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How to use this manual

This manual focuses on openLCA 2.0, our latest version of the software. It elaborates on the
new features and explains how to carry out the first steps in working with openLCA such as
installation and importing databases. Further, this document provides an overview of openLCA
operations and features including descriptions of how to use them.

This manual is generated with mdBook and allows you to navigate through the book chapters:

The left sidebar displays all chapters. Clicking on a chapter title loads to that specific page.

The sidebar may not automatically appear if the display window is too narrow, especially on
mobile screens. In this case, you can tap the menu icon (three horizontal bars) at the top-left
corner to open and close the sidebar.

You can use the arrows buttons at the bottom of the page to navigate to the previous or next
chapter. Additionally, the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard serve the same purpose.

To enhance your reading and learning experience, we made the manual sections collapsible,
allowing a customized exploration of topics based on your preferences.

The top menu bar presents icons for interacting with the book. The icons displayed will depend
on the book’s generation setting.

Icon Description
Opens and closes the chapter listing sidebar.
Opens a picker to choose a different color theme.
Opens a search bar for searching within the book.
Instructs the web browser to print the entire book.
► Opens the collapsible sections

Tapping the top bar will scroll the page to the top.

In some chapters we use collapse sections. You can open them by clicking on the respective
icon ▶.

Collapsible section

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Latest manual updates

In this section you can check what the major manual updates were about and when they were
released.

03.07.2024
Novel "soda4LCA" feature is described now in the EPD section
Updated the "Regionalization" section
Added a description on how to model and use allocation for recycling
Added an explanation on the existing LCIA methods and their scope
Added a description on how to add characterisation factors

25.04.2024
Minor updates

19.03.2024
Added "Exporting product systems" section.
Added "Constants, operators and functions for formulas in openLCA" section.
Minor updates

15.02.2024
Added note on ILCD import in EPD section
Minor updates

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08.01.2024
EPD chapter improved with the new section "Calculate impact assessment", where you
can find the different possible ways to calculate the impact assessment in EPD format.
Minor updates

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Introduction
Welcome to the openLCA 2 manual. This manual aims to assist you in conducting sustainability
assessments effectively, with openLCA.

Comments and feedback are welcome! You can write to us at manual-

[email protected].

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Why openLCA was started

We started developing openLCA in 2007; a super-long German startup incubation project
preparation in the end led to nothing (we needed to specify the number of trainings we will
have five years after the project start, per quarter, etc., and were then offered half a million €
but only as a loan, to the same conditions as if obtained from a bank, which we declined). But
we also had submitted an abstract to the ecobalance conference in Japan, where we presented
the idea, and mentioned that we are looking for budget to start. To our surprise, after the
presentation, CEOs of PRé and of ecoinvent came and asked how much we need. We did not
ask for much, but this funding enabled us to start, initially with a format converter but then also
with an LCA software.

Why we started openLCA is contained in this early presentation, and is still valid today:

Slide 4 of the presentation.

Every sustainability ("sust.") life cycle assessment decision is based on results obtained from a
model, which in turn uses data. Software is responsible for taking data, feeding it to a model,
and for producing a result from the model.

So, software is fundamental for decision support.

Software has influence on:

What models can be built;

How models can be built;

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Which methods can be applied (for calculation; impact assessment; data quality
assessment; uncertainty assessment; interpretation; …);
Which results are easily and not so easily accessible; and on
How results are presented

Having written other Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) software before, we thought that writing a
new LCA software is something we can do. It should not be a cheap and simplified software,
however, but a high performance, flexible software, able to model any LCA, not limited to one
sector or product type. And it should be open source, for one to offer something different, but
also, to overcome a true bottleneck of LCA: with the specialised software being really
expensive, apart from promotional licenses for universities, many could not afford using
dedicated LCA software, and many thus could not apply LCA.

First release of the format converter was 2007, first release of the openLCA LCA software was
2008. Open Source license was Mozilla, so a quite soft, unaggressive license. Andreas Ciroth
designed the logo and icons, Michael Srocka led the software development.

The first format converter logo and splash screen looked like this:

the first openlca lca software ("openlca framework") looked like this:

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openLCA now
Since its start, openLCA has seen a lot of modifications, extensions, and revisions. In May 2023,
after about 15 previous releases, we decided to call the new version "2.0" due to its major
improvements, lots of new features, and changes, in usability and design.

openLCA today is a best-in-class LCA software, still open source, most widely used, worldwide.
The format conversion feature, initially a separate tool, has been integrated into the import and
export of openLCA, which now supports a wide variety of import and export formats. For LCA
modelling, openLCA offers all features a sophisticated LCA model will need, being large or
small. Economic and social assessments over the life cycle are possible as well, making
openLCA a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment software.

An API with extensive documentation allows connection with and integration into other IT
systems. openLCA supports in-application scripts, as SQL or Python, for automating modelling
and data routines. Validation procedures in the software check for flaws in data and models.

And further, openLCA today is not only the desktop application, but also the LCA Collaboration
Server, which supports collaboration in teams, using openLCA, and the server version, which
allows deployment in cloud systems. All three work nicely together.

Some things remain, since the beginning, and the biggest constant is probably the idea of an
independent, aware user that does not need to be patronized. openLCA is flexible. Unlike
SimaPro, e.g., we do not have hardwired top categories, we do not require users to always
(pretend to) have complete supply chains, we allow using different reference flow
nomenclatures, we allow importing also incomplete and imperfect data. The openLCA desktop
version is a powerful tool, and not a "press a button" software for half-informed users.

With scripts, it is possible to change data.

But, in recent versions and especially in version 2, extensive validation routines point users to
potential issues in data, and further, entire databases and models can be turned into write-
protected libraries. And even, to round off openLCA’s use cases, the server version with
webtool offers the possibility of a "click a button" software for half-informed users, with a
preconfigured openLCA model.

There are only a few aspects openLCA requires. openLCA always requires that a flow that
connects two processes in a life cycle is identical, meaning that you cannot, as it is possible e.g.
in the software fka GaBi, connect apples with oranges. openLCA also requires a quantitative
reference for each process.

One thing, however, developed differently than planned; we had thought, that a community of
software developers will emerge "around" openLCA. While there were some attempts, so far,
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our own development was more focused and faster than other contributions; we also did not
spend a lot of effort on community hackathons – focus is development and maintenance of a
superior software. Here, our friends from brightway have followed a slightly different
approach. We are very open for good contributions from others, however, if you are interested.

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What you can do with openLCA

In a nutshell, openLCA is a tool for modelling and assessing life cycles, performing Life Cycle
Assessments (LCAs). This covers modelling the life cycle in a narrow sense, by connecting
processes visually or via tables, assessing them, regarding environmental, economic or social
impacts, and analysing these results for the identification of hotspots. Also comparisons of
products are possible, and also assessments and comparisons of organisations.

Many different "variants" of life cycle models are possible in openLCA, for example:

Carbon footprints according to the GHG protocol, or ISO 14067

LCA studies according to ISO 14040
LCA studies in line with the Environmental Footprint approach of the European
Commission
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) in line with EN15804
Screening LCIA studies
Organisational LCA studies
Life Cycle Costing studies
Social LCA studies

And so on.

Linked to this core use of openLCA, you can also import and export data, create and modify life
cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods, collaborate within a team, and many more things.

The idea for this manual is to exactly describe, and guide through, these different use cases
and applications.

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GreenDelta GmbH - about the developer

GreenDelta has been the developer of openLCA from the beginning. Apart from developing
openLCA, GreenDelta is are involved in sustainability research, consultancy services, case
studies, database development and the development of various other tools.

Visit us at www.greendelta.com!

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openLCA 2 - new features

In our latest release, openLCA 2, we gave openLCA a fresh visual and technical update.
Explore a variety of new features, including:

Improved model graph: The improved model graph allows direct modelling within the
graph interface, offering greater flexibility and user-friendliness. Moreover, users can
customise the graph’s appearance using various present and editable themes.
Updated Design & Dark Mode: The application’s design has been refreshed and now
also include a dark mode, providing a visually appealing interface that reduces eye strain
in low-light environments. Our dark mode seamlessly follows the mode set for your entire
system.
Improved Calculation Speed: We optimized openLCA calculations, leading to faster
processing and better overall performance. You’ll experience shorter waiting time to
obtain results.
Accelerated Calculations with Data Libraries: The system uses data libraries to boost
calculation speed, allowing even quicker and more efficient analyses.
Direct Work with Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs): Users can now import
and create EPDs directly within the system, streamlining the workflow and eliminating the
need for extra tools or manual processes.
LCIA Methods: The structure of the LCIA methods has been improved, especially by
turning impact categories into independent entities.
Enhanced Results Visualization: We improved the visualization options, including a
Sankey diagram and the possibility to view, edit and compose a product system on a
schematic platform. Users can also export a contribution tree with a chosen number of
levels for detailed analysis.
Improved and Faster Regionalized Calculations: Regionalized calculations have been
significantly improved, making the process of calculating environmental impacts for
specific regions much faster.
LCA Collaboration Server 2.0: The collaboration server has been upgraded to version
2.0, offering enhanced features for smooth collaboration, data sharing, and project
management among multiple users.
Parameters: Now it is possible to create parameter sets in product systems to perform
scenario modelling. Is it also possible to update uncertainty values in the global
parameter table, and redefine parameter across the database by modifying the global
parameter values, among other available options.
Enhanced Script Writing: The system’s API has new utility functions accessible via an
internal Python editor, making it easier to write scripts and customize the application
more efficiently.

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Script storage: It is now possible to store scripts as global scripts or exclusively within the
database.
Waste flow impact direction: A new functionality allows the user to specify the impact
direction as either "Input" or "Output" for every impact category available.
Additional Information through "Tags": Users can now add extra information to
different system components using tags, making it easier to organize and retrieve specific
data or analysis.

Extra features to enhance your experience:

Experimental theming support for product systems

Project result page now mirrors that of product systems
Improved calculation setup and options for projects
Experimental feature to prefer links within the same location
Uncertainty distribution parameters in the global parameter table
Monte Carlo simulations for the direct calculations
ecoinvent geographies added directly to reference data
Total requirements section of a product
Export and import of libraries
Management of default mapping via navigation

Features for improved performance:

Improved import/export functionalities

Faster and extended database validations
Updating links in the product system
Calculation of upstream trees via olca-ipc.py

Technical features:

CSS theming for graphical editor

Availability of more gRPC functions
Inclusion of a Java 16 runtime environment

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How to get openLCA running

The fastest way to get openLCA is to download the (zip/dmg/tar.gz) archive or the installer
(Windows). The installation process for openLCA differs slightly depending on whether you are
using Windows, Mac, or Linux.

In this section you'll discover system requirements, installation instructions, and initial setup
steps for running openLCA on your system.mdbook.

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Hardware requirements
Hardware requirements for openLCA vary based on LCA model complexity. For optimal
performance, a faster processor and more RAM are recommended. Here are the minimum
system requirements:

Windows
CPU with 2 GHz or higher
6-20 GB RAM, depending on the background database and model size (6 GB for ecoinvent
2, 20 GB for PSILCA)
500 MB free hard disk space + space for databases (e.g. ecoinvent 3 requires ~250MB)

Linux
CPU with 2 GHz or higher
5-15 GB RAM, depending on the background database and model size (6 GB for ecoinvent
2, 20 GB for PSILCA)500 MB free hard disk space + space for databases (e.g. ecoinvent 3
requires ~250MB)

macOS
CPU with 2 GHz or higher
5-15 GB RAM, depending on the background database and model size (5 GB for ecoinvent
2, 15 GB for PSILCA)500 MB free hard disk space + space for databases (e.g. ecoinvent 3
requires ~250MB)

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Download and installation

openLCA natively runs in Linux, Mac, and Windows. For all operation systems, you can
download the respective archive (zip/dmg/tar.gz). For Windows, there is also an installer. Using
the zip archive in Windows is typically more convenient than the classic installation in Windows.
It is quick and easy and the least "intrusive" method, helping you maintaining a clean system.

To get openLCA running, first step is to download openLCA from the download page (via
openLCA.org). The installation process then slightly differs depending on your operating system
-Windows, Mac, or Linux. Below, there are instructions for setting up openLCA on your specific
platform.

openLCA download/installation options: Zip-extraction and direct execution or full installation

Regardless of the installation approach you choose, there will be no difference in the
program's performance.

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Launching openLCA from an archive (zip,tar.gz,dmg)

Windows

Once you have downloaded the zip archive, simply extract the content, launch the
openLCA.exe, and the program will start running.

A decompressed ZIP file

If you have enabled smart screen on newer Windows system, a warning will pop up that
Microsoft does not know the organisation issuing the software. You can safely press "install
anyway" and proceed.

If you are not an admin on your computer, extract the zip file to a folder where you have write
access, for example your user directory.

With the zip installation, you can have multiple openLCA installations and versions that coexist
without conflicts on your computer. This allows you also to run multiple versions of openLCA
simultaneously. However, be mindful of the storage space requirements. Uninstalling, btw.,
simply means to delete the respective folder and its subfolders that you created from the zip
archive.

Mac OS

To install openLCA 2 on your MacOS system, begin by double-clicking the downloaded

DMGImage. This action will open a window where you can conveniently drag-and-drop the
openLCA2 application (the .app file located on the left side) into the applications folder of your
MacOS system (located on the right side). Once the app is successfully installed, you can launch
it either by using the Launchpad or by navigating to the "Applications" folder using the Finder.

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Installation for Mac OS

Linux

Extract the tar.gz into your home folder and double-click on the executable to run openLCA.

Running openLCA with installation (only Windows)

Windows: Download the installer file from the download page of the openLCA website and run
it. You can choose whether openLCA will be available only for the user who installs it, or for
anybody working on the computer. For the installation, you will need admin rights. The folder
where openLCA stores its databases will be created for the user who is running the installation.

It is therefore not a good idea to ask an admin to install openLCA via the installer when you are
not the admin yourself, since you will not have access to the database folder afterwards, and
also not to the folder where openLCA stores the configuration file, which means you will not be
able to change the settings after the installation.

Note: You must first uninstall previous versions of openLCA.

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Setup screen for installation in Windows

Follow the installation steps to the end and you can begin working with openLCA.

Note: If you encounter any issue with Windows Defender preventing you on installing openLCA,
please have a look here (https://support.bemopro.com/hc/en-us/articles/11450999280531-
Microsoft-Defender-SmartScreen-blocking-program-installation).

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Adjust memory
After the installation, openLCA can use a quite moderate amount of memory (RAM) from your
computer, to allow use and installation on many, also weaker, computers. It is typically useful,
however, to expand the memory, especially if you plan to use modern, larger background
databases such as ecoinvent 3. The approach for expanding the memory is slightly different in
Windows and Apple systems. Check please the minimum requirements for allocated memory
here (#link); as a general rule, 16GB RAM is sufficient.

Note: You cannot allocate more memory than what is installed on your computer. You need to
leave some memory for the operation system and other software as well. In order to see the
available memory, check e.g the task manager in Windows.

Expanding memory under Windows

To increase memory allocation on Windows, open "File" then "Preferences" and the tab
"Configuration". Here you can select the maximum memory usage. It is recommended to
increase this value for calculating very complex product systems. In the picture below, we show
how to assign 30 GB to openLCA on a system that has 64 GB of accessible memory.

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Preferences Configuration

Note: Any changes made to the configuration settings will require to restart openLCA in order
to apply.

