Key Objectives for LCA to go

Smart, decision-oriented LCA approaches for European SMEs can facilitate sustainable consumption and production, fostering sustainable growth through enhanced business opportunities for green industries, and improve competitiveness of SMEs, which can demonstrate outstanding environmental solutions.

  1. Boosting LCA use in SMEs
  2. Development of simplified operative methods and tools
  3. Development of sector-specific eco-design and LCA approaches
  4. Development of a webbased, open source toolbox

Boosting LCA use in SMEs

The intention of LCA to go is to facilitate a break-through regarding LCA application in SMEs by following these core strategic principles:

  • Needs driven approach
  • Bridging the language gap between environmental aspects and technical terms (engineering language)
  • Reducing methodological complexity
  • Riding the wave, using product carbon footprints as door-openers for LCA in SMEs
  • Synergies with environmental management systems
  • Spreading the word of LCA among SMEs
  1. Boost­ing LCA use in SMEs
  2. Develop­ment of simpli­fied operative methods and tools
  3. Develop­ment of sector-specific eco-design and LCA ap­proach­es
  4. Develop­ment of a web­based, open source toolbox

Development of simplified operative methods and tools

There are distinct approaches, which serve the objectives best in the various sectors. Therefore, LCA to go intends to set up a methodological toolbox of:

  • Generic Product Eco-Profiles
  • Key Engineering Parameters / Key Environmental Performance Indicators
  • Umbrella Specifications
  • Product Carbon Footprint / Environmental Product Declarations / Ecological Profiles
  • Product Category Rules
  • Templates for LCA data inquiries
  1. Boosting LCA use in SMEs
  2. Development of simplified operative methods and tools
  3. Development of sector-specific eco-design and LCA approaches
  4. Development of a webbased, open source toolbox

Development of sector-specific eco-design and LCA approaches

Target sectors have been chosen as they are of very high relevancy in terms of environmental impacts and environmental improvement potential. LCA is a tool which can significantly help to promote products of these sectors once suitable, reliable and easy-to-employ tools are available. The selected target sectors are: Bio-based plastics, Industrial Machines, Electronics, Renewable energy, Sensors and Smart textiles

  1. Boosting LCA use in SMEs
  2. Development of simplified operative methods and tools
  3. Development of sector-specific eco-design and LCA approaches
  4. Development of a webbased, open source toolbox

Development of a Web based, Open Source Toolbox

The source code of the web tools will be made available for free to interested parties, being relevant for software engineers, who are interested to adapt the tools to the specifics of other sectors by adapting the engineering parameters and their correlation with KEPIs. As there are already numerous comprehensive LCA tools, the LCA to go approach intends to develop apps for the user, i.e. tools, which provide useful results with only few data entries. Thus, further apps for other sectors will emerge from the software community and/or ecodesign promoting organisations or projects.