The ecoinvent database system: a comprehensive web-based LCA database

The paper describes the general structure of the ecoinvent database developed by the Swiss Centre for Life Cycle Inventories. The database accommodates more than 2500 background processes often required in LCA case studies. Quality guidelines, established in order to ensure coherent data acquisition and reporting across the various institutes involved, are described. These include aspects such as the reporting of pollutants (e.g., heavy metals), or the nomenclature of processes and elementary flows. The data (exchange) format is also described. Processes are documented with the help of meta-information and flow data (including both unit process raw data and aggregated LCI results). The structure of the data format corresponds to the ISO/TS 14048 data documentation format. Data exchange between project partner institutes and between the database and its customers (database users) is based on XML-technology. Matrix inversion is used to calculate the cumulative LCA data using efficient algorithms and making use of the fact that LCA matrices are usually sparse.