Expanding memory under macOS

Note: This procedure is new with openLCA 2 (old version below)!

To increase the memory allocation on a Mac, start by launching openLCA. Then after clicking on
"File" open "Preferences".

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How to access the "Preferences" in openLCA under macOS

Note: It is NOT under "openLCA" and "Settings"! And then the tab "Configuration":

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Preferences Configuration

Adjust your memory accordingly!

macOS (old procedure)

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Download fast libraries

For openLCA 2.0.2 or earlier

openLCA uses fast numerical libraries (UMFPACK, openBLAS, etc., for the nerds). These,
however, are publicly available with an aggressive open source license that prevents us from
distributing them together with openLCA. To bring these into openLCA, you will need to install
them yourself. To do so, simply click on the "make the calculation in openLCA faster" banner on
the welcome page in openLCA.

How to access fast libraries

This will download and install the libraries, in the openLCA database folder. You need to restart
openLCA afterwards, and the banner will disappear.

In the openLCA log file, accessible via help / Open log file in openLCA, you will find an entry
such as:

Confirming a successful installation. These libraries make openLCA 5-10 times faster than the
default java libraries.

Having completed these steps, you are good to work with openLCA.

For openLCA 2.0.3 and later releases

Since openLCA 2.0.3, we’re thrilled to announce a significant improvement in the user
experience. Through the incorporation of the Intel Math Kernel Library (MKL), we have
removed the necessity to download the supplementary UMFPACK library for accelerated
calculations. MKL stands as an optimized and efficient library for mathematical and scientific
computations.

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Please, note that openLCA 2.0.3 with the previous math libraries can still be downloaded from
openLCA.org.

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Resources
Stay updated on the latest developments by visiting our openLCA blog, where we share insights
on new releases, bug fixes, and other relevant topics.

Explore also our LinkedIn page, LinkedIn group, YouTube account, and Twitter account where
you’ll find updates and a wide range of tutorials.

For manual-related inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected].

In this section of the manual you'll find further information about:

openLCA.org
openLCA Nexus
ask.openLCA

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openLCA.org
Our website offers a range of services for both new and existing openLCA users. you can find
download links for the software, source code, openLCA LCIA Method Pack, case studies, user
manuals, and links to instructional videos. Go and check out our Learning & Support section.

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openLCA Nexus
openLCA is a free and open source software. However, many LCA databases are not for free.
GreenDelta has created openLCA Nexus, an online repository for making LCA data available to
users. It contains free and "for purchase" data. Some are shown in the image below.

Moreover, the Nexus website allows you to search for data sets in Nexus. It is also possible to
filter data sets by the data provider, location, category, price and year of validity.

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openLCA Nexus homepage search function

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Databases
openLCA offers the largest collection of data sets and databases worldwide for LCA software,
some for purchase, some for free. Altogether, around 300,000 different data sets are available
on Nexus.

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Extract of available databases at openLCA's platform Nexus

Most databases support the same reference flows and impact assessment methods. Some
databases are separate, and do not mix with the others. An example are Input/Output
databases such as PSILCA, the SHDB, or exiobase.

Accessing databases from openLCA Nexus

On Nexus, you can use the search engine and the "Map" feature to explore the content of the
available databases.

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openLCA Nexus website

To order and download a database from the openLCA Nexus site, please follow these steps:

1. Register an account at Nexus and log in: We are committed to stringent data
protection principles to ensures the security of your privacy.

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2. Select the desired license and add it to the cart: Navigate the "Databases" section,
explore the available licenses, and select the one that aligns with your requirements or
preferences. Note that some databases may be available for free, while others require
payment.

3. Place an order: Once you have added the license to your cart, proceed to place an order.
You can check openLCA Nexus website's FAQs for more information about database
licenses.

4. Approval and database download: After your order is approved, go to the "Downloads"
section on the Nexus website. This section is located in the upper right-hand corner of the
page when you are logged in. Here, you will find a list of data files available for download.

5. Select files and format: Select the files you wish to download from the available options
and choose the format you prefer (if applicable).

6. Review and accept licenses: Before downloading the file, carefully read and agree to the
licenses and the End User License Agreement (EULA) by checking the two box at the
bottom

7. Download: Click on the "Download" button to start the download process.

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Downloading a database from openLCA

Note for macOS users: If you are using Safari, the browser will automatically unzip your
downloaded zip files. However, you need the zipped file for import in openLCA (e.g. when you
want to import JSON-LD, methods packages, ILCD...). You can solve this issue in two ways:

1. Use another browser for downloads, where the zip-files are not automatically unpacked
after successful download.

2. Zip the archives again by using a third-party tool, because the build-in archive tool from
Apple will add additional resources to the zip-file that can create issues when importing
the file in openLCA.

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ask.openlCA
ask.openLCA is public support platform, operating as hub where users and ask questions and
receive answers, facilitating access to assistance and information.

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ask.openLCA website
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LCA case study

In this section, we provide an overview of openLCA's key features by demonstrating a typical
LCA modeling approach. These key elements include selecting a background database, creating
processes and products, connecting them to a life cycle, choosing an impact assessment
method, performing life cycle calculations, and reviewing the results. Detailed instructions for
using the software will be provided in subsequent sections of this manual.

Let's get started!

Getting a database
The essential first step in LCA modeling using openLCA is the selection of a background
database. In the software context, a "database" serves as a repository for the components
required for conducting LCAs, therefore, you need to create or import one to work with
openLCA. Moreover, it's uncommon to model the entire life cycle from scratch. Instead, you will
get common processes from an existing database (these "common" processes typically include
electricity production, transport, construction, waste treatment, and so on). You will typically
model yourself core, foreground processes specific to the product or service you want to
analyze.

In this case study, we'll model the life cycle of a pack of oat milk compared to the life cycle of a
pack of cow milk, using core processes from the Agribalyse database, freely available on Nexus.

Agribalyse as active database in openLCA

Check the "Databases" section to learn more.

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Creating a process
Now, we can design the life cycle phases, or processes, of our product (in this case, packed oat
milk). As you will see, a process is a set of activities that transform inputs into outputs. They are
characterized by a quantitative reference, which is the product that the process produces, or,
for waste treatment processes, the waste it treats. In the context of this case study, we will skip
the raw material extraction phase and directly model the processes of the manufacturing
phase.

Below, you can see the process that model the production phase of an oat milk pack, with its
input and output flows.

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Process representing the production of an oat milk pack, with its input and output

To model the entire life cycle of this product, we'll also create the distribution phase, use phase,
and end-of-life processes (you can find details about end-of-life modeling in this section).

Check the "Flows" and "Processes" sections to learn more.

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Creating a product system

We will integrate the processes we just created into a life cycle model by creating a product
system.

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Life cycle model of an oat milk pack, with all its interconnected processes

Following the same steps, we'll also create the product system of a cow milk pack. This way, we
can compare them and draw some considerations about their different environmental impact.

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Life cycle model of a cow milk pack, with all it interconnected processes

Check the "Product system" section to learn more.

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Calculating the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and Life Cycle

Impact Assessment (LCIA)
With your life cycle model ready, it's time to calculate the inventory of your product. This
provides insights into the materials and resources utilized and emitted throughout the life cycle
of your product. This is the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) and in openLCA, it can be obtained by
clicking on "Calculate" in your product system window.

The "Inventory Results" tab will open and contain a table with input and output flows of the
product system, showing amounts and units for each of them.

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To generate the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), you need to add an LCIA method to the
calculation. After clicking on "Calculate" in the product system window, you need to choose an
"Impact assessment method" from the drop-down menu, which will calculate the
environmental impact from the life cycle inventory.

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Calculation results window

Check the "LCIA methods and categories" and "Calculation and Results Analysis" sections to
learn more.

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Comparing life cycle models using projects

Comparing life cycle model results, i.e. product systems, can provide valuable insights into their
relative environmental performance. In openLCA, this is done via projects.

When you create a project, you can add the product systems you want to compare and
generate insights and graphs for both of them.

Relative impact results of one pack of oat milk vs one pack of cow milk, obtaind using EF Method

Check the "Project" section to learn more.

Congratulations! You have successfully gone through the key steps in openLCA. With this
knowledge, you can now start making informed decisions to improve the environmental
performance of your products and processes. Happy analyzing!

Next, we will go systematically through the features of openLCA.

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Running openLCA for the first time

When you launch openLCA for the first time, it does not contain any data. On the left side, you
see an empty Navigation field. On the right, you see the Welcome page.

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openLCA Welcome page

The Welcome page provides quick links to openLCA Nexus, instructional videos, case studies,
this user manual, the openLCA download page where you can download the latest version of
the software as well as LCIA methods, and, eventually, a link to more information on the
openLCA network and its users.

Here, we describe the available toolbar functions, and provide guidance on using openLCA’s
basic features:

openLCA toolbar

Click on the ▶ to expand the respective tab:

File
Database
Tools
Help
openLCA search function
Using the editor function
Working with tabs

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Databases
In openLCA, a "database" functions as a container that organizes and stores interconnected
elements needed by openLCA. It serves as a repository for projects, product systems,
processes, flows, results, and other important components required for conducting LCAs. Key
elements of an openLCA database are shown below, with their relations.

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Database elements. The direction of the arrow represents the direction in which the information
flows.

After launching openLCA for the first time, you will notice that the navigation section is empty.
To start working with openLCA, you have two options: creating a new empty database or
restoring an existing one (e.g. one you might have downloaded from openLCA Nexus, in this
case follow the instructions for "Accessing databases from openLCA Nexus" on openLCA Nexus
section).

Empty Navigation window following openLCA installation

openLCA offers the flexibility to have multiple databases imported in the software. Each
database functions independently and only one database can be "active" at a time, while the
others remain "inactive". This allows you to separate different LCA studies or case studies for
better organization and management.

However, with openLCA it is also possible to combine multiple databases, by merging their
content. This feature enables comprehensive analysis that incorporates various datasets and
LCA models. Check "importing and combining databases" section for details.

Note: It is considered good practice to work with one database for each case study/LCA
project performed in openLCA.

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New! Now in openLCA 2 you are able to sort your databases in folders. Right-click on a
database and then click on "Set folder", and create your new folder:

After your folder is created you can add also other databases in it just dragging and dropping
them.

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Database elements
Once you opened or created a database, you'll see these elements in the navigation panel:

Projects: Projects serve as a platform to compare different product systems, allowing

users to assess and evaluate various scenarios.

Product Systems: Product Systems in openLCA are sets of interconnected processes,

linked by flows, that model the life cycle of a product. They are essential for calculating
inventory results and conducting impact assessments, outlining the processes involved in
producing or modifying products and materials.

Processes: Processes are a set of interrelated or interacting activities that transform

inputs into outputs within a product's life cycle. They outline the sequence of activities
involved in producing or modifying products and materials, forming the core of a product
system's structure.

Flows: Flows represent products and materials in a life cycle, connected within the
process network. They can be inputs, outputs, energy, and emissions.

New! EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations): openLCA allows import and creation
of Environmental Product Declarations, EPDs. EPDs provide verified, aggregated
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environmental performance information for specific products.

New! Results: Results in openLCA are stored impact assessment results obtained from
calculating product systems.

Indicators and Parameters: Indicators and parameters serve as flexible components

that can replace plain input/output values, on the process, Impact assessment method,
product system, project and database levels. They are key for a flexible model, and ideal
for scenario analyses where some aspects of a model need to be changed to check for
potential impacts on the calculation result.

Impact Assessment Methods: in openLCA you can import different impact

assessment methods. These methods provide the framework and algorithms to
quantify and assess the environmental impacts associated with the product systems.

Impact Categories: Impact categories are classer representing environmental

issues of concern to which life cycle inventory analysis result may be assigned (e.g.
"global warming", "human toxicity").

Social Indicators: In openLCA users can assess social impacts, incorporating social
considerations into the life cycle assessment.

Global Parameters: Global parameters can be found and are valid on all levels in
the database (processes, product systems, etc.). They can be used to modify
formulas and amounts across processes, for example, or also settings in that should
be valid throughout an entire database, which makes them really powerful.

Data Quality Systems: Data Quality Systems are matrices designed to evaluate and
record the reliability of data across three key levels: overall data quality within a
process, data quality for each individual data exchange within a process, and data
quality of social aspects. Data quality can be calculated for at the data exchange
within processes level, and the score is shown in inventory results, the LCIA results /
impact analysis, and sankey diagrams. Furthermore, uncertainty values can also be
calculated from the matrices and can be used in the Monte Carlo simulation.

Background Data: Background data summarize the elements that users typically don't
engage with often, like units, locations and so on.

Flow Properties: Flow properties are characteristics or properties associated with

flows, such as length, mass, volume, or other relevant attributes that help in
quantifying and analyzing the flows.

Unit Groups: Unit groups are collections of units for a given flow property. For
instance, units of area like square meters (m²), square feet (ft²), and square yards
(sq. yd) are part of the same unit group. One unit group always has one reference
unit, other units in the same group can be converted from one into the other.

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Currencies: In openLCA, you can assign costs to flows, which enables the calculation
of the Life Cycle Costing of a product or service.

Actors: Actors represent individuals or entities. Actors can be researchers, experts,

or stakeholders, e.g. data providers, reviewers, authors, and so forth.

Sources: Sources are references, citations, etc.. openLCA allows storing of the
original pdf report and other supporting information for sources.

Locations: Locations are simply locations, and they can be a region, a country, or
any other point on a map. They are important for localizing the supply chain and for
calculating regional impacts.

Note: openLCA utilizes Universally Unique Identifiers (UUIDs) to identify and manage all
entities, including processes, flows, product systems, projects, parameters, impact categories,
and impact assessment methods. UUIDs are standardized identifiers ensuring uniqueness
across systems or databases, even from one user to another.

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Creating a new empty database

To create a new database in openLCA, follow these steps:

1. Right-click in the navigation window and select "New database".

Step 1: Creating a new database

2. A wizard for creating a database will appear, asking you to name the new database.

Step 2: Data creation wizard

In the wizard, you can choose from the following "Database content" options:

Empty database: Select this option if you want to create a blank database without any
data. As you can see in the figure below, all folders are empty.

Units and flow properties: This option includes flow properties, unit groups, and
currencies in the "Background data" folder of the new database.

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Complete reference data: This option provides a more comprehensive setup, including
elementary flows, flow properties, unit groups, currencies, locations, and mapping files in
the "Background data" folder of the new database.

Difference between the three available new database types

Note: Typically, you will create the database with the "complete reference data" setting, unless
you are importing data sets from external sources with other flows than the openLCA
reference flows. E.g., you can import an entire SimaPro database and just use all flows and LCIA
methods from there. Units are causing less issues in different database and LCA software
systems (every LCA software has a unit "kg"), and you will need units, of course, thus in an
empty database, you will need to create everything yourself. Starting with a database that
contains most basic content such as units thus saves time.

New! The ecoinvent geographies, along with their respective geometries, are now directly
added to the reference data. Hence, if you create a database using the "Complete reference
data" template, it will include these geographies.

Once you've made your selections, simply click on "Finish" to finalize and create the new
database!

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Restoring a database
Restoring a database allows you to import an entire openLCA database, with all elements,
process datasets, models, etc., into the openLCA system you are currently working with. This is
useful e.g. for restoring backups, or for migrating all LCA work from a project or colleague.

For restoring a complete database, you need a zolca file from openLCA. For example, most files
provided by openLCA Nexus are zolca files (see "openLCA Nexus" section in "Resource" for
mode details about downloading databases from our platform)

To restore a complete database follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the navigation window and choose "Restore database".

