SimaPro 7

Demo Manual

product ecology
consultants
Short Introduction to SimaPro 7

March 2006
 Colofon

Title: Short Introduction to SimaPro 7

Written by: PRé Consultants

Mark Goedkoop

Report version: 1.0

Date: March 2006
Language: English
Availability: PDF file supplied with the demo version

Copyright: © 2002-2006 PRé Consultants. All rights reserved.

PRé Consultants grants the right to print the PDF version
of this manual. Parts of the manual may be reproduced
only if a clear reference is made that PRé Consultants is
the author.
The manual may not be used for commercial purposes.

Support: phone +31 33 4555022

fax +31 33 4555024
e-mail sales@[Link]
website [Link]

The fast lane...

If you have only 15 minutes: Install the demo version of SimaPro and start by running the coffee
machine wizard. The wizard will guide you through SimaPro and give a generic overview of its
capabilities.

Free LCA course with the demo

Use the demo and accompanying tutorial to take a free course in LCA. The tutorial can be found as
a PDF file on [Link]/simapro/manuals, on the SimaPro CD and via the SimaPro Help menu. For
background information about LCA methodology read the “Introduction to LCA with SimaPro”, also
found on this site.
Please note that the demo version has an important limitation: you can use the save command
only 16 times, enough to run the examples in the tutorial. Please note that the demo has a limited
dataset.
Contents

Your entry to LCA with the SimaPro demo ............................................ 1

USE THE SIMAPRO 7 TUTORIAL ............................................................................. 1
UNDERSTAND THE LCA METHODOLOGY ...................................................................... 1
Why you need LCA now... ................................................................. 2

Why SimaPro is so successful ............................................................. 3

INTRODUCING PRÉ CONSULTANTS ........................................................................... 3
INTRODUCING OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNER NETWORK ...................................................... 3
Starting the Demo version ................................................................ 4
THE USER INTERFACE ....................................................................................... 4
Experience SimaPro with the guided tour ............................................. 5

Experience SimaPro: enter some data.................................................. 9

Other examples in the Tutorial ......................................................... 12

INPUT OUTPUT .............................................................................................12
MONTE CARLO ANALYSIS ...................................................................................12
DEVELOPING WIZARDS......................................................................................12
New: Parameters revolutionise your work ........................................... 13

New: Make links to other data sources ................................................ 14

NEW DATA LIBRARIES ......................................................................................14
NEW IMPACT ASSESSMENT METHODS ........................................................................14
Finding the SimaPro that fits your needs ............................................. 15
THREE SOFTWARE VERSIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL USE ........................................................15
SINGLE AND MULTI USER ...................................................................................15
THREE EDUCATIONAL VERSIONS ............................................................................15
TEMPORARY AND INDEFINITE LICENCES AND SERVICE CONTRACTS ............................................15
Data libraries for SimaPro ................................................................ 16

Join the SimaPro LCA community ...................................................... 17

LANGUAGES ...............................................................................................17
ORDERING PROCEDURE .....................................................................................17
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Your entry to LCA with the SimaPro demo

The SimaPro demo provides a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience with Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA). It is designed to provide you with a short LCA course, to show
you the power of the LCA concept and of course to convince you that SimaPro is really
the smartest LCA tool. We invite you to follow some examples in this booklet to explore
the Demo and discover new LCA applications.

Use the SimaPro 7 Tutorial

The Short Introduction to SimaPro 7 is intended to provide a short overview. The SimaPro
7 Tutorial gives you step-by-step instructions to follow the examples described in this
booklet. You can use the Tutorial with the Demo version.

Understand the LCA methodology

For more information on the LCA methodology and for practical implementation advice,
we suggest you download and read our Introduction to LCA with SimaPro 7. It can be
found on [Link]/simapro/manuals.

Two different versions of the demo database

There are two different version of the demo:

• The full version comes with the complete Starter database. This version is distributed on CD,
and can be downloaded via internet if you have a broadband connection. The file size is
approximately 30 Mb. The filename is [Link].
• A small version is distributed via Internet; it contains the Demo database. The file size is about
15 Mb, which means it is still possible to download it over a normal internet connection. The
Filename is [Link].
The most important difference is that the Small version does not contain input output databases.
See also page 14.
If you do not have a fast Internet connection and you want to have the full demo version, please
request a CD via the PRé website, or the website of one of its partners.

Language choice

The SimaPro demo can be tried in several different languages, such as Spanish, French, Italian,
Danish, German, and Dutch etc. A Japanese version is available on request.
The language of your preference can be specified during installation. After installation, you can
still change this under the Options menu.

