken hierarchy among its principles and rules. The general principles of its development are:

1. The top-down principle (highest priority is given to the usefulness of the system)
2. The index principle (ready made indices represent weighted and aggregated impacts)
3. The default principle (an operative method as default is required)
4. The uncertainty principle (uncertainty of input data has to be estimated)
5. Choice of default data and models to determine them

The EPS 2000 default method is an update of the 1996 version. The impact categories are identified from five safe guard subjects: human health, ecosystem production capacity, abiotic stock resource, biodiversity and cultural and recreational values.

Includes:  characterization, damage assessment and evaluation

Source: Chalmers University of Technology, Technical Environmental Planning, Centre for Environmental Assessment of Products and Material Systems.

Bengt Steen (1999), A systematic approach to environmental strategies in product development (EPS). Version 2000 - General system characteristics.  CPM report 1999:4.

Download as PDF file (246 kB)

Bengt Steen (1999) A systematic approach to environmental strategies in product development (EPS). Version 2000 - Models and data of the default methods. CPM report 1999:5.

Download as PDF file (1140 kB)

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Ecopoints 1997

Includes:  characterization, normalization and evaluation

Source: A. Braunschweig et al. Bewertung in Ökobilanzen mit der Methode der ökologischen Knappheit. Ökofaktoren 1997, Methodik Für Oekobilanzen. Buwal Schriftenreihe Umwelt Nr 297, 1998.

A free report, in German only, can be downloaded via   http://www.umwelt-schweiz.ch

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EPD method

This method is to be used for the creation of Environmental Product Declarations or (EPD's) following the recommendations of the Swedish Environmental Management Council (SEMC). Note this is a preliminary version.

In standard EPD's one only has to report on the following impact categories:

• Gross Calorific Values (GVC) (also referred to as the "Higher Heating Values")
• Greenhouse gases
• Ozone depleting gases
• Acidifying compounds
• Gases creating ground-level ozone (Photochemical Ozone creation)
• Eutrophicating compounds

Specific product category guidelines may require extra information.

Except for the Gross Calorific Value (GVC) impact categories, all impact categories are taken directly from the CML 2 baseline 2000 method, also found in SimaPro (we used release 2.03). Please note that there are some differences between the SimaPro implementation and the EPD document for the Gross Calorific Values. See the methods section in the Database manuals (available under the Help menu)

Includes:  characterization 

Source:   "Revision of the EPD®system into an International EPD®" We used the draft version that was to be commented before March 2007, but that was still on the site when we compiled this method in June 2007. It is possible the final version will have other characterization factors. More information on www.environdec.com.

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TRACI

US Method, developed by the US EPA. Currently only contains characterization, normalization data are expected soon.

Includes:  characterization (preliminary version),

Source: TRACI web site

http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/std/sab/traci

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Impact 2002+

IMPACT 2002+ version is mainly a combination between IMPACT 2002 (Pennington et al. 2005), Eco-indicator 99, CML 2000 and IPCC.

Includes:  characterization, damage assessment, normalization and evaluation

Source:  The supporting documents for IMPACT 2002+ (Jolliet et al. 2003, Humbert et al. 2005) and the factors can be downloaded from http://www.epfl.ch/impact

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Cumulative Energy Demand (CED)

Calculates the total (primary) energy use through a life cycle based (HHV). Based on the method published by ecoinvent and expanded by PRé Consultants for energy resources available in SimaPro.

Includes: Characterisation. Weighting is used to show results by type of resource (all factors 1).  

Sources:

• Frischknecht R., Jungbluth N., et.al. (2003). Implementation of Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methods. Final report ecoinvent 2000
  Swiss Centre for LCI. Duebendorf, Switzerland

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IPCC Greenhouse gas emissions

IPCC characterization factors for direct global warming potential of airborne emissions. Three time perspectives are included: 20, 100 and 500 years.

Includes: Characterisation.

Sources:

• Frischknecht R., Jungbluth N., et.al. (2003). Implementation of Life Cycle Impact Assessment Methods. Final report ecoinvent 2000
  Swiss Centre for LCI. Duebendorf, Switzerland
• Climate Change 2001. IPCC Third Assessment Report. The Scientific Basis.
  (www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar)
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
  

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