2. Select the zolca-format database file from you want to restore.

Note: The zolca file format was specifically developed by GreenDelta to compress and package
openLCA databases, for backup and sharing purposes.

Note: The program decompresses the files into a different directory (C:\Users\NAME\openLCA-
data-1.4). As a result, the original zolca file remains compressed and won't be directly affected
by changes made to the database within the software

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Database update
openLCA has an internal database that stores all the different elements visible in the navigation
tree (or, most of them at least). With a new openLCA version, the structure of the internal database,
the database schema in IT terms, may change, e.g. because new elements have been added in a
new version.

When you try to open a database in openLCA with an older database schema, the software will
detect the differences and prompt you to update the database. After the update, your database will
be compatible with the new version of openLCA.

Backing up a database before updating to a newer openLCA version

Note: Once the database has been updated, it will only be compatible with the newer version of
openLCA. It cannot be reverted to be compatible with older versions of openLCA! It is
recommended to create a backup of the database before updating it.

After completing these steps, the database will open and automatically become your active
database (indicated by the yellow icon and bold text). You will see the navigation panel with various
folders:

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Importing data and combining databases

Previously we have described the "Restoring a database" function, which is specifically intended for
zolca files. As working with data, in particular during the life cycle inventory data collection phase, is
rather complex, openLCA supports various data formats to work with.

Supported Import and Export formats:

EcoSpold1
ILCD
Excel
SimaPro CSV
Zolca
JSON-LD

Note for macOS users: If you are using Safari, the browser will automatically unzip your
downloaded zip files. However, you need the zipped file for import in openLCA (e.g. when you want
to import JSON-LD, methods packages, ILCD...). You can solve this issue in two ways:

1. Use another browser for downloads, where the zip-files are not automatically unpacked after
successful download.

2. Zip the archives again by using a third-party tool, because the build-in archive tool from Apple
will add additional resources to the zip-file that can create issues when importing the file in
openLCA.

Importing data
To import data into openLCA, click on "File" and then "Import", or right-click on the Navigation
Window and choose "Import".

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Under the "Import" section, you can find the following options:

File: This option allows you to import data in various formats, including zolca, EcoSpold 1,
Excel, HSC Sim Flow (experimental), ILCD, and SimaPro CSV. The import format is detected
automatically.
From Git: This option enables you to establish a connection to a Git repository for importing
data (what we do not do for now).
Other: This option allows you to manually specify the format of the import, in the picture
below you can see the wizard.

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Import Wizard

The details for each option are displayed below:

Importing a database from an exported zolca file

Importing an existing database
Importing databases as Ecospold, Excel, ILCD, SimaPro CSV, and JSON-LD
Importing GeoJSON files

Combining databases
In openLCA, it is possible to merge multiple databases into a single one. The databases available in
openLCA Nexus are carefully mapped to ensure that all elements within each database are
accurately recognized and applied. This mapping prevents the creation of duplicate flows during
import and guarantees the correct functioning of impact assessment methods.

To combine databases, follow these steps:

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1. Begin by restoring/importing the first database. It is recommended to import the largest

database first to minimize compilation time.
2. Activate the imported database by double-clicking on it.
3. Now, you can proceed to import the remaining databases by right-clicking on the active
database, choose "Import" then "Other...".
4. Select "Import entire database", click on "Next" and eventually choose the database to import
from databases that are already present in openLCA or from an exported zolca file (see
picture below). Click on "Finish" to combine the databases.
5. The software will automatically combine the databases. The duration of this process may vary
depending on the size of the databases involved. You can refer to this instructional video on
combining ecoinvent 3.1 databases for visual guidance.

You can decide to combine the active database with another database already present in openLCA or an
exported database

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Using mapping files in openLCA

When integrating databases from different LCA software that use different names for elementary
flows, mapping files become essential for importing these databases into openLCA. These files
describe the correspondence between flows in the source system and those in openLCA, facilitating
the matching of elementary flow references. By using mapping files, you can align the elementary
flow reference system of another data format with that of openLCA during the database import
process. Mapping files are in .csv format, containing the necessary data for accurate mapping.

For your convenience, mapping files for the most common formats are included in databases with
complete reference data, see section "Creating a new empty database".

The database just created has a section "mapping files" under Background data, where you can
find the mapping files for SimaPro, EcosPold1 or ILCD:

Location of mapping files in the navigation panel

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Example of a mapping file

The mapping file is required while "importing a database" with different data formats, e.g. SimaPro,
EcosPold1 or ILCD, see the figure below.

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Importing a database using a mapping file

Always check how the mapping file fits to you data, and remember that you can also create your
own mapping file following the column schema described on this link.

If you have a new mapping file, you can add it with a right click on "Mapping files" and then
"Import".

Importing a new mapping file

You can also access the mapping files through the main menu bar at the top under "Tools".

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Importing a new mapping file

For the manual correction of elementary flows or providers, you can also use the "Bulk-replace"
function under "Tools":

Using the bulk-replace function for flows

Note: Please always make sure that your mapping was done correctly using the "Validation" (see
below) or after a calculation, having a look into the "LCIA checks" tab. Check out the "Results
Analysis" chapter for details.

Validation of a database
The validation option serves to confirm the integrity of inter-linkages within a database following
the import and mapping processes. It ensures that all connections within the database are
functioning correctly and accurately. Validate a database is particularly helpful to confirm the
accuracy of imported data from external sources and its integration into the existing database. To
validate a database, right click on the it and click on "Validate".

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In case the validation process encounters errors, it is crucial to address any missing links before
proceeding with further modifications. If validation proves to be impossible, it is recommended to
discard the recent changes, retrieve the repository again, and start over by committing the
modifications.

Examples of validation messages:

the presence of duplicates or synonyms for a unit

the quantitative reference is a product input or waste output

Example of errors when validating an active database

In general, errors may arise when corrupt records are retrieved from the repository, or the flows of
the database appear to be incompatible (it might be required using a mapping file during the
import).

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Exporting databases
Exporting databases in openLCA allows users to extract and save data in various formats for
further analysis or sharing.

openLCA supports data export in many formats, offering adaptability to different needs:

Ecospold: Allows exporting impact assessment methods and processes.

Excel: Enables exporting processes, analysis results, Monte Carlo simulation results, and
more.
ILCD Network Export: Allows exporting data in the XML-based format adapted from the
International Life Cycle Data system format.
SimaPro CSV: Provides compatibility for exporting data in SimaPro CSV format.
JSON-LD: Allows exporting databases in JSON-LD format, which is a standard for linked data
encoding.

To export data from openLCA, follow these steps:

1. Activate the database you want to export from by double-clicking on it.

2. Click on "File" and select "Export" to open the export wizard.

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Exporting data from an active database

3. Here we provide specific instructions for exporting different data types:

Ecospold: Choose either "Impact method"s or "Processes" after clicking on "EcoSpold". Select
the destination directory and the datasets to export, then click "Finish".

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Selecting data/processes to be exported

Excel: To export processes as Excel files, select "Processes" after clicking on "Excel". Specify
the export directory and the processes to export, then click "Finish". Each process will be
saved as an individual Excel file.

ILCD ZIP-file: Select "ILCD Zip-File" in the export wizard. Choose an export directory and the
database elements to export in ILCD format. Click "Finish".

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Selecting the destination and the data set for the ILCD export

SimaPRo CSV: You can choose between exporting LCIA methods or processes in SimaPro CSV.
Then click on "Next" to select the elements you whant to export, select a recipient folder for
the CSV and and eventually click on "Finish".

JSON-LD: openLCA allows to export your database as JSON-LD. This allows you to efficiently
export selected datasets (processes, product systems etc even on a folder level). Also, you can
export the default provider for product inputs and waste outputs. For this, select "JSON-LD" in
the export wizard. Choose an export directory and the database elements to export, then click
"Finish".

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Selecting the dataset/s and destination for the JSON-LD export

Note: The option "Export default providers of product inputs and waste outputs" will not only
export the provider link but also the linked processes. This is important if you only export the
processes but not the whole database.

For details about JSONLD click here.

Copy function
openLCA allows users to easily copy information from any table and paste it into other applications
like Excel or Notepad. Please check "Importing and exporting data" section for details.

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Flows
Flows represent products and materials that move throughout a life cycle, interconnected within
the process network, and take form of inputs, outputs, energy, or emissions. Flows can be
substances, products, materials, energy carriers, emissions, or other types of inputs or outputs. A
flow is characterized by its name, flow type, and reference flow property (unit category in which the
flow is expressed). Examples of flows include electricity, water, CO2 emissions, aluminium, and so
on.

In general, openLCA distinguishes three flow types:

Icon Description

Elementary flow

Product flow

Waste flow

Elementary flows: These flows represent material or energy entering the system that has
been drawn from the environment without previous human transformation, or material or
energy leaving the system and released into the environment without further human
transformation. For example, crude oil extracted from the ground, or emissions released into
the air.

Product flows: These are all the flows that are not elementary or waste flows, and represent
the materials or energy exchanged between processes within the product system.

Waste flows: Waste flows are any substances or objects that the holder needs to dispose of,
like by-products with no market value or those requiring more resources to recycle than their
economic return.

Each flow created in openLCA must be associated with a reference flow property, such as mass,
volume, area, and so on. Though, it is also possible to have multiple flow properties for the same
flow (e.g. uranium can be measured using both mass and radioactivity units, gasses can be
measured using both mass and volume units, etc.)

Note: Certain waste flows can also be modelled as product flows. In databases this is usually stated
in the name. Waste paper is a great example. As it can be used in the production of paper, waste
paper isn’t necessarily modelled as a waste flows but instead as a product flow.

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Creating a new flow

To create a new flow in openLCA, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the "Flows" folder in your active database.

2. Select "New flow" from the context menu.

Creating a new flow

The flow creation window will open automatically. Here you can provide a name for the flow, adapt
the flow type as a product, elementary or waste flow:

Flow creation window

And also choose the reference flow property:

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Flow creation window

It is mandatory to define a reference flow property to proceed. However, you can change it
afterwards.

4. Click "Finish" to complete the flow creation process.

After clicking "Finish," a new flow window will open in the editor interface. Here, you can further
specify and define the properties and attributes of the newly created flow according to your
requirements.

Note: If you want to organize flows into different categories, first choose to add a child category
(sub-category). This allows you to create a new category/folder under which you can then add flows
to maintain organization.

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Creating a new child category

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Flow tab content

After opening a flow in openLCA, you will find tabs at the bottom of the window that provide access
to different information and settings relevant to the flow. These tabs differ based on whether the
flow is a product, waste, or elementary flow. Let's explore the contents of these tabs:

General information

General information: here you can view and modify the name of the flow, add a description,
additional details or tags, and create a process using the flow as reference.

Note on "Infrastructure flow": This checkbox serves to store whether a flow is infrastructure flow
or not (so, the flow is a product with long lifetime and costly – a building, a machinery, …). This is a
mandatory field in the EcoSpold1 format and also used by SimaPro e.g.. In openLCA, it has no
practical effect.

Used in Processes (for product and waste flows only): This section shows the processes
that consume or produce the flow. Double-clicking on a process will open it in the editor for
further exploration.

Additional Information: You can use this section to include extra details like CAS number,
chemical formula, location, and synonyms to facilitate search and identification of the flow.

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Flow editor - General information tab

Flow Properties
Characterization Factors (for elementary flows only)

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Processes
A process is a set of interrelated activities that takes place within the life cycle of a product or
system, and transforms inputs into outputs. A process can be a manufacturing process, a
transportation activity, an energy generation process, or any other operation within the life cycle.
Processes are defined by their quantitative reference, which represents the amount of product or
service that the process provides. For example, a process could be the set of all inputs and outputs
occurring in the production of 1 kg of PET granulate.

openLCA distinguishes two types of processes:

Unit process: A unit process is the smallest (least aggregated) unit in a production system, for
which input and output data are quantified. It can contain any flow type.
System process: A system process is an aggregated life cycle result saved as a process.

The following picture shows the difference between a unit process (left) and a system process
(right). In the left picture, each process from A to G is a unit process. In the right picture, instead, is
shown an aggregated process (system process).

Difference between unit process and system process

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The following picture shows the difference between a unit process (left) and a system process
(right) in openLCA.

Difference between unit process (left) and system process (right) in openLCA
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Unit processes and system processes are displayed with different icons in the navigation window
as shown below.

Unit processes (purple font colour, empty background) and system processes (purple font colour, filled
background)

Moreover, in openLCA we differentiate the icons between processes with product flows (gear) and
waste flows (bin) as reference accordingly:

Top three process are process with product flows as reference in contrast to the other three processes
representing waste treatment

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Creating a new process

To create a new process, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the "Processes" folder and select the option "New process" from the context
menu.

Step 1: Creating a new process

2. Provide a name for the process and choose a quantitative reference for it by selecting an
existing flow, or create a new flow by checking the corresponding box. If the flow is not
named, it will automatically adopt the same name as the process.

Step 2: Selecting a quantitative reference while creating a new process

3. Click "Finish" to create the process, which will then open in the editor.
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After creating a new process, the process window will open, allowing you to define and manage the
properties of the process.

It is also possible to create waste treatment processes. Check "Waste modelling" section for details.

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Process tab content

After opening a process in openLCA, you will find tabs at the bottom of the window, that provide
access to different information and settings relevant to the process.

Tabs of the process window

Let's explore the contents of these tabs in detail (click on the arrow to expand the text):

General information

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General information tab of a process

Here you can view and modify the name of the flow, add a description, additional details or tags,
create a product system from the process and export the process tabs to an Excel file. Additionally:

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Note on "infrastructure process": This checkbox serves to store whether a process is infrastructure
process or not (so, the process is a product with long lifetime and costly – a building, a machinery,
…). This is a mandatory field in the EcoSpold1 format and also used by SimaPro e.g.. In openLCA, it
has no practical effect.

Direct calculation: The "Direct calculation" feature generates and then calculates an in-memory
product system, connecting processes using default providers or the first found connection.
Reproducible and correct results are only obtained if there are unambiguous connections between
these processes, i.e. if either there is always only one producing process for a product, or there is
always a default provider set, to make the connection to the providing process clear and unique.

If you are unsure about the connections, check the linking properties of a database, either via
"Database → Check linking properties" or via the "Check linking" option in the pop-up window after
selecting "Direct calculation":

Check linking prior calcuation

The main advantage of "Direct calculation" is its lower memory usage. It bypasses the need to
create a separate product system in advance. This is particularly practical when working with
databases that create very large product systems such as PSILCA and exiobase.

Time

In the time section, you can add and edit the start and end time of the process as well as provide
any relevant descriptions.

Geography

In the Geography section, you can add and edit the location of the process. Clicking on the chosen
location, you can also see it on a map.

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Add a location to a process

View a location on a map

Technology

In the Technology section, users have an add a description about the technology employed in the
process.

Data quality

Here you can define the data quality flow schema for your process. Check Data Quality section for
details.
Inputs/Outputs
Administrative information
Modeling and validation
Parameters
Allocation
Social aspects
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Impact analysis

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Product Systems
After creating flows and processes, it is time to create product systems. They are life cycle models
and are used to to calculate inventory results and impact assessment.