Requirements

The SimaPro can be run on any computer using Windows 98 and up. The memory requirements are
dependent on your Windows version, but in general the demo will work fine with 128 Mb of
memory. Processor speed is especially important for the Monte Carlo exercise.

1
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Why you need LCA now...

The concept of life cycle thinking has become the focus of product policy development.
Consumers want to know the story behind the product. Life cycle assessment (LCA)
methodology is at the heart of all these developments.

Integrated product policy (IPP)

IPP will transform regulation from traditional environmental legislation to product chain
management. You will need LCA to stay in tune with regulation.

Give guidance to ecodesign teams with Key environmental Performance Indicators

Clever product managers tell their designers to concentrate on just a few Key
environmental Performance Indicators. You need LCA to determine which Key
Performance indicators are really relevant for your products so you can guide and
inspire your designers.

Ecodesign directive for Energy using Products (EuP)

By 2007/2008 all new mass-produced energy using products in the EU must conform to
the Ecodesign directive for EuPs. SimaPro contains the official EU methodology, so you
can get to grips with this important development.

Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)

Environmental product declarations are becoming very popular in many countries and
industry sectors. LCA provides the basis for EPD; SimaPro contains virtually all
available public databases needed to produce EPD’s efficiently.

The sustainable consumption perspective and its impact on you

In Japan, Australia and Europe studies have been carried out, identifying which products
are causing the highest environmental load. These products will be prioritized in future
policy development. Such prioritization studies use environmental input-output
databases. SimaPro contains some of these databases. If you want to know what is at
stake for your products and services you need SimaPro.

Sustainability reporting
Over half the Fortune 500 companies publish sustainability reports, mostly using GRI
guidelines. The boundary of most reports is now expanding from the corporate borders to
include the entire life cycle, and the new G3 reporting standards emphasize this. Data
collection within your corporation is not easy, but getting data from suppliers is really
difficult. LCA databases can be an excellent data source to understand the issues within
your entire supply chain. SimaPro is a powerful tool as it contains all major public data
sources and input-output data.

Social and economic impacts

Social impacts are often not easy to quantify and for this reason are difficult to include in
LCA. In addition, social impact assessment methods are not well developed. SimaPro can
handle quantifiable social and economic impacts very easily. You can define your own
methodologies, or add social and economic indicators to existing methodologies.

2
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Why SimaPro is so successful

Since 1990, SimaPro has been the market–leading life cycle solution all over the world.
Here are a few reasons:

• Reliability and support. The software is very reliable. If you do encounter problems
we provide professional support through our helpdesk or our partner network.
• SimaPro has the least life cycle costs. Getting to grips with new software is often
time consuming. SimaPro is easy to use, which saves a lot of learning time and thus
costs.
• The LCA Wizard helps you. Do you find it difficult to develop your LCA model? Use
our LCA Wizard! It will guide you through the process by asking you the right
questions. You can also develop specific wizards for your own stakeholders, if you
have a SimaPro Developer licence.
• SimaPro comes with loads of data. Around 10,000 inventory data records are
available for SimaPro. Most are included for free with a licence.
• SimaPro includes input-output datasets. Use cost data to define your LCA model.
Ideal data for screenings, or for estimating and assessing services. Combine cost and
environmental data!
• SimaPro evaluates uncertainties in such a way that you can determine the
significance of the differences in a comparison between product systems.
• SimaPro is designed for LCA teamwork. SimaPro is the only commercial LCA
software that supports true multi user implementations. Your entire LCA team can
work on a single database at the same time, even if they are in very different
locations (using a network, Citrix or a similar solution).

Introducing PRé Consultants

Since 1990 PRé Consultants has been delivering innovative solutions that help you to
develop more sustainable products and services. We developed the world’s leading Life
Cycle Assessment (LCA) software SimaPro, the Eco-indicator 99 impact assessment
methods, and many other solutions.
Our attitude is open and transparent. We collaborate and share ideas with many experts
and we contribute to many international platforms. Sharing knowledge is our strength,
because you benefit from it.

Introducing our international partner network

Our worldwide partner network gives you access to local knowledge and support. Our
partners are often the key LCA experts in their region. Many are well known
internationally.

Map of the SimaPro partner

network, the red areas are
covered by our partners.

3
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Starting the Demo version

Upon starting the demo version you will be asked which SimaPro model you would like to
test: Compact, Analyst or Developer. At the end of this booklet, you will find more about
the differences. We suggest you select the Analyst version.

