The ELCD core database comprises of life cycle emmission and resource consumption data from front-running EU-level business associations and other sources for key materials, energy carriers, transport, and waste management (Life Cycle Inventory).
Focus is on data quality, consistency, and applicability. The respective data sets are officially provided and approved by the named business association; some data sets are still under preparation and will be added subsequently.
This version, the ELCD II, includes data sets that have not been published beforehand and data sets that were only collected for this purpose. The data sets of the ELCD database will contribute key European data to the upcoming international ILCD Data Network, building upon the ILCD Handbook that will define the method, quality, nomenclature, review and documentation requirements for consistent and quality-assured LCI data.
(NEW February 2012!): Here you can find the Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) Characterisation Factors (CFs) of the International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook recommendations on LCIA in ILCD format as referred to for example in prEN 15804. A technical note supports the correct use of the CFs and points out some known limitations. . The CFs dataset, entailing metadata, could be download both as a MS excel® files and as a ILCD-formatted xml files (zip version 1, March 2012, errata corrige).
Bug-fixes
Some errors have been fixed in some of the data sets in the downloadable ELCD II database zip file (accessible from 26 June to 13 October 2009) and the files that are displayed in your web-browser when browsing the data sets online (via the menu entry Browse and view; accessible from 26 June to 18 November 2009).
Data access and use
This section allows to view and to download the high quality Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) core data sets of the first version of the Commission's "European Reference Life Cycle Database" (ELCD core database), version II. They have been compiled in context of a service contract on behalf of DG Environment and in technical and scientific support by JRC-IES from early 2008 to early 2009.
The data sets are accessible free of charge and without access or use restrictions for all LCA practitioners.
In order to view the LCI data sets, please either choose from the Browse and view submenu, which you may find above, or use the Search form.
Please note, that the main purpose of the ELCD core database is the integration into LCA tools and databases and that hence the possibilities to work with this system with your web-browser and on your hard disk is necessarily limited. You may download the ELCD core database as a complete package; see more below.
The option to download only single data sets will be implemented at a later moment of time. You may use all these data sets free of charge in your work and also distribute them to third parties. For more details please refer to the copyright and license conditions, which will be provided when downloading the data sets and which can equally be accessed directly from here.
Disclaimer: Please note that so far only internally reviewed and only partly harmonised LCI data sets are provided in this second version of the ELCD core database. All process data sets are carefully selected and in line with ISO 14040 and 14044, but are not to be considered as official reference data sets. The data sets are provided "as they are".
A further methodological harmonisation and independent external review are foreseen as soon as the recommended methods and the review process will have been agreed as part of the International Reference Life Cycle Data System ILCD (foreseen to be available in late 2009); this will be announced here. Please also refer to the "Important legal notice" on top of this page.
Import into LCA software
Import/export interfaces to major LCA tools for data sets of the ILCD Data Network and in the ILCD format are expected to become available starting from late 2009 onwards. So far the developers of the tools and databases BRE EnvPro DB, CMLCA, EDIP, EIME, eVerdEE, DIM, GaBi, KCL-ECO, LCA Evaluator, LEGEP, MIPS, Sabento, SimaPro, Sirii/SPINE, TEAM/DEAM, trainEE, and UMBERTO have committed to make a full import and expert interface available free of cost to their customers soon. Please contact your tool developer for more information or in case your tool is not in the above list. If you are a developer of LCA databases or tools, please feel invited to contact us and also refer to the menu entry Developer support.
ILCD format developer package
The development, documentation and publication of the ELCD data sets are supported by the related ILCD data set format that also serves as common data exchange format for the upcoming ILCD Data Network. An IT developer package of the new ILCD format is accessible here.
Data set editor
A further developed Editor for ILCD formatted data sets is accessible under tools. The new ILCD editor also allows migrating ELCD 1.0.1 formatted data sets to the ILCD format.
Nomenclature and reference elementary flow, flow property and unit group data sets
The ILCD "Nomenclature and other conventions" document supports naming of among others elementary flows and underlying data objects, and also guides process data naming. It is based on the first version developed in 2005-2007 under the ELCD and considers stakeholder feedback and input received during the early stakeholder workshop of May 2007, the stakeholder consultation of late 2007 and subsequent discussions. It is accompanied by an Excel file and a database of ILCD formatted reference elementary flows, flow properties and unit groups and accessible on the page.