A "product system" is described by ISO 14040 as a "collection of unit processes with elementary
and product flows, performing one or more defined functions, and which models the life cycle of a
product." In openLCA a product system is a set of processes connected by flows, performing one or
more defined functions and modelling the life cycle of a product. A product system has a reference
process with a defined amount of the product (referred to the functional unit), which serves as
basis for calculating impacts for all connected processes within the system.

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Creating a new product system

In this section you can learn how to create a product system and specify its settings:

There are two ways to create a new product system in openLCA. You can use the navigation panel
and then manually add the reference process, or you can create it directly from an open process,
that will automatically be selected as reference process for the new product system. Both can also
be used in combination, i.e. manually creating a part of the system and have the software then
autocomplete the remaining supply chains.

Autoconnecting processes allows you to create large systems, literally consisting of several
thousand connected processes, fast; it is good if the connections are clear already from the
database, either since there is only one possible connection (provider process) for each product, or
since default providers are set, for the processes. Manual connection gives you full control over the
connection, and is needed for databases like GaBi or EF, where connections are ambiguous.

Creating a product system in the navigation panel

To create a product system from the navigation panel, right-click on the "Product systems" folder
and select "New product system":

New product system

Creating a product system from a process

To create a product system directly from a selected process, go to the "General Information" tab of
the process and select "Create product system":

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Create product system

Product system settings

The "New product system" pop-up window will appear and you can use it to define the name of the
product system and selects the reference process, the provider linking, the preferred process type,
and the Cut-off option you prefer.

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Product system creation window

Reference process: The reference process is the process that models the last step of your
supply chain, or the last step of a specific chain. For example, the production of a battery pack
may represent either the entire supply chain of interest, or an intermediate stage within the
production model of an electric car. If you want to assess the potential impacts of the battery
pack, the corresponding process "battery pack" is chosen as the reference flow. To add the
reference process to a new product system that you are creating from the Navigation panel,
you can type the name of the process into the "Reference process" field, or navigate through
the process folders. If you are creating the product system directly from a process, that
process will automatically be selected as the reference process.

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Auto-linking: To automatically have all upstream processes linked to the reference process,
select "auto-link processes". Hereby, the auto-linking function connects input and output
flows between processes. Using the auto-linking feature, you can save time and effort in
manually linking processes within an LCA model. It helps ensure that the material and energy
flows within your model are properly accounted for. If you don't select this option, no
upstream processes will be taken into account!

The following options are available upon selecting "auto-linking" option:

Check multi-provider links (experimental): This option has just been added for your
convenience and allows also to check for linkages to various providers (please check the
"Model graph" tab later on).

Provider linking: When creating a product system, openLCA can automatically check for
flows with multiple providers. However, many processes from databases such as ecoinvent
have preselected providers which are called "default providers". If openLCA detects a flow
with multiple providers in a product system, you can choose how openLCA should handle this
situation, choosing from three default provider options.

Details on default providers

Unit process or System process: The next step is to choose whether to connect to a unit
process or a system process if no provider is selected in the process. This setting only has an
effect if default providers are not used or not specified, since the default provider is always
one specific process, which is then already a unit or system process. The difference between a
system and a unit process is described in the section "Processes".

Cut-off threshold: Eventually, it is possible to set a cut-off threshold. Connections that

contribute less than the threshold to the inventory are numerically cut off (in reference to the
functional unit). This can be handy for databases with extensive process networks with
minimal individual process contributions, for example multi-regional input-output databases,
e.g. PSILCA. Be aware that the cut-off is applied irrespective of the used unit! For this reason, it
works best for databases where all products have the same unit, such as, again, multi-regional
I/O databases (PSILCA).

To finally create the product system, click "Finish"!

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Product System tabs contents

In the following we will describe each tab of a product system in openLCA:

General information

The general information tab is split into "General information" and "Reference".

Product system - General information tab

General Information: Here you can change the name of the product system and optionally
add a description. Below the "Add a tag", button, the "Calculate" button starts the impact
calculations (you can achieve the same clicking on the green "Calculate results" icon above of
the navigation panel). The "Update" button (circular arrow) to the top right corner allows you
to reset the connections between processes. This is helpful if you performed any changes to
the processes being involved in the product system. You can also do this in the model graph.

Reference: Here you can see the reference process of the product system and editing the
reference product, the flow property, the unit, and the target amount. The target amount
should be chosen in accordance with your functional unit.

Parameters
Model graph
Statistics

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Model graph
The model graph in openLCA is a powerful tool for the visual representation of the product system
including its supply chain (linkages to processes). It shows the interconnections of the product
system's processes and flows, showcasing the supply chain (upstream and downstream) of a
product. Here we will describe its functionality in detail.

Quick start

If you open the model graph tab, you will see the reference process of the product system. Double-
clicking on processes within the graph will show the flows on their input and output side. You can
expand the visible supply chain by clicking on the "+" symbol next to the name of the processes. To
hiding/collapsing it, click on the "-" symbol. You can also freely reposition processes without
disconnecting them by dragging them around the window.

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The model graph with expanded (first tier) and still collapsed processes (second tier). As visualized, we
activated the options "Show elementary flows" and "Enable process editing" under right click "Settings".
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To show elementary flows and adding or removing flows directly within the graph, right-click on the
graph, click on "Settings" and then check "Show elementary flows" and "Enable process editing".

Activated settings in the model graph.

Connections between processes are visualized as lines. Those connections or the processes
themselves can be deleted. Note, that alterations to the model have an influence on the entire
product system and that only connected processes will contribute to the product system's
calculation.

With this new feature, you can use the brown "+ add flow" button to modify processes by adding
new input or output flows. A pop-up window will appear so you can add or create the new flow.

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Model graph -> Process editing -> Add/Create new flow

This allows you to model the product system directly within the model graph. After adding a new
flow to a process, you need to add its provider. This can be done by right-clicking on the flow, then
"Search providers".

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Model graph - Search providers

A pop-up window will appear with a list of all possible providers for that flow. You can select the
right one and check the box "Connect" to add the provider and connect the flow to the process at
the same time. Likewise, it is possible to search for recipients for specific outputs.

Model graph - Search providers - Connect

Note: If you add processes with this function, the full supply chain will be NOT added. You have to
manually add it afterwards, using the "Build flow supply chain" function (see below).

Moreover, if you want to create/edit the product system graphically, you can drag and drop
processes from the navigation panel into the model graph void area. Then you can drag a flow to
the corresponding one in the provider/receiver process to create the connections between the
flows. To connect the newly added process to its supply chain, right-click on it and then select
"Build supply chain".

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Model graph - After a drag and drop of a process, the flows are connected manually

You can also remove connection by right-clicking on a process and choosing "Remove connections"
or by clicking on a connection and then selecting "Delete". The software will ask you if you also
want to delete or hide the supply chain. Choose "No" to solely remove the connection. The result is
shown below:

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Model graph - Example of removing a connection (before)

Model graph - Example of removing a connection (after)

Removing a connection can be useful when you want to assess the impact of your product system
without a particular process, e.g. "printing wiring board" in the example, or more broadly, without
considering a specific phase like the "use phase" of a product.

This was a glimpse of how you can use the model graph. See below for more details:
Zoom bar (new)
Selecting processes
Right-click in the model graph
Right-click on a process in the model graph
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Right-click on a connection in the model graph

View tab in the tool bar
Drag and drop results into the model graph

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Nested Product Systems

A product system can serve as the provider to another product system - the result is then a
"nested" product system. For this, drag and drop a product system into the model graph of a
different product system and connect it to one of the input flows via "search recipients for".

Nested product sysyems

You will see the contributions of the sub-product system to the overall results, e.g. in the impact
analysis and contribution tree results.

A product system can also be used as an input flow for a process. The quantitative reference flow
of the product system will be added to the process.

Drag-and-drop of a product system into the input flows of a process

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This is particularly helpful when working with EPDs. Check "Using results of EPDs in the supply
chain" section for more details.

Details about nested product systems are available at this link.

Using results in product systems

As you will see (check "Save and exports results chapter" section for details) you can now save your
results and use them in different ways. Among them, once saved, you can drag results in a product
system:

Result dragged in a product system

You can use this feature to complete the supply chain when the inventory is not known, if the
method used is the same. Is also particularly helpful when working with EPDs (check "Using results
of EPDs in the supply chain" section for more details).

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Calculating a product system

There are three ways to access the calculations of the impact assessment of a product. You can
right-click on a product system in the navigation panel and select "Calculate", click on the
"Calculate" button in the "General information" tab of the product system, or click the on green
"Calculate results" icon above the navigation panel.

Calculating a
product system

Either way, a pop-up window will open and you can choose the calculation properties.

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Calculation properties

The details on the calculation setup and the result analysis are described in the section Calculation
and Result Analysis.

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Exporting product systems

In openLCA, you can export the selected product system by left clicking on 'Export as matrix' on the
toolbar.

This will show the following window:

From here you can choose: the folder where the product system is exported, the format you want it
exported (CSV, Excel, Python), the used allocation method, the respective impact assessment
method (present in that database), regionalization, cost calculation and uncertainty distribution.

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LCIA methods
Impact assessment methods are essential components of life cycle assessment. They quantify the
potential environmental impacts associated with products, processes, or services. These methods
analyse the data from the inventory phase and translate it into meaningful indicators. LCIA
methods encompass a wide range of impact categories, like global warming potential, acidification,
eutrophication, and human toxicity, provided typically with the idea of fostering businesses and
individuals to make informed, sustainability-driven decisions that promote a greener and more
responsible future.

Note: If you use the databases provided from openLCA Nexus, they often do not contain LCIA
methods (called "impact assessment methods" in the software). This allows us to update databases
and LCIA methods faster. Hence, the LCIA methods need to be imported/created by you in each
database in openLCA to carry out life cycle impact assessment. See below for details.

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Importing LCIA methods into openLCA

Download LCIA methods from Nexus

Nexus databases do not always include LCIA methods, allowing users to select their preferred
method. There is one overall LCIA method pack that we provide to be suited for many different
databases (that also includes normalisation and weighting when the method provide them) but
there are also other methods specific for specific databases.

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The table below provides information about the most commonly used databases available on
Nexsus. You can see if the database is compatible with openLCA method pack and if a proprietary
method is available to download (follow the instruction on openLCA Nexus section -"Accessing
databases from openLCA Nexus"- to download a database or method pack).

Compatible with openLCA Proprietary method

Database
method pack available
Ecoinvent ✓ ✓
Agribalyse v3.1 ✓ ✗
Agri-footprint 6.3 ✓ ✗
ESU World Food (unit and
✓ ✗
system)
EuGeos’ 15804_A2-IA (unit
✓ ✗
and system)
GaBi ✗ ✓
ELCD ✗ ✓
IO ✗ ✓
ProBas ✗ ✓
EN15804 ✗ ✓
Ökobaudat ✗ ✓

After downloading one or more of these method packs, you can import the file into an active
openLCA database. Do not extract JSON-LD's .zip files before importing!

Note for macOS users: If you are using Safari, the browser will automatically unzip your
downloaded zip files. However, you need the zipped file for import in openLCA (e.g. when you want
to import JSON-LD, methods packages, ILCD...). You can solve this issue in two ways:

1. Use another browser for downloads, where the zip-files are not automatically unpacked after
successful download.

2. Zip the archives again by using a third-party tool, because the build-in archive tool from Apple
will add additional resources to the zip-file that can create issues when importing the file in
openLCA.

Importing LCIA methods into openLCA

To import a method pack, click on "Import" → "Others", then click on "Linked Data (JSON-LD)" and
"Next". In the next window, browse for the file. The program will ask you if you want to overwrite
existing data. You can choose to update existing data sets. Then finally click on "Finish".

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The import will then start automatically and may take a few minutes. When it is finished, the LCIA
methods will be available in the database, under "Indicators and parameters", as shown below.

LCIA methods in openLCA

Note: Note that you can later assess the compatibility of LCIA methods with your database in LCIA
checks.

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In openLCA 2, the impact categories are independent from the LCIA methods, and the LCIA
methods are rather an "umbrella" which can contain several impact categories – this allows you to
easily create own methods, e.g. for projects, by simply adding existing impact categories to e.g. a
self-created LCIA method.

Individual impact categories

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Creating a new impact assessment

method/category/characterization factor
To create a new life cycle impact assessment method:

1. Right-click on the "Impact assessment methods" child category.

2. Select "New LCIA method".

3. Name the new method and add a description (optional).

4. Click "Finish", to open the the new impact assessment method in the editor.

Creating a new impact assessment category

Moreover, you can also create impact assessment categories. This might be helpful if you wish to
tailor your impact assessment method to include specific categories like fossil fuel depletion that
may not be present in your current method.

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To do so:

1. Right-click on the "Impact assessment categories" child category.

2. Select "New LCIA method".

3. Name the new method, add a reference unit and optionally a description.

4. Click "Finish", to open the new impact assessment category in the editor.

To see how to add impact categories in the impact assessment method window, characterization
factors, etc, see the section below.

Creating and addung characterization factors

In some methods maybe the characterization factors of an substance are missing. Hence you can
add (or modify existing) characterization factors (CFs) in a LCIA method.

To add a CF to a LCIA method:

1. Open the method and the respective category you want to add your CF to. Change from
"General Information" to "Characterization factors"

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2. Click on the green plus in the upper right cornern and select the flow you want to add the CF
to and confirm with "OK":

The flow now has the CF of 1. By selecting the field "Factor", you can modify this number.

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Make sure that you saved the impact category. This is also the way to modify the characterization
factor of an elementary flow. However, you can make sure that you added/modified the CF by
opening the elementary flow itself and change to "Characterization factors" tab.

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Impact assessment methods tab contents

In openLCA versions from 1.x to the latest release, you could edit and create impact categories and
factors within the impact assessment method tab. However, in version 2.0, this functionality has
been separated, and now you can work with a distinct set of individual impact categories. You can
edit their characterization factors, categories, flow properties, units, and uncertainty data in the
"Impact category tab".

General information

In this section you can:

Here you can view and modify the name of the methog, add a description, additional details or
tags, along with:

Adding a source from the sources in the database. If unavailable, create a new source as
described in "Database elements".
Adding a code (i.e., a short name for the category, useful in result views).

The image below shows an example of the General Information tab for the CML-IA baseline
methodology from ecoinvent.

LCIA methods - General information tab

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Normalization/Weighting

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New! Impact assessment category tab

contents
In openLCA 2, LCIA categories are now stand-alone entities that are stored outside of an LCIA
method. A single LCIA category can be used in several LCIA methods and an update of such an LCIA
category will update it in all LCIA methods where it is used. The database update moves the LCIA
categories to the new category "Environmental indicators" in the navigation.

Note: As LCIA categories in different LCIA methods often have the same name, there are also LCIA
categories with the same name in this folder. This can be easily changed by giving these LCIA
categories more descriptive names.

The contents of the impact categories window will be explained in the following.

General information

In this section you can:

Here you can view and modify the name of the category, add a description, a reference unit,
additional details or tags, along with:

Adding a source from the sources in the database (see "database elements")
Adding a code (i.e., a short name for the category, useful in result views)
Choosing an impact direction

The image below shows an example of the General Information tab for the CML-IA baseline
methodology from ecoinvent:

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LCIA category - General information tab

Used in impact assessment methods
Impact direction
Characterization factors
Parameters
Regionalized calculation
Similarities

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Impact assessment methods overview

To perform the impact assessment, various scientific LCIA methods exist. Depending on goal and
scope of your study and other aspects, specific methods are used. Here we provide a small
overview of most common methods and the impacts they cover:

Water Energy Land Climate Resourc

Acidification
Use Use Use Change Depletio

AWARE ✓ - - - - -

CED - ✓ - - - -

IPCC - - - - ✓ -

USEtox 2 - - - - - -

ReCiPe ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Environmental
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Footprint

CML - - ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

TRACI - - - ✓ ✓ ✓

As displayed above, some impact methods only cover one specific impact category but represent
also the fundation of other methods, e.g. IPCC is used in the Environmental Footprint method.