Restrictions in the demo version

Please note that the demo version has an important limitation. You can use the save command only
16 times. If you run the examples and also the Tutorial you will use this capacity quickly, so be
careful. Re-installing the demo will not help to overcome this limit.

The user interface

The user interface is structured according to the basis steps of an LCA, as described in
the ISO standard. The index on the left-hand side provides access to all types of data.
The buttons at the top of the page provides access to the most important functions.
The combination of the index and the buttons are in fact all you need to have to operate
SimaPro. When in doubt, press F1 to get help.

Open and Show parameter values Show process Analyse or compare Run
close project or expressions (new) network or tree (calculate LCA) Monte Carlo
Data available for your project

Content of selected data type;

in this case an assembly

Overview of the data

Find out where this

assembly is used
General data

Access to all data

types

We prepared several examples that allow you to get to know SimaPro (all found in the
detailed tutorial). Which example you would like to follow depends on the time you have
available and the application you have in mind. This booklet only introduces you to the
key aspects.

4
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Experience SimaPro with the guided tour

Start with running the coffee machine wizard, by double clicking on its name. The wizard
will guide you through and give a generic overview of the capabilities of SimaPro. Take
some time to read the texts on the screen.

After finishing the wizard, you can also go through the example step by step via the
normal interface. Follow the steps in this illustration:

Step 1: Read the description Step 4: Select model Sima

Step 2: Go to product stages

Step 3: Select Coffee

machine under Assembly

Now click on the Analyse toolbar button to see the inventory and impact assessment
results, as well as the process contributions (see figure below).

Copy or Impact assessment results; Inventory Process Access calculation Automatic checks
export all Characterisation, Normali- (LCI) contri- setup and parameter for missing
tables and sation and Weighting, if tables bution values used for this characterisation
graphs selected method allows. result factors

Colours
indicate
contribution of
different parts
Switch
between
graph and
table

In characterisation all
results are presented
on a 100 % scale

5
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Understanding the characterisation result screen

The result screen you just created shows the characterisation results. As all impact categories have
different units, they are plotted on a percent scale. The colours indicate the relative contribution
for different parts of the product, in this case the 4 sub-assemblies. This screen has many
possibilities. Please experiment and inspect the different impact assessment stages, like
normalisation and weighting; inventory results and process contributions.

Click on the Network tab in the upper left-hand corner. A network presentation of the
SimaPro model is generated. A warning message will tell you that the network is not
completely visible. Click OK, to get a window as below.

Select network or tree; Determine which Show Do not display process that Zoom in and
In a network every indicator is displayed Sankey contribute less than this out by sliding
process is shown once. and used for cut-off diagram percentage (Cut-off) this bar

Small bar charts

indicate contribution to
the selected indicator

The network screen has a wide range of options that you can experiment with. Try
changing the cut-off setting, or try changing the indicator that is used.

Understanding the network screen

Each grey box represents a process, each blue box represents a (sub)assembly. The small red bar
charts (or thermometers) indicate the environmental load generated in each process and its
upstream processes. This is a very useful feature, as you can trace the origins of the environmental
load and identify hotspots.

6
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Analysing the full life cycle

So far only production of the coffee maker has been taken into account. Now open the
Life cycle Model Sima (plastic), in the same way you opened the assembly.

Click on the button to get the same analysis as in step 3, but this time the analysis of
the whole life cycle is shown. Inspect the relative contribution of the life cycle stages.
Now select the tab marked with Network to get a window as below. You will be able to
recognize the assembly, the use processes and the disposal processes. The filter and the
packaging are both defined as an additional life cycle, each with their own assembly and
disposal stage.

Contribution to climate change is Life cycles (yellow) can include additional life cycles for
shown in the small bar charts; packaging, filters etc. Additional life cycles include
this is also the basis for cut-off production and disposal.

Household
waste scenario

This part of the network describes

the assembly (cradle to gate).

7
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Comparing two coffee makers

Go to life cycle, Select the Life cycle Sima (plastic), the life cycle Pro, no take back.
Click the compare button , and you will see a comparison of the two life cycle models.
Model Sima has a higher load on all impact categories, except for the depletion of
minerals and respiratory organics.

This result can be explained by the much higher electricity use due to the hotplate. The
resource depletion score for model Pro is caused by the use of Aluminium for the housing.
Double click on the columns and get a specification per substance, and see how easy it is
to find this. Again we invite you to explore the many other features of this comparison
screen.

