Automation of data import and LCA calculation

ESU has developed an approach to automatically calculate LCA, PCF and EPD results. Therefore, we import data for several hundreds or thousands of products and services from your data management software to SimaPro, calculate environmental impact scores automatically and feed them back to your data management software. Together with the full-fledged LCA software, this offers unique possibilities for automation and analysis of LCA data.

Advantages of our approach to automize LCA

• High data-security: Data is stored locally and software is installed /runs on-premise.
• Full transparency and access to up-and downstream processes/background-data
• Full control over data for the whole product life cycle due to linking to ecoinvent unit processes -->no black box as in aggregated "system processes"
• In-depth analysis through comparisons, hotspot-, scenario- and uncertainty-assessments available in the professional SimaPro software.

Proposal for starting the automation

Typically, companies produce or sell different products and services and therefore also need different inputs and related data structures and nomenclature for these inputs materials. Additionally, they are interested in different impact indicators and therefore need different calculation routines, e.g. for automated EPD- or PCF-reporting. This means, a customer-specific implementation is needed to automatically calculate LCA results. For such a customized implementation, a 3-step approach is proposed:

Step 1: Proof of concept for linking your data to SimaPro

In a kick-off meeting, the goal and scope of the automatization project are defined. Then, ESU-services receives a data export from your ERP-, CAD- or other data management software and adjusts their macro-tool and a matching-list for automated modelling and results-reporting. The results and findings are then presented in a follow-up meeting.

Step 2: Refinement of automatic data import

The Macro-/Excel-Tool is extended with additional matching and functionalities for direct use by the customer. This is tested with a bulk-import of life cycle inventory data for e.g. 10 products /product types. Additionally, templates for reporting might be generated and all necessary steps for the usage of the tool will be documented in a user manual.

Step 3 (optional): Full automatization of data entry and result calculation in LCA

If steps 1 and 2 work as requested, the SimaPro COM-interface might be used directly for bidirectional exchange of data and results with SimaPro. To set this up, collaboration with experts for the customers data management software / ERP-system is required.

Please contact us to discuss your specific needs and to get an offer.