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Calculation and Result Analysis

After you've completed the modeling of your processes, created your life cycle model (product
system), or finished constructing your project report, it’s time to move on to the calculation.

Calculation properties

To start the calculation for a product system, have the product system open, and then press on the
"Calculate" green botton. In the upcoming screen, you can customize the calculations according to
your requirements. You can choose the allocation method, the impact assessment method,
normalization and weighting set, the calculation type (lazy, eager or Monte Carlo simulation) or
whether to include regionalized calculations, cost calculations or data quality. In detail:

Allocation method: Here you can choose the allocation method applied in the calculation.
Options are none, casual, physical, economic, or "as defined in process". "None" is the default
setting. "As defined in process" means here that the allocation is performed as defined prior
in each process (you could have different allocation methods in different processes). See the
section Allocation section for more details.

Impact assessment method: Here you can choose the Impact assessment method from the
list of methods available in your activated database. If no methods are listed, you need to first
import a method pack into the database, or create a new method.

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Normalization and weighting: In this section, you can select a normalization or weighting
set for your values. This set needs to be present in the impact assessment method. If the
chosen method doesn't have any set, you need to add them to the impact assessment
method first.

Eager/all & Lazy/On-demand: You can choose to perform the calculations in "Eager/All" or
"Lazy/On-demand" mode. Eager calculation provides complete results upfront, while lazy
calculation offers faster navigation and on-demand calculation of impacts. For more details
see section Lazy vs Eager calculation.

Monte Carlo Simulation: You can perform uncertainty calculations using Monte Carlo
simulation. This method considers all uncertainty distributions defined in flows, parameters,
and characterization factors, with the exception of the one associated with the reference
product of the system. Check Monte Carlo simulation section for details.

Regionalized: Check this box if you want to calculate the results in dependence of regions
using geoJSON files. Check Regionalized Calculation section below for details.

Include cost calculation: This option additionally performs cost calculation. Check Life Cycle
Cost Calculation section for details.

Access data quality: If you've included data quality information in your processes, this option
will calculate the data quality for your results. Be sure to define the details of the data quality
assessment by clicking "next" before proceeding with the calculation. Especially, the data
quality system specified here must be referenced by the processes. Check Data Quality
section for details.

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Lazy vs Eager calculation

When calculating impact results, you can choose between eager and lazy calculation mode:

Eager/all: This mode will calculate the entire LCA model including all contributions of flows
and processes to the result upfront, regardless of whether the results are immediately
needed in the visible editor. While the advantage of this mode is that it provides
comprehensive results immediately, it does require more computational resources and time,
especially for large and complex models.

Lazy/On-demand: This mode will postpone the calculation of contribution results until they
are specifically requested. Lazy calculation has the advantage of reducing computational load
and speeding up initial model loading and navigation. It calculates and displays results as
needed, more complicated calculations, e.g. in the contribution tree and Sankey diagram, are
only done once the Sankey diagram or contribution tree are requested. After an initial
calculation, the results are cached until the result is closed.

Whether you choose "Eager" or "Lazy", the calculation results will be the same!

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Result Analysis
Once the calculation is done, the window with the results will appear in the editor. Check below for
details.

General information

The General Information tab provides details about the product system for which the impact was
calculated. It includes information on the allocation method, target amount, the LCIA method used,
and data quality information.

In the "Top 5 contributions to impact category results - overview" section, you can see the five
processes with the highest direct contributions to the selected impact assessment category.
Likewise, in the "Top 5 contributions to flow results - overview" section, you’ll find a bar chart
illustrating the five processes with the highest direct contributions to the selected flow. You can
change the flow for which the information is displayed by selecting a flow from the list. You can
save the diagram as image by clicking on the picture icon far right on the bar above the histogram.

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General information tab

On the "General Information" tab you will also find the option to export and save your results. For
more information see section "Save and Export Results".
Inventory results
Impact analysis
Process results
Contribution tree
Grouping
Locations
Sankey diagram
LCIA checks

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New! Save results

By clicking the "Save results as..." button in the General information tab of a product system results
window. Alternatively, you can select "File" → "Save" above the navigation panel, you can save your
results as either a "result" or as a system process.

In openLCA 2 you can save results or even create a system process based on the results

Save as result:

This option creates the folder "Results" in the navigation panel.

The tab "Results" displays general information, Impact assessments results and Inventory
results (Inputs & Outputs).
Saving your results as a "result" allows you to easily access your results without the need to
re-calculate them. In addition, it can serve as an easy way to compare calculations e.g. change
of LCIA method. They can also be direclty used in product systems (see next paragraph).

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Saving results as a result

Save as system process:

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This option creates a system process which is helpful if you want to use your results in
another product system. This option also supports to hide detailed information on your
product system.

Drag and drop of results in the model graph

With openLCA 2 you are now able to add saved results by drag and drop the results into the model
graph:

Drag-and-drop of a result into the input flows of a process

Then, the reference flow of the result can be directly linked into other processes in the model
graph.

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In the model graph, the reference flow can be linked to the same flow of another process

This option is particularly helpful when working with EPDs. Check "Using results of EPDs in the
supply chain" section for more details.

Export Results
The "Export to Excel" option in the General information tab or the "Excel" icon above the navigation
panel enables you to export your results as an .xlsx file.

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Saving and exporting results

You can then choose the export configuration that best suits your needs:

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Projects
In openLCA, projects are used to compare multiple product systems You can also use parameters
to benchmark various options within the same product system. The resulting report is a powerful
tool to communicate the results of your comparative study.

For instance, you can compare the production of polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) bottles using a project in openLCA (you can access this bottle case study for
free). This comparison involves evaluating two or more product systems with a comparable
functional unit:

Within a project, you can also vary parameters used in your product system. This allows you to
compare different versions of the same product system, which is an essential part of conducting a
"Sensitivity Analysis" in a comprehensive LCA study.

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Creating a new project

After you finished to model one or multiple product systems, you can create a "Project" to compare
them. It should be noted that for a valid comparison, both processes should use the same
functional unit. To create a new project, right-click on the "Projects" folder and select "New project".

Step 1: Creating a new project

Name the new project and provide a description (optional):

Step 2: Creating a new project

The new project will open in the Editor (check below for details):

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Project window

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General information

In the "General information" section you can edit the name of the project and optionally add a
description. Moreover, you can add a tag and run the calculation.

Note: We recommend to create a report before running the calculation. Click on "Create report" in
calculation setup section and then configure it in the new "Report" tab. Check Report Template
section for details.

Calculation setup
Compare product systems
Parameters

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Report Template
After clicking on "Create report" in the calculation setup section, you can configure it in the new
"Report" tab. This report is generated along with calculations when you click the "Calculate" icon in
the "Project setup" tab. By default, a report contains the sections "Introduction", "Project Variants",
"Selected LCIA Categories", "LCIA Results", "Single Indicator Results", "Process contributions", and
"Relative Results. In the "Report" tab, you can name the report, add or remove sections, rename
sections, edit their descriptions, delete sections with the red "X" icon on the right, and change their
order using the up/down icons. Additionally, you can select a "Component" for each section. For
example, which type of chart or table should be displayed. After configuring all the sections,
remember to save the project before generating the report.

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Project, Report tab

We want to emphasize our high variety of graphs for the communication of your results, e.g.:

Indicator bar chart

Relative LCIA results - bar chart

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Normalization bar chart

Relative LCIA results - radar chart

Normalization radar chart

Single score bar chart

Process contribution chart

Relative LCIA results - Radar chart example (In the software the mouse over allows to access more details)

Note: For normalized charts, the normalization method needs to be selected in the "Calculation
setup" section of "Creating a new projet".

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Results
After you click on "Calculate" a results tab will open showing the compared product systems, the
impact assessment results and the results contributions (flow vs impact category).

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Project results, Results tab

To see the report open the second tab "Report".

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Project report
In the report tab you will find the calculated results in the template you chose beforehand. It is
generated as an html file with interactive elements based on Java. The following is directly
extracted from a report (Java elements can not be displayed in this manual):

Note: If you report is not displayed correctly, make sure you have WebView2 (for Windows) or
WebKit (for Linux) installed on your device. Also make sure that the "Use Edge Browser" box in
Preferences > Configuration is checked (see details in the File/Preferences/Configuration section of
"Running openLCA for the first time").

Results of project: bottle filling comparison

Project Variants

This table shows the name and description of the variants as defined in the project setup. The
variant names of the project setup are used for all charts and tables of the other report
components.

Variant Description
PC Poly(carbonate) bottles
PET Poly(ethylene terephthalate) bottles

Selected LCIA Categories

The table below shows the LCIA categories of the selected LCIA method of the project. Only the
LCIA categories that are selected to be displayed are shown in the report. Additionally, a user
friendly name and a description for the report can be provided.

Indicator Unit Description

Abiotic depletion kg Sb eq
Abiotic depletion (fossil fuels) MJ
Acidification kg SO2 eq
Eutrophication kg PO4--- eq
Fresh water aquatic ecotox. kg 1,4-DB eq

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Indicator Unit Description

Global warming (GWP100a) kg CO2 eq
Human toxicity kg 1,4-DB eq
Marine aquatic ecotoxicity kg 1,4-DB eq
Ozone layer depletion (ODP) kg CFC-11 eq
Photochemical oxidation kg C2H4 eq
Terrestrial ecotoxicity kg 1,4-DB eq

LCIA Results

This table shows the LCIA results of the project variants. Each selected LCIA category is displayed in
the rows and the project variants in the columns. The unit is the unit of the LCIA category as
defined in the LCIA method.

Indicator PC PET Unit

Abiotic depletion 8.30177e-8 2.05033e-9 kg Sb eq
Abiotic depletion (fossil fuels) 1.50413e+0 2.06903e+0 MJ
Acidification 1.54539e-3 9.83064e-4 kg SO2 eq
Eutrophication 1.78441e-4 6.37300e-5 kg PO4--- eq
Fresh water aquatic ecotox. 1.42203e-3 2.71658e-4 kg 1,4-DB eq
Global warming (GWP100a) 4.90240e-1 2.10820e-1 kg CO2 eq
Human toxicity 6.15706e-3 1.58586e-2 kg 1,4-DB eq
Marine aquatic ecotoxicity 1.89337e+1 1.60211e+1 kg 1,4-DB eq
Ozone layer depletion (ODP) 1.43767e-11 8.93323e-12 kg CFC-11 eq
Photochemical oxidation 1.05529e-4 6.36538e-5 kg C2H4 eq
Terrestrial ecotoxicity 1.61762e-3 4.97121e-5 kg 1,4-DB eq

Single Indicator Results

The following chart shows the single results of each project variant for the selected indicator. You
can change the selection and the chart is dynamically updated (not in the manual but in the
software itself).

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GWP single indicator PC vs. PET

Process Contributions

This chart shows the contributions of the selected processes in the project setup to the variant
results of the selected LCIA category. As for the single indicator results, you can change the
selection and the chart is dynamically updated.

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GWP process contributions PC vs. PET

Relative Results

The following chart shows the relative indicator results of the respective project variants. For each
indicator, the maximum result is set to 100% and the results of the other variants are displayed in
relation to this result.

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All impact chosen impact categories for PC vs. PET

Exporting a project report

You can export a report in HTML format by clicking on the "Export report" icon located above the
navigation panel. This option is available when the results window is open in the editor.

Exporting a report in HTML format

The program will prompt you to locate the folder where you want to export the HTML file. Once it is
saved, you can open the HTML file with a browser (Internet Explorer, Mircosoft Edge, Safari Google
Chrome, Mozilla Firefox etc.) to view the report.

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Waste modelling
Waste represents any substance or object that that needs to be dispose of, like by-products with no
market value, and it can be generated at any stage of a product's life cycle. In openLCA are
represented by a specific "Flow" type.

Material flow logic approach

Opposite direction approach

Material flow logic

This approach aligns with the "actual" direction (i.e. material flow direction) of what is being
modelled and was introduced with openLCA 1.7. Waste flows are generated as outputs of waste
generating processes. In waste treatment processes they serve as the quantitative reference, and
can be found on the input side.

Model graph displaying the material flow logic

Creating a waste treatment process (material flow logic)

1. Right-click "Processes" → "New process" → "Create a waste treatment process".

2. 2. Choose a (previously created) waste flow as your quantitative reference → click "Finish".
The chosen waste flow is now an input to your waste treatment process.

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Creation of a waste treatment process, material flow logic

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Waste producing process following the material flow logic

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Waste treatment process following the material flow logic

Note: If waste are consumed by a process, system expansion can be applied by checking the box
"Avoided waste", as the waste consumed does not need waste treatment elsewhere. A process
providing the benefit of using waste as an input can be credited with the avoided impact of having
to treat that waste elsewhere.

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Waste input flow is marked as avoided waste

Opposite direction approach

The opposite direction approach works the other way around, and makes it possible to model
waste treatment without the use of waste flows, but using normal process flows instead. This was
the only option up until openLCA 1.7. It is still worth to mention, especially if you're working with
older databases that may not include waste flows. As waste is the quantitative reference of a waste
treatment process, but a quantitative reference cannot be an input to a process (since it is,
essentially, the main product/output of a process), waste treatment is seen as a service necessary
to provide to waste generating processes. The waste then appears as a negative output (an input)
of the waste treatment process, and analogously as a negative input (an output) of the waste
generating process.

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Model graph displaying the opposite direction approach

Creating a waste treatment process (opposite direction approach)

1. Add the waste (type: product) flow as a negative output of a waste treatment process.
2. Add the waste (type: product) flow as a negative input to the waste producing process
considered.

Creation of a waste treatment process, opposite direction approach

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Waste treatment process following the opposite direction approach

The reason there are two different approaches is because different databases manages waste in
different ways, i.e. waste flows are not present in all databases.

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Allocation
When a process involves several products, you have to assign how much of the impact each
product is responsible for. Typical examples of such processes are co-generation of heat and
power (multi-output) or a landfill (multi-input). These allocation problems can be dealt with using
two different strategies; partitioning or system expansion.

Partitioning

There are three allocation by partitioning methods in openLCA:

Physical allocation: partitioning based on the physical relationships between the products in
terms of, for example, mass.

Causal allocation: partitioning based on assumptions or former research on the relative

impact of different products.

Economic allocation: partitioning based on the economic (cost or revenue) relationships

between products. Consequently, an economic property in terms of cost/revenue has to be
added for this to be applicable.

Moreover, we also provide the following technical solutions:

As defined in processes: this option will perform allocation according to the method used in
each individual process along the supply chain.

None: if none is selected, no allocation will be applied, even for multifunctional processes.

Below is an example illustrating how the three different methods are applied in openLCA. In this
example, 1 kg of wood and 0.3 kg of bark are produced from 1 kg of saw log (measured as solid
wood under bark).

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Inputs and Outputs for our example, note that economic properties have been added

The allocation factors for physical, causal and economic allocation can be viewed/altered in the
"Allocation" tab of a process. Select the "Calculate factors" button and the software will
automatically calculate the values for the three allocation methods.