8
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Experience SimaPro: enter some data

In the previous example you used data already in SimaPro. Below we show you how to enter a
process and make a very simple process network. Open the project ‘Tutorial with wood
example’, by clicking on File, Open project in the menu.

In this example, we enter simple data about the felling of a tree:

• About 1.25 ton of wood is felled to produce a tree trunk of 1 ton. The rest (branches and
tops) is left in the forest.
• We use a chainsaw for felling the trees. On average it takes 3 minutes of sawing per ton of
usable wood.

Start entering this data by following the steps, shown in the figure below:

Step 3: Press New

Step 1: Select processes

Step 2: Select wood

The figure below shows the top section of the screen that appears. Note that there are four
tabs; use the middle tab, input/output. Follow the steps in the figure.

Step 2: Type name of the output

Step 3: Type output amount

Step 4: Select unit

Step 1: Click on grey

field to get new line

The next figure describes the inputs to the process. Note that there are three lines in the
record where you can specify inputs:

1. Known inputs from nature (resources) is meant to contain a list the resources that
are directly taken from nature. In this case, the wood that is extracted from the
forest.
2. Known inputs from technosphere (materials and fuels). Here you enter inputs with a
mass unit that come from other SimaPro processes and not from nature.
3. Known inputs from technosphere (electricity and heat) is meant to have non-mass
inputs. It is used to enter the data on chain sawing, as this process is predefined in the
demo database.

Follow the steps below to add the natural resource wood, and add 1250 kg or 1.25 ton as input
(SimaPro converts units automatically).
9
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Step 5: enter amount and unit

Step 2: double click here Step 4, click

“select” button

Step 3:
Select
“wood” by
typing “w”
Step 1: click in the grey and “o”
field to get a new line

Similarly, add the process “Chain sawing” following the steps below.

Step 2: expand
processing category

Step 4 Select chain sawing

Step 6: Step 5:
Step 3: select wood
enter click
amount: select
3 minutes

Step 1: double click

The lowest part of the screen is used to specify emissions and wastes. Please inspect the
different categories. Now specify the 250 kg wasted branches left in the forest, as indicated
on the next page. Press F1 for further explanation.

Step 1: double click

Step 2 select wood

waste, and press
select

Step 3 specify amount

When you have entered the data, click the network button to get a first look at what you
have created. You do not have to save the process at this time. Simply click the network
button. The screen will look like the figure below.

10
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Zoom in or out

Now in
network
Show
mode
flows in
line
thickness

Display of Contribution
single shown in
scores; cumulative
please try mode
other
settings

Relative contribution
to the load

As you can see, the top process “felled tree”, gets an input from the chain sawing process we
have entered. On its turn, the chain sawing process has two inputs, fuel production and
lubricating oil production. As you can see, by entering links between processes, you can build
up complete process trees. Use the SimaPro 7 Tutorial to create a complete life cycle of a
wooden shed in your garden.

Social and economic issues

Please note that there are many more problems associated with wood felling, including social aspects
that include the rights of indigenous people and the destruction of habitat. Note that SimaPro now also
has a section to define social issues, such as jobs created. These could be expressed as minutes of labour
needed to fell a ton of wood. However, social issues are usually not readily quantifiable, and therefore
not so easy to integrate in a quantitative tool such as LCA.

11
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Other examples in the Tutorial

In the SimaPro Tutorial you can follow nine “lessons”. The first lessons are based on the
coffee machine and the wood example above; other lessons covers subjects like, using the
Wizard, Using Input Output Analysis and Monte Carlo. This means the Demo and the Tutorial
provide a completely free LCA course.

Input output 1p
dem o booklet

SimaPro 7 contains a comprehensive 100%

Input Output database containing

environmental data for all 500+
Commodities in the USA economy. 2.06 USD
Book printing
1.04 USD
Prerecorded
4.36 USD
Management and
4.07 USD
U.S. Postal
records and tapes public relations Service

This type of data opens up many 30.3% 14.7%

services
18.1% 37.9%

new possibilities, like assessing the

impact of services, and linking
financial with economic data. In the 0.409 USD
Paper and
0.0694 USD
Petroleum refining
0.362 USD
Trucking and
0.141 USD
Electric services
paperboard mills courier services, (utilities)

graph we modelled the 16.9% 14.3%

except air
6.71% 10.9%

environmental impacts of producing

and distributing the demo brochure 0.153 USD 0.0587 USD 0.097 USD

for SimaPro using cost as a basis.

