LCA data is used by organizations to measure, follow up and reduce environmental and social impact. For the Swedish Life Cycle Center it is important to contribute to making LCA data more accessible and transparent globally and therefor this expert group has been established.

Background

LCA data is used by organizations to measure, follow up and reduce environmental and social impact. It can be used to ensure credible and reliable marketing of environmental performance of products. Increased availability of reliable national LCA data has the potential to strengthen competitiveness of businesses on the international market and even to be used to market nations as attractive regions to perform operations. Swedish Life Cycle Center has over 20 years of experience in working together to create a common understanding on the environmental impact from consumption and production and therefor credible and transparent information is needed. Information is needed both from natural processes and technical processes in the society and information how these processes are interacting. Swedish Life Cycle Center and Ecoinvent in Switzerland were among the first actors to develop LCA databases and database formats in 1995 and since then both commercial and non-commercial databases have been established. The interest for life cycle assessment is increasing globally and also the need for LCA data. For the Swedish life Cycle Center it is important to contribute to make LCA data more accessible and transparent globally and therefor this expert group has been established.

Aim & objectives

Follow and influence Global LCA Data Access Network (GLAD) and support the Swedish representatives in GLAD. Also work nationally to work for a national life cycle related data infrastructure with both national generic reference data and specific research data.

Outcomes

Participation in the international workshops on GLAD and in the GLAD Steering committee.

In 2015, the group compiled a position paper with the overall aim to influence the GLAD initiative based on the Swedish experience within the development of a LCA database.

In 2015 and 2016, a collaboration agreement was signed with UN Environment and Swedish Life Cycle Center to set up the structure for the work with GLAD.

A national research and innovation agenda on LCA data was delivered in 2016 to raise the topic of LCA och LCA data on the national agenda and a government mandate brought up the task in 2017.

Next steps

In collaboration with Swedish government agencies work for a national LCA data infrastructure based on the national research and innovation agenda (mentioned above) and our experience and work during the last years.

Contribute to national reference LCA data for Swedish conditions on core processes.