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The "Allocation" tab with the "Calculate factors" button

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Calculate factors

The physical allocation factors are calculated based on the ratio between the products (wood
and bark) physical unit. Since the output of wood and bark is 1 kg and 0.3 kg respectively, the
allocation factors become 0.77 and 0.23.

For causal allocation an assumed ratio can be inserted. In this example, we assume that the
wood is responsible for 60% of the impacts, whereas bark is responsible for 40%.

In the case of economic allocation, we assume a revenue of 1$/kg for wood and 0.4$/kg for
bark.

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Calculated allocation factors. Causal allocation has to be inserted manually, else it will by default get the
physical allocation factors.

Note: For allocation to work, the main product and the by-products need to have the same flow
property.

Note: When a currency is unavailable, a new currency can be created under "Currencies" under the
"Background data" in the Navigation plane. A conversion factor can be added according to
whatever reference currency is set.

Allocation for Recycling

Be reminded that also recycling processes are multi-output processes as they treat waste and
produce recycled material hence they require allocation. It is necessary to use allocation to
distribute the impacts according to the linked process. A short example on how to model recycling
in openLCA is displayed below:

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The model graph for a recycling scenario

As the recycling process is a multi-output process allocation is needed! Here, physical allocation was
applied.

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System Expansion

Applying system expansion means that the process you are modeling is credited with the impact
that is avoided by supplying the by-product. For example: if a process produces electricity and has
heat as a by-product, it can be credited with the load that would appear if this heat was supplied
from elsewhere. In openLCA, this can be performed by checking the box of "Avoided product" for
the by-product.

Avoided product check box highlighted in the Inputs/Outputs tab

It is important that a process providing the avoided product flow exists. This provider then occurs
in the "Model graph" when creating the "Product system", but as a supplier of the output side of
our example process.

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The model graph where heat is accounted for as avoided and has a respective provider besides it is an
output of the process

Note that the flow which is avoided is displayed in the process but also in the product system italic.
In complex models this can help you to differentiate between common flows and avoided flows.

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Parameters
Parameters can be used on the process, Impact assessment method, product system, project and
database levels. Parameters display variables instead of concrete values used in the inputs or
outputs. They can be defined as simple values, formulas or complex functions. Parameters can
overwrite each other (e.g. the value set for a parameter in a process can be overwritten on the
product system/project levels).

In practice, parameters facilitate sensitivity analyses to estimate how much the modification of any
certain aspect of the model will impact the outcome of a study. Parameters are also useful when
working with preliminary data that is subject to change or for the creation of different versions of
the same system while changing certain input/output values.

Adding parameters in openLCA

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Types of parameters
In openLCA you can find three types of parameters:

"Global" parameters can be found and are valid on all levels.

"Input" parameters are parameters that are only valid for the process/LCIA method/Product
system in which they are saved.
""Dependent" parameters are parameters that include input or global parameters in their
formula. The figure below illustrates the view on openLCA for an example.

New! Global, input and dependent parameters can be created within a process or impact
assessment method. These are then also available in product systems and projects in which the
process or impact assessment method is used. It is not possible to create a new parameter on the
product system or project level.

Global, Input and Dependent parameters (reload button for global parameters and add parameter
button highlighted)
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Create a parameter

To create a Global parameter:

1. Right-click on "Global parameters" in the "Indicators and Parameters" section in the

Navigation panel.
2. select "New parameter".
3. Enter the name, description (optional), type (input or dependent parameter) and amount,
then click on "Finish".

Creation of a global parameter

4. After creating a global parameter, a general information window will open up in the Editor,
and you can add tags and uncertainty (new!).

5. To load in a process the global parameter you’ve created, select the "reload" button in the
"Global parameters" section in the "Parameters" tab in a process or impact assessment
method.

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Global parameter - general information

6. The global parameters can also be viewed and edited by clicking on "Parameters" under
"Database" → "Content". This opens up the window below which as a (new!) feature allows
editing of uncertainty by double-clicking in the "Uncertainty cell".

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View and edit Parameters under Database → Content

To create an Input and Dependent parameter:

1. Open the "Parameters" tab of an open process.

2. Select the "+" at the top right-hand corner of the input/dependent parameters section.

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3. Assign a name, value, uncertainty (for an input parameter) and description.

4. In case of a dependent parameter, a formula can be used to link it to the parameters it is
dependent on. To write a correct formula, you can check the accepted constants, operators
and functions in this chapter.

Note: An input/dependent parameter can be converted into a global parameter by right clicking on
it and selecting "convert to global parameter" (new!).

Conversion of an input/dependent parameter into a global parameter

The use of parameters within a database can be checked via the "usage view" feature (right-click on
a parameter and select "usage").

Note: Use the formula interpreter ("Tools" section in "Running openLCA for the first time") to
check the functions you want to include in dependent parameters.

New features in openLCA 2

When you edit a parameter name or value, it will now be automatically updated throughout
the database, e.g. if the parameter is used in a formula of a dependent parameter, it will
automatically change.

Parameter sets: create some parameters, assign values meant for different scenarios and
then save those scenarios and choose them within the same product system. An example is
provided in the parameter section of the section Product systems.

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Parameter hierarchy
If the same parameter has different values at different levels, the system's hierarchy determines
which parameter value takes precedence in calculations. The parameter values at the highest
hierarchy (+) overwrite the value at the lower level (-).

An illustration of the parameter hierarchy can be seen below.

For example, if a process has the same name as a global parameter 'x', then within that process,
the parameter will have the process parameter value. While in another process if 'x' is used, it will
have the value of the global parameter.

Hierarchy of parameters in openLCA

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Parameter sets
Compared to the previous version of openLCA, in openLCA 2 it is now possible to add so called
"parameter sets", that allow the user to easily switch between parameter scenarios. When you
create parameter sets, a new input field is added to the calculation properties popup window of the
product system. This field then allows you to select which specific parameter set should be used for
the calculations.

Product system - Calculation properties - New parameter set

In this example, we show the use of parameters and parameter sets to simulate various scenarios.
The process Battery pack does include two types of electricity sources and two types of
transportation. The parameters "transport_type" and "electricity_source" are both set to 1, which
means the transport by truck and the electricity from renewable sources will be used to calculate
the Battery pack impacts (see "Amount" column 1-parameter).

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Product system - Parameter use

However, in the "Parameters" tab in the Battery Pack product system, you can switch between the
different transport and electricity types by creating parameter sets. See the example given in the
following figure.

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Product system - Choosing a parameter set

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Background data
in "Background data" you can find all the elements that users typically don't engage with often, like
units, sources, locations and so on. You can freely explore this section on your active database.

Background information in a database

Locations
Locations can be regions, countries, or any other point on a map. They are important for localizing
the supply chain and for calculating regional impacts. Here an example of how locations are shown
in openLCA when you click on them.

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Example of how locations are shown in openLCA

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Advanced Topics
This section addresses advanced aspects of openLCA and requires a solid understanding of life
cycle assessment principles, impact assessment methodologies, and the functionality of the
software itself.

The follow topics will be covered:

Regionalized LCA
Monte Carlo Simulation
Life Cycle Costing
Data Quality
Social aspects

Take a look at our interactive forum ask.openLCA where you will find the latest user questions and our
answers.

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Regionalized LCA
With openLCA you can perform regionalized impact assessment, accounting for specific conditions
and characteristics of the location where the processes occur. With parameters, you can define
regional characteristics affecting the impacts. Regional characteristics and information about
geographic locations are contained in GeoJSON files that can be imported into openLCA

How to perform regionalized LCA-step by step

Note: regionalized calculation is an advanced form of impact calculation. It is more resource
consuming that a normal impact calculation and it is needed to be handled carefully. We advise to
allocate enough memory for the calculations (check "File" section of chapter "Running openLCA for
the first time"), to perform it using a regionalized method (that uses locations as entities), and to
check that the locations of processes are the intended ones along the whole supply chain (check
section "Assign locations to processes and exchanges" below for more details).

At the moment, we offer two methods that are regionalized using locations as entities: EF 3.1
(adapted) available in openLCA method package from v2.4.0 upward, and LC-Impact available in
Nexus as standalone (compatible with the same databases as our method pack). EF 3.1 (adapted) is
at the moment in "hybrid" format, meaning that are characterixed both flows regionalized in the
"old-way" (therefore with the location specified in the name) and also with locations as entities. LC-
Impact, instead, is regionalized in the "new-way" only (you'll see generic flows with the location
specified in the location field and therefore a specific CF). For LC-Impact we provide also
regionalization setups in json format, where the flow-binding has already been set.

Nonetheless, in this chapter you will learn how to bind flows yourself and to calculate
characterization factors for specific locations, which works both for methods already regionalized
and method that are not yet updated, but which provide geographic information for their impact
factors.

Check locations in openLCA

A regionalized LCA needs to understand locations. In openLCA 2, available locations in a database

are shown in the navigation tab under Database → Background data → Locations.

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Available locations in a database

Opening one, you will see geographic data, including latitude, longitude and country code (e.g. ES
for Spain), and the covered area defined by GeoJSON. It is also possible to modify the coordinates
by using the text editor that can be opened by clicking on the pencil icon in the "Geographic data"
section.

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General geographic data - Example: Spain

Locations can be also imported in the active database, for instance from a GIS software, as
GeoJSON files File → Import → other → geometries from GeoJSON.

Import of locations into active database

Alternatively, locations can be also drawn by users in geojson.io as polygons, lines or points.

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geojson.io example

The coordinates text can then be just pasted in the text editor in openLCA, after the creation of a
new location (right click on location folder → new location → add name and country code → open
the text editor in the geographic data ("pencil" icon) → paste coordinate text from geojson.io).
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Use of coordinates text from geojson.io example in the openLCA text editor

Importing regional characteristics as GeoJSON file

Data for regional characteristics are contained in GeoJSON files, which can be imported in openLCA.
To regionalize an impact category, first go to "impact categories" folder and open an existing
category (or create a new one). Then go to the tab "regionalized calculation" for the opened
category. Here you need to import regional characteristics (e.g. population density, watershed area,
characterization factors…) by clicking on "open" and selecting GeoJSON files available in your laptop
(e.g. previously exported from a GIS software). Parameters are extracted during the GeoJSON file
import and are available under the section "GeoJSON Parameters".

Regionalized calculation

Each imported parameter can be visualized in a map by selecting the parameter and clicking on the
"world" icon in the GeoJSON Parameters section.

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Visualization of parameters

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Binding regional characteristics (GeoJSON files) to flows

Flows for which you want to calculate geo-spatial based CFs need to bound to the regional
characteristics contained in GeoJSON files, so that the CFs can vary based on the selected location
for exchanges and processes. In the "flow bindings" section under "regionalized calculation" in the
open impact category, add the flows that you want to regionalize (use the "+" icon") and
parametrize the "formula" field using the parameters extracted during the regional characteristics
import and available under "GeoJSON parameters". In regionalized assessment, the parameter
value derived from the GeoJSON file is used for the formula evaluation. Instead, if you apply non-
regionalized LCIA or no location is available for exchanges and processes, the default CF value will
be used in the calculations.

In "Formula" field, you can chose the parameter of your geoJSON that you want to use for the
calculation of the CF of the flow you chose. You can treat that field as any other formula in
openLCA. For instance, if you have a water flow expressed in Kg and the parameter of your
geoJSON is in m3, you can se

In the "Range" field, you can view the minimum and maximum values for each parameter. The
"Aggregation Type" field allows you to choose the aggregation type for the calculation of your CFs:
"Weighted Average" (N.B.: area-weighted average), "Average," "Minimum," or "Maximum." The
"Default Value" displays the value derived from the selected aggregation type performed for each
parameter on your entire map.

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Example of flow binding and parameterization

Currently, openLCA cannot store the GeoJSON parameters and flow bindings, but you can save and
export your setup by clicking on "save". You can import this configuration again at any time by
clicking on "open" and selecting the exported setup. The calculated CFs instead (see below) can be
saved and therefore permanently stored in the impact category of choice-

Saving geojson parameters and flow bindings

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Calculate CFs for selected locations

The last step to set-up the regionalized LCIA method, is to link process locations and LCIA methods
spatial units. Therefore, the intersection between GeoJSON file features and process geometries
(stored in "Locations") is calculated by the software, thus resulting in dedicated CFs for locations
selected by the user. By clicking on the "calculate" icon in the "flow bindings" section, the user
defines the locations for which CFs are to be calculated for the flows added in the "flow bindings"
section.

Defining the location for which the characterization factors are calculated

The resulting CFs for the selected locations and flows are available in the tab "characterization
factors" for the open impact category. A flow for each selected location and the same flow without
a specific location are created and assigned with a CF depending on the location, or with the default
CF value for the case of the flow without a specific location.

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Example results of the tab "Characterization factors"

Add the regionalized impact category to an impact assessment method

When running LCIA, you need to select an impact assessment method. Therefore, the regionalized
impact category/ies need to be added to the method that will be used to calculate the product
system impact. To create a new regionalized method, right-click on the folder "impact assessment
methods" and select "new LCIA method". Then you can add the previously created impact category
in the section "impact categories" in the first tab "general information".

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Adding an impact category to the tab "General information"

Assign locations to processes and exchanges

To perform regionalized LCIA, make sure to assign a location to your processes and/or exchanges.
You can do this by going to the "geography" section in the "General information" tab of a process
and selecting your desired location.

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Assigning locations to processes

Location can be assigned to exchanges in processes by adding them to the "Location" field for each
flow in inputs and outputs.

Assining locations to exchanges

Note: The location specified for exchanges will take precedence over the location specified for the
overall process, if they differ. For instance, if a process is assigned "Italy" as its location but some of
its exchanges are designated with more specific regions (e.g., Sicily or a particular water basin), the
impact will be calculated based on the exchange location. If no specific location is given for an
exchange, the impact will then be calculated using the process location.

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Run regionalized LCIA of a product system

To run regionalized LCIA for a product system, select a regionalized impact assessment method
and check the box "regionalized calculation". Click on "Finish" to start the calculations.

Calcualtion of a regionalized LCIA

Regionalized results can be analysed using different tabs, such as "impact analysis" and "locations".

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Example results of a regionalized LCIA

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Monte Carlo Simulation

The Monte Carlo simulation randomly varies your model’s input data using uncertainty
distributions. This calculation method considers the uncertainty in the input data, resulting in
multiple calculation results, each with a specific uncertainty distribution. Typically, several thousand
iterations are carried out to obtain robust results.

Adding uncertainty information

The first step in openLCA is to add uncertainty data to all input and output flows in the processes.
To add uncertainty data to flows, open a process, click in the uncertainty field and select "Edit". A
pop-up wizard opens where you can choose between:

Logarithmic normal distribution (Geometric mean, Geometric standard deviation)

Normal distribution (Mean, Standard deviation)
Triangle distribution (Minimum, Mode, Maximum)
Uniform distribution (Minimum, Maximum)

Adding uncertainty to flows

Likewise, it is also possible to define uncertainty data for parameters as well as for LCIA
characterisation factors.

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Starting the Monte Carlo Simulation

Clicking on "Calculate" in a product system opens the pop-up wizard "Calculation properties". In
this wizard you can select the calculation type Monte Carlo simulation and define the number of
iterations.

Calculation properties: Monte Carlo simulation

Afterwards, the simulation editor will open. Select "Start" to begin the calculations. The calculation
time required depends on the database and product system complexity, and the selected number
of simulations. The results for each flow and impact category will be displayed while the simulation
runs.