Industrial inorganic Natural gas Crude petroleum
and organic distribution and natural gas
chem icals
8.56% 8.75% 24.4%

Monte Carlo analysis

LCA data are full of uncertain numbers. These
uncertainties can have different causes, like
uncertain measurements or uncertainty about
the representatively of a figure for the actual
problem we are studying. This means we must
ask ourselves how certain or uncertain the
results are, especially when we are comparing
data. SimaPro does not only calculate absolute
uncertainties. It also examines if differences
between product systems are relevant.

Developing wizards
Users of a SimaPro Developer can develop Start
new Wizards. This opens up possibilities to
produce an interactive tool for non-LCA
experts. The Wizard is an interface between
the user and the tool. The user enters data
on the product and the life cycle, and the
Wizard translates this into consistent LCA
results. A separate Wizard manual is
available.

12
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

New: Parameters revolutionise your work

Parameters let you model all kinds of relationships in your inventory data. This offers many
new possibilities for simplifying your work:
• Set switches for sensitivity analysis. Use parameters to switch between different system
boundary and allocation choices. Sensitivity analysis could not be easier.
• Define non-linear relationships.
• Define and evaluate uncertainties in parameters.
• Evaluate alternative product scenarios. Define a product system with parameters, then
create two different sets of parameters and compare the environmental impact of these
differences. There is no need to create and maintain alternative versions of the product
system, instead you define your LCI only once.
The illustrations below show how parameters can be defined, how you create mathematical
expressions and how you apply these in a process record.

Define parameters Define uncertainty range for the allocation Parameters that are only relevant within a
for allocation and percentage; you can also apply normal, process can be hidden, so they do not
transport mode lognormal and triangular distributions appear in parameter lists elsewhere

Define expressions, in this case for the sodium allocation

factor. The formula is very simple in this example, but you
can define all kinds of expressions

Define allocation percentages as

parameters. SimaPro adds
current value (=60%)

Define Chlorine and In this example H2 production is not

Sodium as multiple allocated, but treated as avoided
outputs product (system boundary expansion)

Use formulas to replace

barge with truck,
depending on the setting
of parameter “barge”

13
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

New: Make links to other data sources

The SimaPro Developer version is an excellent communicator with other software systems. We
developed two strategies to integrate SimaPro with other IT systems.

• Collect data from different sites in a spreadsheet or database such as MS-Access or any
SQL database. Create a new process record, and make links to this spreadsheet as
shown below. You can see the location and name of the spreadsheet and the data.
The data in SimaPro are updated automatically.

• An alternative option to link SimaPro is the use of the COM interface.

New data libraries

We have added three new libraries:

1. EuP database: The official database and methodology used by the EU to set
requirements in the Ecodesign directive for Energy using products
2. Danish LCA food database
3. Danish input-output database

New impact assessment methods

We have added two new impact assessment methods:

1. The US EPA Traci method

2. The Impact 2002 method

For a full overview of available data libraries and impact assessment methods, see the
following page or visit [Link] .

14
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Finding the SimaPro that fits your needs

Three software versions for professional use
SimaPro is available for three different types of LCA users:
• SimaPro Compact for quick results
• SimaPro Analyst for detailed LCA studies
• SimaPro Developer for developing dedicated LCA tools

Name Compact Analyst Developer

Import data (CSV + SimaPro database format) Y Y Y
Powerful LCA wizards for model creation Y Y Y
Define and edit parameters N Y Y
Uncertainty calculation using Monte Carlo N Y Y
Export (CSV and SimaPro database format) N Y Y
Data Quality Indicator system N Y Y
Advanced calculation-results and analysis N Y Y
Import/export EcoSpold format N N Y
Link parameters to external data N N Y
Hide confidential data N N Y
Create wizards for your target group N N Y
Com interface to link to other software N N Y

Single and Multi user

All three versions are available as single and Multi-user. In the multi-user versions, several
users can work in the same database. Each user may have distributed access rights to specific
features or database projects: use a central database, even while working from different
locations.

Three educational versions

The combination of advanced features and the ease of use makes SimaPro an excellent tool
for training and research. Already several hundreds of universities use one of our three
educational versions, to teach thousands of students annually. Educational versions are only
available for Universities and other educational institutes that provide a written declaration
stating the sole purpose of the software is to educate or for research.

