Providing reliable and up-to-date Life Cycle Inventory Analysis (LCI)
High quality and well documented background database are a prerequisite for any LCA and carbon footprint study. ESU-services is specialized in analysing life cycle inventories (LCI) with a fully transparent documentation. Contact us if you would like to analyse life cycle inventory data.
Analysis, documentation and calculation of background data
ESU-services has more than 30 years experience in life cycle inventory analysis and transparent documentation. About 900 out of 4000 unit process data sets have been provided for the first ecoinvent database. The project database of ESU services covers several thousands of further of life cycle inventories in the EcoSpold or SimaPro format. The data can be imported to different LCA software such as SimaPro, Gabi, openLCA, etc.
When desired, we collect and analyse detailed LCI-data for your studies. More detailed information about contents and prices of data sets for sale can be found at our database description.
Such extensively documented information is not always required. We therefore also sell emission factors and CO2 intensities for the simple calculation of a CO2 footprint, for example. You can choose from a list of available data sets and then receive these factors as an Excel table to carry out your own calculations.
ESU-services also distribute databases from partners such as Carbon Minds or Social Hotspot Database to support our customers. We also make information on environmental parameters from EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) available electronically for SimaPro. Further, we elaborated a range of further and updated datasets, which can be downloaded free of charge. Furthermore, you can find some abstracts of working examples.
Leading projects on database development and LCA research
Life cycle Assessment and analyses requires efficient aids to processing large data sets. For developing central computer science solutions for large firms and research institutions, we offer on the one hand technical and contentwise know-how. On the other hand, we provide also project management and – within situation – also mediation services. The enterprise co-operates with proven computer science specialists with large LCA-experience.
25 years experience in LCI modelling for oil and gas extraction: developments and challenges in updating LCI data
Presentation of Niels Jungbluth during the DF 84 – LCA development – Did we forget about data? Challenges and needs.
Sectors and themes covered in LCI’s documented by ESU-services
- ecoinvent data v2.0 (database development, energy systems and other background data)
- ecoinvent data v2.2+ available for free (e.g. biofuels, fossil fuels, plastics)
- ecoinvent database v3.8 and later (oil and gas)
- CarbonMinds database (oil and gas)
- Energy and electricity
- Nourishment & food consumption
- Beverages
- Agricultural products
- Biofuels, Biomaterials and biomass resources
- Photovoltaics
- Chemicals
- Semiconductor Metals
- Gold & Silver
- Holidays (accommodation, activities (skiing, etc), cruises)
Overview on offers for LCA databases and emission factors by ESU-services
ecoinvent database – Swiss LCA data since 30 years
The ecoinvent database is the world leading life cycle inventory data source with several thousand users in more than 40 countries. The ecoinvent data are used in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), Carbon footprint (CF), Integrated Product Policy (IPP), Life Cycle Management (LCM), Design for Environment (DfE), ecolabelling, ecodesign and many other applications. How to use the ecoinvent database? The best option for working with ecoinvent data is to use them in the specialized LCA software SimaPro.
FOEN:2025 database – background data for several offers
The ecoinvent v2.2 data according to the attributional methodology have been published in 2010. Since than several updates are available for free on our webpage. All this knowledge is now available with FOEN:2025 data.
ESU World Food Database – LCIs for LCA of nutrition
Our ESU worldwide LCA food database covers more than 2500 transparent life cycle inventories (LCI) related to agriculture, food processing and consumption activities. All data are documented in the electronic EcoSpold v1 format. The documentation of unit processes includes an assessment of uncertainties. As far as possible, data include information on food waste and water use.
LCA background data and emission factors – data on demand
The collection of life cycle inventory (LCI) data can be time-consuming and demanding. ESU-services offers several data for life cycle assessment as well as emission factors for single indicators in electronic format in order to facilitate this work. Several customers already use this opportunity and use our data tailored to their demand. All datasets are elaborated according to the EcoSpold v1 format that has been developed within the project ecoinvent. The EcoSpold format follows the guidelines of ISO 14048 and its XML-files can be directly implemented in many commercial LCA software products.
CarbonMinds, SHDB, ÖKOBAUDAT, AGRIBALYSE database
ESU-services collaborates with several institutions in order to provide our customers LCI data necessary for their studies. Therefore, we provide the further LCA databases in collaboration with partners.
Public LCI background data in EcoSpold format
ESU provides life cycle assessment (LCA) reports and life cycle inventory (LCI) datasets. The unit process data have been developed in different publicly or privately funded projects. With these data, the ecoinvent v2.2 or later version published by KBOB or FOEN can be updated and extended. The data are provided in EcoSpold v1 and other formats. This format can be imported to different LCA software.
Customers using our inventory data, emission factors and intensities
Our life cycle inventory data is used worldwide by more than a hundred different customers for life cycle assessments and CO2 footprint calculations.