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Starting a Monte Carlo Simulation

Monte Carlo Results

The results of the simulation can be exported as an Excel document. Simply click on the Excel icon
on the right-hand side of the editor.

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Monte Carlo Simulation results

The results of all processes and sub-product systems that are part of a product system can be
displayed separately in the Monte Carlo Simulation tab. For easy navigation, individual processes
can be pinned.

Pin/Unpin processes or subsystems

Comparing two processes in the Monte Carlo simulation

It is also possible to compare two processes with a Monte Carlo simulation if you create a process
and the corresponding product system, where one process is subtracted from the other to avoid
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double counting of uncertainties.

Creation of a process subtracting one process to the other for future comparison in Monte Carlo
simulation

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Life Cycle Costing

Life Cycle Costing (LCC) aims to assess the costs of a product over its entire life cycle.

LCC and Value Added in openLCA

Costs are modelled in the software as associated with products, waste or elementary flows, which
are inputs and outputs of processes. They can be positive or negative while a negative cost is
regarded as an added value. In general, there is no need for the creation of a method for the LCC
calculation.

The implementation in openLCA follows the proposal of the SETAC working group, for costs, with
some modifications, as follows:

costs are modelled as properties of exchanges, i.e. of inputs and outputs of processes;
costs can be positive or negative; negative costs are added value
costs are displayed in the process editor, in a new column for the exchanges;
when a product system is calculated, both costs and added value are available, in parallel to
inventory and impact assessment results

Value added builds on this concept, taking value added as "negative costs", i.e. reversing the sign.

A closer look at how costs are specified in the process editor

Starting point for the cost model and LCC calculation in openLCA are the costs for process data
sets. In the process editor, costs can be entered for each exchange, i.e. for each input and output,
of a process. Both costs and revenues can be considered:

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Costs and revenues for flows in a process

Costs on the input side are costs. On the output side, for products, amounts in this column are
revenues (the product is sold), while the release of elementary or waste flows might cause a cost,
e.g. release of CO2 or emission of waste water with heavy metals. Therefore, any positive amount
entered for a product on the output side refers to revenue, while every positive amount entered for
an elementary flow reflects costs. To help distinguish both, costs are shown in purple, while
revenues are shown in green. To edit the costs, or to enter new costs, click in the cost column, and
click on edit.

Entering or editing costs in the process editor

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A new window will appear for specifying the currency and the amount costs. The amount is meant
to be entered as absolute value, i.e. as costs for the amount of the exchange as it is entered for the
exchange; for the example in the second figure, it is the costs for 0.12 kg. The costs per specified
unit, e.g. per kg, are calculated automatically; they are shown in the small window for entering
costs which opens when clicking on edit in the cost/revenue column.

Entering or editing costs, detail window, with absolute costs (costs for the amount specified for the
exchange) and costs per unit which are calculated

Currencies

As shown in the figures above, costs are expressed in currencies. It is possible to switch for a cost
entry between different currencies in the detailed cost window. All currencies available in a
database can be found under background data, in the currencies folder. For an entire database,
one currency is selected as reference, for the other currencies, an exchange rate is stored to allow
recalculation of costs in another currency. The exchange rates are used for calculating the
conversion factors which are applied when different currencies in the process are selected.

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Changing the currency of a flow

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Under background data you can find the avaiable currency or add your own

The reference currency can be changed within one currency (click on "set as reference currency?").

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General information on a currency

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When changing the reference currency, all open currency editors will be closed for updating the
conversion factors, and the editor of the new reference currency will be opened again.

Multi-output processes (Allocation of costs)

In the case of multi-output processes, consideration of the costs of by-products depends on the
choice of allocation options when setting the calculation properties (see "Allocation"). If no option is
selected the price of the by-products is considered as revenue, while if a type of allocation is
chosen the allocation factors are applied to the exchanges and the by-product cost is not
considered. The third possibility is to select the option "as defined in processes": As before, if a type
of allocation is chosen the allocation factors are applied to the exchanges and the by-product cost
is not considered; on the contrary, if no allocation is selected all costs are calculated excluding
those from the by-products.

In case of multi-output processes in the database it is important to know what happens to the costs
of by-products during the calculation of a product system. You have different options for setting
the allocation method in the calculation properties.

Choosing the allocation method in openLCA during the calculation setup. The box for "Include cost
calculation" is checked!

Note: Furthermore, LCC can be performed stand-alone by selecting no method when the impact
assessment is run.
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Depending on this choice (and depending on what is defined in the processes itself) the following
rules will be applied:

None: All costs are considered (the price of the by-product as revenue)
Physical, causal or economic: The allocation factors are applied to the exchanges and the
price of the byproduct is not considered
As defined in processes: The physical, causal or economic allocation is chosen as defined in
the processes itself. Again, the allocation factors are applied to the exchanges and the price of
the by-product is not considered and no allocation ("none") is selected in the processes, all
costs except the one from the by-product are considered

If you want to apply system expansion, i.e. one of the output products is marked as "avoided
product", the calculation is as follows:

When no allocation is selected in the calculation properties, the following formula is applied:

- Added value = Price Reference_Product – Price elementary flows/inputs – Price

ByProduct – Added value of avoided supply chain

When allocation is selected (e.g. "As defined in processes"), the following formula is used:

- Added value = Price Reference_Product +Allocation_factor*(– Price elementary

flows/inputs – Price ByProduct – Added value of avoided supply chain)

As you can define an economic flow property and hold an cost/revenue entry in the process, it is
assumed that the process-specific information is more precise and the following rule is applied:

When economic allocation is selected and all output products have an economic value (revenue)
defined in the process editor, those values will be taken. However, in the case that not all output
products have a revenue defined, then the economic flow properties will be used for the
calculation (if there are any).

Another important issue is the consideration of market variability through uncertainty models.
OpenLCA presents a column to assign an uncertainty to the input and output flows of a process,
but not to the price directly. This can be solved by making the price a Parameter and assigning
uncertainty directly to it.

Available Data

Ecoinvent database v. 3.3 in openLCA format provides prices for all products except for waste
materials and their disposal. Otherwise, prices can be inserted manually in the input/output section
for each process.

Several currencies are available in the database and for an entire database, one currency can be
selected as a reference for all the others.
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The software allows to model different prices for the same material referred to different processes
or countries, as the price per reference unit associated with the material is open and can be
changed in the processes of the product system. In this way, there is no need for the creation of
the same material with a different name and price associated.

A small case study example

As an example, a small case study will be presented in the following. The case study is taken from
Moreau and Weidema (2015), who in turn refers to a publication by Heijungs and colleagues
(Heijungs et al. 2013), and was rebuilt in openLCA.

The case study is a about the life cycle of a wooden chair, the functional unit defined as sitting
on the chair for ten years. Overall, the chair is assumed to have a life time of 2 years, which is
quite short. The simplified life cycle consists of few processes only:

Production of wood
Production of electricity
Production of the chair
Usage of the chair
Disposal of the broken chair

Costs and material exchanges between these processes are shown in Table 1. Since the functional
unit is 10 years of sitting, 5 chairs are required.

Chair case study: Processes, physical exchanges, costs and value added (Moreau and Weidema 2015,
modified)

Costs per Value

Phase Product Amount Costs**
unit* added
Production of
electricity 1 MJ 5 €/MJ 5€ 5€
electricity
Production of wood wood 1 kg 1 €/kg 1€ 1€
electricity 2 MJ 5 €/MJ -10 €
wood -5 kg 1 €/kg -5 €
Production of chair 10 €
25
chair 1 piece 25 €
€/piece
5 25 -125
chair
pieces €/piece €
broken 5
Use of chair 2 €/piece -10 € -135 €*
chair pieces
10
sitting 0 €/year* 0 €*
years
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Disposal of broken broken

1 piece -2 €/piece 2€ 2€
chair chair

*in Moreau and Weidema 2015: "price"; **in Moreau and Weidema 2015: "monetary amount"

In openLCA, the processes have been created, and a product system has been built where these
processes exchange their products. Note that the disposal (end of life) of the chair is modelled as
provided service to the use of the chair, following the typical ecoinvent (and SimaPro e.g.)
modelling of end of life treatment.

The created product system in the model graph in openLCA

One example for a process with costs is already shown in first figure of this page: The production of
the chair.
When the product system is calculated, several summaries of results for costs and added value are
available. For example, in the process contributions tab, a new section "costs/added values" is
available, which shows the contribution of different processes to the final cost and added value
result. It is possible to switch between costs and value added; costs are value added multiplied by
-1, i.e. costs for input products "purchased" for one process, minus price of the generated
products.

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Value added and net-costs in the process contributions tab

For the production of the chair, for example, net costs are (5 + 10) € - 25 € = -10€; for 5 chairs
required in the product system, the amount is -50 €. In the contributi0n tree, value added and life
cycle costs are available as new section, in addition to LCIA categories and elementary flows.
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openLCA offers a detailed document on how to conduct LCC studies in openLCA free here. The
database with the case study is available for download here

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Data Quality
Data quality is a critical aspect of life cycle assessment (LCA) studies, and it is addressed in ISO
14040 and ISO 14044 standards. openLCA offers a broad support for entering, managing, and
calculating data quality in LCA models. Before we start, let’s remind us that in ISO 14040, data
quality is defined as fitness for purpose.

Below, we describe how to work with data quality in openLCA.

Choosing a data quality system

First you need do define a data quality flow schema. If you generate a database with complete
reference data, we provide you with two data quality systems. You can choose one of them in the
"General information" tab, see "Process tab content":

Available data quality systems in an database with complete reference data in openLCA

You can also create your own data quality system or modify existing quality systems according to
your own criteria. In openLCA, it is assumed that all data quality systems follow a pedigree matrix
"style", i.e. there are data quality indicators that are evaluated in classes, from good to bad. These
pedigree matrices can be defined from scratch, but openLCA contains some predefined data
quality systems already.

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Data quality system according to the ILCD data quality system requirements

To create a new data quality system, right-click on the "Data Quality Systems" directory and select
"New data quality system". Then you can add indicators, scores and uncertainties.

Step 1: Creating a new data quality system

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Step 2: Setup a new data quality system

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Working with data quality

Now you can select a data quality system for the process, flows and social aspects.

1. Data quality information for processes must be defined in the "Data quality" section in the
"General information" tab of a process window.

Process window tab - general information, data quality

2. On the other hand, data quality information for flows and social assessments need to be
selected under data quality columns in "Input/Output" tab or in "Social aspects" tab, see
"Process tab content".

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Process window tab - Inputs/Outputs, Data quality for flows

Data quality system can be selected among the systems available in the "Data quality systems"
directory in the "Indicators and parameters" section of the active database.

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Data quality systems directory in an active database

You can access existing data quality system in the folder "Data quality system" in the navigation
panel. You can use for example the ecoinvent data quality system improved by dr. Andreas Ciroth
(click here to read the complete report) When you open a data quality system in the Editor, you’ll
see a "General information" tab. This tab displays scores for various indicators and provides
options to assign uncertainty values to these indicators, as illustrated below.

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Data quality systems, indicators and scores

Setup

To access the data quality during a calculation, check the box "Assess data quality" when setting the
calculation properties.

Checking the box for including a data quality assessment

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Then, click "Next" and the "Data quality properties" window will open, allowing you to access the
details on the data quality assessment.

Setup for the data quality assessment

You can choose the aggregation type, a rounding method, and how to handle exchanges that lack
data quality values. Then, click on the "Finish" button to start the calculation including the data
quality assessment.

Results

When the calculations are done, the results window will open in the Editor. You will notice that the
data quality of the inventory analysis is now shown in the inventory analysis tab with color-coded
numbers.

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Inventory analysis - data quality information

The abbreviations for the columns are Reliability, Completeness, Temporal correlation,
Geographical correlation, Further technical correlation as defined in your data quality scheme, see
"Processes".

In a similar fashion, the data quality for the impact analysis tab is displayed after the calculation
was performed.

Impact Analysis - data quality

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Social aspects
openLCA can also be used to conduct social lifecycle assessments (SLCA) for any product or project.
SLCA is a part of a sustainability assessment that focuses on the social impacts throughout a
product's lifecycle. Guidelines for carrying out SLCA were developed (and were last updated in
2020) by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and can be freely accessed on their
website.

Similar to conventional environmental LCA, there are background databases used for SLCA. In
openLCA, PSILCA and SHDB are examples of social databases that can be used. You can also
integrate SOCA, which is an add-on for ecoinvent LCI databases to carry out SLCA. Social LCA
databases are available on openLCA Nexus, under the Database section.' This section will display
content only if processes have social-related information.

In an active social database, you can find the "Social Indicators" in the "Indicators and parameters"
directory.

Social indicators in "Indicators and parameters" directory

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To learn more about any social indicator, you can double-click on it. In the General information tab,
additional information about the unit of measurement, evaluation schema and activity variable are
displayed.

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General Information of a Social Indicator

Information regarding the social indicator according to each process can be viewed in the "Social
Aspects" tab.Information on the raw values, risk level (evaluated according to the amount of the
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"raw value"), activity variable, data quality, comment and source can all be displayed. The risk-
assessed indicators are characterised by the activity variable. For instance, for the time being, all
indicators use working hours as an activity variable. To learn more about this and about each social
indicator, it is recommended to visit the PSILICA manual which is available on the nexus website.

Process, social aspect tab

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Constants, operators and functions for

formulas in openLCA
When you add a formula in openLCA (e.g. in the amount cell of Inputs/Outputs tab) The formula
interpreter allows you to use these constants, operators and functions.

Constants

Constant Description Value

the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a
pi 3.141592653589793
circle
e base of the natural system of logarithms 2.718281828459045

Operators
Precedence Operator Description Example
7 - (unary) negation -1 #> -1
6 ^ exponentiation 2^3 #> 8
5 * multiplication 2*2 #> 4
5 / division 2/2 #> 1
5 div integer division 7 div 2 #> 3
5 mod modulus 7 mod 2 #> 1
4 + addition 1+1 #> 2
4 - subtraction 1-1 #> 0
=
3 equal to 1 = 1 #> true
==
<>
3 not equal to 1 <> 2 #> true
!=
3 < less than 2 < 2 #> false
3 <= less than or equal to 2 <= 2 #> true
3 > greater than 3 > 2 #> true

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Precedence Operator Description Example

3 >= greater than or equal to 3 >= 4 #> false
&
2 logical and true() & false() #> false
&&
|
1 logical or true() | true() #> true
||

Functions
Function Description Example
abs(x) the absolute value of x abs(-1) #> 1
acos(x) arccos(x) the inverse cosine of x acos(-1) #> 3.14159265
and(x1;x2;...xn) logical and and(1<2;2>1) #> true
asin(x) arcsin(x) the inverse sine of x asin(-1) #> -1.57079633
atan(x) arctan(x) the inverse tangent of x atan(-1) #> -0.785398163
mean(x1;…;xN) the arithmetic mean of
avg(x1;…;xN) avg(1;2;3) #> 2
the given numbers
ceil(x) the smallest integer not less than x ceil(2.2) #> 3
cos(x) the cosine of x cos(0) #> 1
cosh(x) the hyperbolic cosine of x cosh(0) #> 1
cotan(x) cot(x) the cotangent of x cotan(pi/2) #> 0
Euler’s number e raised to the power exp(2) #>
exp(x)
of x 7.38905609893065
floor(x) the largest integer not greater than x floor(2.7) #> 2
frac(x) the fractional part of x frac(2.7) #> 0.7
iff(b;x;y) iif(b;x;y) returns x if b
if(b;x;y) evaluates to true, otherwise y is if(1>2;1;2) #> 2
returned
ipower(x;y) raises x to a power of y (y is an integer) ipower(4;2) #> 16
ln(x) the natural logarithm (base e) of x ln(7.38905609893065) #> 2
lg(x) log(x) the base 10 logarithm of x lg(1000) #> 3
max(x1;…;xN) the maximum of the given numbers max(1;2;3) #> 3
min(x1;…;xN) the minimum of the given numbers min(1;2;3) #> 1
not(b) the logical complement of b not(false) #> true

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Function Description Example

or(x1;x2;...;xn) logical or or(1<2;2<1) #> true
power(4;2.2) #>
power(x;y) pow(x;y) raises x to a power of y
21.112126572366314
returns a random number between 0
random() random() #> …
and 1
round(x) rounds x to the nearest integer round(2.5) #> 3
sin(x) the sine of x sin(2*pi) #> 0
sinh(x) the hyperbolic sine of x sinh(0) #> 0
sqr(x) the square of x sqr(2) #> 4
sqrt(x) the square root of x sqrt(4) #> 2
tan(x) the tangent of x tan(pi/4) #> 1
tanh(x) the hyperbolic tangent of x tanh(0.5) #> 0.46…
trunc(x) int(x) the integer part of x trunc(2.7) #> 2

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New Environmental Product Declarations

(EPDs)
In openLCA 2 we added EPDs as new elements. EPDs in openLCA contain the LCA information that
is part of an EPD (not the technical product information) and the text "around" the EPD result that
make a complete EPD. EPDs in openLCA contain the full impact assessment results, per life cycle
stage, for a given reference product unit.