1. SimaPro Classroom. This version is similar to the multi user version of SimaPro Compact.
40 students can log into the same database simultaneously.
2. SimaPro Faculty. This version is similar to the single user version of SimaPro Compact. It
may be distributed freely to registered students on the Faculty.
3. SimaPro PhD. This version is similar to the single user version of SimaPro Analyst. It is
very suited for PhD projects and other research.

Temporary and indefinite licences and service contracts

SimaPro can be licensed as:

• Indefinite license, with a one year free service contract

• Temporary license, with service included

A service contract gives you access to the helpdesk, two database updates per year and all
software updates. Service contracts are automatically renewed, unless you cancel. Once you
cancel, you cannot renew.

15
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Data libraries for SimaPro

SimaPro comes with a large set of data libraries. Together they cover 6.000 processes. All
educational licences contain the Starter database, unless an ecoinvent licence is purchased.
All professional versions contain the full ecoinvent license. Detailed information can be found
in the Database Manuals.

Name and year Content Process database name

count

Analyst

Starter

Demo
internet
Danish IO database Detailed Danish Input output database for Denmark 793 X X
Danish Food database Database on food, using Marginal approach,
671 X X
(2003) developed by LCA 2,-0
2600 processes on energy, transport, materials, etc.
Ecoinvent v1.2 (2005) 2600+ X
see [Link]
Ecoinvent demo Subset of 50 processes for demo (systems) 50 X X
USA input output
IO dataset for the USA compiled by CML Leiden 500 X X
2003
Data published by industry associations, such as
Industry data 2001 74 X X
APME
Dutch database, compiled from different sources by
Idemat (2001) 508 X X
Delft Uni. of Technology
General materials, energy, transport and waste,
Buwal 250 (1997) 248 X X X
Swiss pack. institute
ETH-ESU ALL processes of the famous energy and transport
1100+ X X
(1996) database. ETH-ESU Zurich
USA database, on materials, transport and energy
Franklin (1996) 78 X X
etc. Franklin associates

The table below briefly specifies the characteristics of the impact assessment methods in
SimaPro. For more information, please consult the descriptions that come with the methods in
the software or the Database Manual.

Name Characteristics
Damage approach; many similarities with Eco-indicator 99, but completely
Impact 2002
recalculated toxicity factors.
Midpoint method developed by US EPA.
TRACI 2002
Update of the 1992 method, more advanced models, and inclusion of fate
CML 2 baseline 2000
analysis.
Damage approach, using monetarisation (willingness to pay) instead of
EPS 2000
weighting by a panel.
Damage approach, uses category indicators at endpoint level. Three versions
Eco-indicator 99
are included using different assumptions.
Distance to target based on Swiss policy targets (also referred to as Ecoscarcity
Ecopoints 97 (UBP)
method or UBP).
Characterisation and Normalisation method developed for the Danish EPA See
EDIP 97
also 2003 version.
Distance to target method based on scientific targets, includes damage
Eco-indicator 95
approach.
Very widely used “midpoint” method, relatively simple characterisation, no
CML 92
fate or exposure, several normalisation sets.

16
SimaPro 7 Short Introduction

Join the SimaPro LCA community

Selecting software sometimes feels like becoming a member of a user community. The
SimaPro user community is not only the largest and most widespread; it is also a unique
community as many of the best known LCA experts belong to it. It is a community that freely
shares data and experiences:

• All users with an active service contract get the same data for free (except some
educational versions), so we all start from a common base.
• Our international partner network ensures local support. Many partners organise
regional user meetings and trainings.
• Our email LCA Discussion list provides a unique opportunity to identify and exchange
data, solve methodological problems, and so on.

Languages
SimaPro can be run in many different languages. Currently we support Japanese, Spanish,
Portuguese, Italian, German, French, Danish and Dutch; the list is expanding rapidly.

Ordering procedure
If you are located in a country that is served by one of our partners, please order SimaPro
from them. An up-to-data list of partners can be found on [Link]/partners.

If there are no partners in your country, please download our fax order form from
[Link]/simapro. Orders are normally fulfilled within a week by registered mail unless
PRé Consultants considers it necessary to receive advance payment. Express courier service is
possible at additional cost.

For further information, please contact PRé Consultants or our regional dealers.

PRé Consultants bv
Plotterweg 12
3821 BB Amersfoort
The Netherlands

phone: +31 33 4555022

fax : +31 33 4555024
e-mail: sales@[Link]
web site: [Link]

17
 PRé Consultants bv
Plotterweg 12
3821 BB Amersfoort
the Netherlands

phone + 31 33 4555022
fax + 31 33 4555024
e-mail support@[Link]
web site [Link]