Users are advised to use the EN15804 add-on for ecoinvent, created by GreenDelta GmbH in
accordance with the EN15804 norm, when navigating through this section.

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Creating new processes for target products

To create an EPD, you must create the processes of a target product. In the figure below, various
processes are shown, each of which has been generated following the lifecycle stages
nomenclature, according to EN15804+A2, and saved in a respective folder. The creation of these
processes works in the usual way in open LCA (see create new process section).

It is recommended that you ensure that reference flow property matches the declared unit and it
would be the same for each lifecycle stage.

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Created and saved processes for an EPD

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Create product systems from your processes

In the next step, product systems must be created from the respective processes.

To do so, go to the "General information" tab in the respective process and click on "Create product
system". Do this for all processes which should be included in the EPD to include all relevant
modules.

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"General information" tab of a process

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Calculate the impact assessment

This section summarises different ways to produce impact assessment results using EPD format.
There are three different methods:

Calculate the results of a product system

Calculating the results using lifecycle stages as product systems
Calculating the results using projects

Calculate results of a single product system

After the product system is created, you can calculate the impact results choosing a LCIA method.

1. To include the results in the EPD, the product systems must be calculated. To do so, go to the
"General information" tab of the product systems and right click on "Calculate". This must be
performed individually for each product systems that you want to include in your EPD.

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"General information" tab of product system

2. After clicking on "Calculate", you will see the interface depicted below. Here, you must now
choose the set of indicators you would like to calculate and select the calculation type
"Eager/All". After this, the results will appear automatically.

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Selection of Impact Assessment Methods in the calculation of a product system

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Calculating the results using lifecycle stages as product

systems
In order to view the results of the LCA study for the product of interest in an EPD format per
lifecycle stages, you can create a product system for each process as seen below.

Then, create a process system with the flow of each lifecycle stage added. After that, create a
product system but make sure that you uncheck the “Auto-link Process”. Then, in the model graph
tab of the newly created product system, as seen below, you can drag-and-drop the product
system for each stage.

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Then, as demonstrated in the image below, you can move the pointer to the flow of the product
system (1) and drag it to the flow of the existing in the “Lifecycle” product system (2).

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Eventually, you will be able to set-up the model graph using product system of each lifecycle stage
as seen below.

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Results for the calculated product system of “Lifecycle” can then be viewed in the following format:

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Calculating the results using projects

Alternatively, you can create a new project with a report and add all the lifecycle stage product
systems as seen below.

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With this approach, you can view the results all together for all impact categories for each stage, as
you can see below. You can be copy the results that are displayed this way and insert them directly
into the EPD report.

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Save your results

openLCA allows to storing the results in order to use them for an EPD or in further calculations.

1. In order to save the result of the calculation of a product system, go to the "General
information" tab of that specific result. Click on "Save result as". In the window that opens
select "As a result".

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"General information" tab of a result

2. The results are now saved and available under the folder "Results". The results of the
calculations of all product systems that could be included in the EPD must be saved
additionally.

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Navigation window showing results

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Creating EPDs in openLCA

An EPD structure can be created in order to store the information using the official nomenclature
of the life cycle stages.

1. To create a new EPD you can now right-click on the folder "EPDs" and select "New EPD". In the
window that opens, please name the EPD.

Creating a new EPD

2. Next, you need to navigate to the section "Modules" under "General information" of the EPD.
Here, you need to add all modules that should be included. You must select your declared
product (flow) in the respective section under "General information".

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"Modules" section in an EPD

3. It is now possible to export the completed EPD, by clicking on "File" and selecting "Export".
Select "JSON-LD" and click on "Next". Your EPD should be selected. Click on "Finish". Your EPD
is now saved in the folder you selected. That allows to exchange with EPDs and send them to
responsible parties.

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EPD example

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Adding EPD results from various sources

EPDs are often available as pdf document with unique design, hence they cannot be imported
directly into any LCA software. However, a new feature allows you to manually add the results from
the publicly available EPDs or to add EPDs using their ILCD file.

Adding EPDs manually

1. To do so, you need to create a custom set of results by clicking on the "Results folder" and
then "New results". It will create a template that needs to be filled with additional information.

Creation of the result example

2. Next, the results can be completed by adding an impact category from the respective method.
It can be done by clicking on "Impact assessment" field and browsing through the list of

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available categories

Adding results to an impact category

3. After all necessary impact categories are added, a full list of associated impacts can be seen.
However, it is important to link the burdens to a specific flow that will represent a functional
unit. Thus, an existing or a custom flow can be selected by right clicking the "Inventory results
– Outputs" field and selecting the right option from the list. Once finished, it is needed to right
click on the target flow and set it as a reference. The amounts of the output flow must

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correspond to the original EPD or converted according to the new functional unit with all of
the associated emissions.

The finished results

Importing EPDs files in ILCD format

It is also possible to import EPDs that have an ILCD format (zip file), e.g. Environdec by using the
import function whilst a EPD-suitable database is active.

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Imported EPD appearing in EPD and Result folder

After the import, openLCA will display if the import process succeeded with or without any issues.
Now, the EPD and the respective results will be found directly in both folders (EPD and Results)!

The finished results

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Get EPDs from EC3

With openLCA 2 it is now possible to download or upload EPDs to EC3 (Embodied Carbon in
Construction Calculator) by Building Transparency; requires access (account) to the respective
OpenEPD API.

To access the EC3 with openLCA, open under Tools → Get EPDs from EC3. The following window
will open:

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Insert your user name, click on 'Login' and insert your EC3 account password. Once you are
connected you can download via URL/ID, or search and import EPDs through directly in openLCA.

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openLCA will try to match openEPD LCIA methods with the openLCA indicators in the active
database automatically but this can be configured by the user individually.

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The imported EPDs will be displayed in the navigation panel under EPDs. An EPD can contain
multiple result modules and hence the results are stand-alone models too and can be flexibly
combined in EPDs they have a quantitative reference and can be used in product systems.

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It is also possible to upload your EPD drafts to the EC3 server. For this open an EPD and select
"Upload (Update) EPD on results on EC3". For this, please fill out all the information required in
particular the declared product and the URN.

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Then a new window will appear and you can click on "Upload (Update)".

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Then you can check your uploaded version under https://buildingtransparany.org/ec3/epds/URN

(replace "URN" with your specific URN).

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Using results of EPDs in the product system

The introduced or saved results can be directly used in a supply chain.

1. The flow must be added to the inputs of a target inventory that will be connected with a
respective result.

Linking the impacts with an inventory

2. Unlike the provider selection, the results can be connected to a respective flow only via the
"model graph". Thus, a product system needs to be created first. After the supply chain is
created, it is needed to open the "model graph" under the product system element and drag
and drop the result into the editor area. It is important to keep track and select the correct
reference flow to be able to link to the result.

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EPD example

3. Once the results are in the editor area, they can be connected to the flow manually. That is
done by dragging a connection from the target flow to the results element.

EPD example

4. After all connections are established and the target amounts are set, it is important to save all
changes prior performing the impact assessment. Then, the results can be analyzed as usual.
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Notes::

For users using the Ecoinvent v3.9 EN15804+A2 add-on database or previous versions: EPDs
imported via ILCD formats cannot be integrated into the results of the EPD when utilized as part of
a product system that is created on openLCA. Therefore, you must manually add the EPD results
OR map the impact categories of the EPD results by creating a new process and adding suitable
elementary flows representing each impact category.

For users using the Ecoinvent v3.10 EN15804+A2 add-on database with openLCA v2.2: EPDs
imported via the ILCD format can now be directly integrated into the product system. You should
use openLCA v2.2 with the v3.10 add-on to import the EPDs and map them to the impact
categories. However, we advice you to always verify that the impact categories are mapped
correctly, as the online repository from which the EPD is imported does not always link the impact
categories to their corresponding unique identifiers accurately.

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Using soda4LCA
With openLCA v2.2, you can now access a wide range of ILCD nodes through the soda4LCA tool.
This includes also various EPD-focused nodes, e.g. International EPD, ÖKOBAUDAT... The soda4LCA
tool can be accessed by going to Tools > soda4LCA as seen below:

Then, a pop-up window shall appear where you can select the desired database node (host) as
shown below and then click on "ok".

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You can search the library by "EPD", "impact category", and more.

With an active database, it's possible, then, to import the results by right-clicking on the desired
entry and selecting "import selected".

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If you have imported an EPD, it shall appear under the "EPD" folder in the working database. If you
have imported an impact category, it shall appear under the "impact categories" folder and so on.
To integrate results of EPD into the product system, please refer to "Using results of EPDs in the
product systems" section. Make sure that you use the same impact method to calculate impacts as
it had been used to generate the EPD. Otherwise the impacts of the EPD will not be taken into
accout.

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Collaboration in Teams
With the general advancement of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and the spreading of Life Cycle
Thinking (LCT), collaborative work on LCA studies becomes increasingly common e.g. within a
company or team at the same location, within a company or team at different locations within
multilateral projects (e.g. in research) on an international level and under participation of various
entities such as companies, universities or consultancies as well as co-development of an LCA
among executing contractors and clients. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly commonplace to
use reference data for background processes, elementary flows, impact assessment methods, and
other elements of existing LCA models. Often sharing of reference data for updating databases and
distribution to users who are (also) distributed comes along with technical issues. In addition,
quality assurance and review of LCA models through an external reviewer is of interest for anybody
who wants to create a consistent LCA database. The LCA Collaboration Server, now in version 2.0, is
a server application that complements openLCA (the LCA desktop application). It is available for
free, and support is available on demand.

If you wish to learn more about the collaboration server, please visit the collaboration server
manual.

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Tricks cheat sheet

This section is designed to be your quick reference guide, providing you with essential tips,
shortcuts, and key insights to maximize your efficiency and productivity when working with
OpenLCA. Whether you are a seasoned user seeking time-saving techniques or a newcomer looking
for a comprehensive overview, this cheat sheet will empower you to navigate OpenLCA's features
with ease and confidence.

Let's dive in and unlock the full potential of OpenLCA together. Happy exploring!

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Usage
The "Usage" function allows you to find where the selected "Flow", "Process" etc. is utilized within
the system. For this, right-click on a database element:

After clicking on "Usage", the following window will show where the selected process is used:

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This function it’s helpful for example if you want to delete a connected process/flow.

Note: Moreover, the "Used in processes" section in every product or waste flow (General
information tab) shows you a more detailed "Usage" information.

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Direct calculations in processes

openLCA provides the flexibility to calculate the impacts of processes directly, without the need to
create product systems. You can either use the "Impact analysis" tab (only direct impacts) or the
"Direct calculation" function directly within a process.

Direct Calculations in the Impact Analysis tab

If you don’t want to generate a product system to calculate the direct impacts of a process, you can
directly use the "Impact Analysis" tab in processes! It enables you to select raw materials and
services with low environmental impacts directly from a LCI database without the need to create a
product system.

In the "Impact Analysis" tab of a process, the process's direct impact is calculated. Hence, only
elementary flows present in this process will be considered (no upstream impacts). You can choose
the impact assessment method directly within the tab and the results will dynamically update
accordingly.

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Impact analysis of a process representing the direct impacts

However, to perform overall impact calculations, you can explore the sections "Calculation and
Result Analysis" and "LCIA methods and categories".

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Direct calculation in the general information tab

A fast way to perform overall calculations without generating a product system is by using the
"Direct calculation" button in the "General information" tab of a process. This feature generates an
in-memory product system comprising all processes in the database.

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Direct calculation option in the "General information" tab of a process

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However, accurate results are only obtained when there are unambiguous connections between
these processes.

For example, each product should have a single process responsible for its production, and every
product input should have a default provider assigned. To ensures the integrity of the connections
(linking) between processes in the database, you can navigate to "Database → Check linking
properties" or use the "Check linking" option in the pop-up window after selecting "Direct
calculation".

Check linking prior calculation

The main advantage of "Direct calculation" is its efficiency in terms of memory usage. It eliminates
the need to create a product system in advance, offering a practical solution. This is particularly
advantageous for large databases such as PSILCA, exiobase, and GaBi.

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openLCA and excel

It is possible to simply copy data from Excel into a process in openLCA, as long as the Excel table
have the same column structure and column headings of the process inputs/outputs table in
openLCA. See below.

Excel template

Paste Excel data into a process in openLCA

Copied data:

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Copied Excel data in openLCA

To select specific columns and rows for copying, follow these steps:

1. Click on a cell within the table to begin the selection.

2. Hold the "Shift" button on your keyboard.
3. Click on another cell in the table to mark a range of rows and columns. All the rows and
columns between the initial and final selection will be highlighted.
4. Right-click within the selected area.
5. Choose "Copy selection" from the context menu.

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Copying data from openLCA tables

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Tags
In openLCA, tags are a feature used to organize and search data objects within the software. They
provide a way to assign labels or keywords to elements in your LCA model, such as processes,
flows, or impact categories.

Each element within openLCA can have multiple tags associated with it. To add tags, navigate to the
"General information" tab of a flow, process, product system, impact category or the "Project
setup" tab of a project, and click on "Add a tag." A wizard will appear, allowing you to specify the
tag's name and provide a description.

Usage of Tags

In addition, users can filter by tags on the Collaboration Server, which is a great way to locate and
organise shared data if a consistent tagging system is used within the team.

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Searching for Tags, Collaboration Server

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Contact
openLCA is developed and managed by GreenDelta in Berlin. If you have any feedback, comments,
questions, please let us know.

For manual-related inquiries, you can reach us at [email protected].

GreenDelta GmbH
Alt-Moabit 130
10557 Berlin, Germany
Tel. +49 30 4849 6030
Fax +49 30 48 496 - 991
[email protected]
www.greendelta.com

Follow openLCA:

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