Table 6.3 lists the LCA and LCI tools we shall discuss in this section, along with the vendor or developer of each and that organization’s Internet address.
ECO‐it 1.0
ECO‐it is a database tool used to assist an LCI and LCIA. ECO‐it comes with over 100 indicator values for commonly used materials such as metals, plastics, paper, board, and glass, as well as production, transport, energy, and waste treatment processes.
EcoManager
EcoManager is LCI tool designed to be used by persons who have or who gain a working knowledge of the LCI methodology for internal planning, screening, and evaluation. EcoManager uses a software program developed by Pira International of the United Kingdom, in combination with US LCI data from the Franklin Associates, Ltd. (FAL) database. Developed for use with Microsoft Excel, EcoManager utilizes spreadsheets and program codes called “macros” to guide the user through the construction of a LCI, access data from the databases, perform file management functions, edit existing and produce graphics and reports. The system provides online help at every stage of operation. The system also provides graphic and report features. And because the program has been created in Excel, all of the power of Excel for graphics, exporting, and file management are available for customized outputs.
Eco Bat 2.1
Eco Bat is an LCIA and design for environment (DfE) tool that models product life cycles with flow chart diagrams. This Windows‐based application offers an online help, a toolbar, and icons, including a large database.
Table 6.3 LCA and LCI software tools.
| Name | Developer/vendor | URL |
| 1. ECO‐it | PRé Consulting | http://www.pre.nl.eco‐it.html |
| 2. EcoManager | Franklin Associates, Ltd | http://www.fal.com/software/ecoman.html |
| 3. EcoPro 1.5 | EcoPerformance Systems, Switzerland | http://www.sinum.com/ |
| 4. Gabi 4 | Institute for Polymer Testing and Polymer Science University of Stuttgart | http://www.pre‐product.de/english/main/software.htm |
| 5. IDEMAT | Delft University of Technology | http://www.io.tudelft.nl/research/mpo/idemat/idemat.htm |
| 6. LCAID | Battelle Memorial Institute/US Department of Energy | http://www.estd.battelle.org/sehsm/lca/LCAdvantage.html |
| 7. LCAiT | Chalmers Industriteknik, Sweden | http://www.ekologik.cit.chalmers.se/lcait.htm |
| 8. REPAQ | Franklin Associates, Ltd. | http://www.fal.com/software/repaq.html |
| 9. SimaPro 7 | PRé Consulting | http://www.pre.nl/simapro.html |
| 10. TEAM | Ecobalance | http://www.ecobalance.com/software/team/team_ovr.htm |
| 11. TRACI | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | http://www.epa.gov/ORD/NRMRL/std/sab/iam_traci.htm |
| 12. Umberto NXT CO2 | Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg, Hamburg GmbH | http://www.ifu.com/software/umberto‐e/ |
GaBi 4
GaBi is a life cycle engineering or life cycle management (LCM) and life‐cycle engineering (LCE) tools that use many predefined data objects from industry and literature. Users can link data sets supplied with the GaBi database to own data in order to calculate both life cycle inventories and impact assessments. It allows clear weak point analyses of inventories and valuated balances. The structure is open to alterations and extensions.
IDEMAT
Idemat is a computer database of over 365 materials from the Department of Environmental Product Development of the faculty of Industrial Design Engineering at the Delft University of Technology. It provides technical information about materials and processes in words, numbers, and graphics, and puts emphasis on environmental information. The program was developed to be used by students of technically oriented academic disciplines like industrial design engineering, civil engineering, material science, and aerospace engineering. Users must be quite familiar with the principles of LCA and the methods for characterization and evaluation of the environmental impacts as published by SETAC and the Center for Environmental Studies at the University of Leiden (CML), and used in SimaPro.
EIOLCA
EIOLCA: The economic input–output life cycle assessment (EIOLCA) model, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, estimates the materials and energy resources required for, and the environmental emissions resulting from, activities in our economy. It is a free, fast, and easy LCA model available online (www.eiolca.net).
LCAD
Life‐cycle advantage, or LCAD5, is a life cycle modeling tool that has a graphical user interface and database structure. LCAD can model process flow diagrams with material and energy balances, and labor and revenue inputs. LCAD can also assess the data reliability. The LCAD system includes a basic commodity database for the United States, covering fuels production and distribution, power generation, and cradle‐to‐gate operations for selected forest products, paper, metals, cement, and basic chemicals and plastics.
LCAiT
LCAiT is a LCI tool that aids in generating an energy and materials balance. LCAiT also contains a cradle‐to‐gate information regarding certain materials.
REPAQ
REPAQ is a LCI software program that permits users to examine energy and environmental emissions for the entire life cycle of a product, beginning with raw material extraction and continuing through refining and processing, material manufacture, product fabrication, and disposal. Products, processes, and packaging can be evaluated with REPAQ. Users may access the REPAQ database and enter their own data through the Custom Materials feature, which allows entry of data for any process for which LCI data can be gathered.
SimaPro 7
SimaPro is a full‐featured LCA software tool that facilitates the comparison and analysis of complex products capable of dealing with complex tools and software: LCM, LCIA, LCI, LCE, substance/material flow analysis (SFA/MFA), DfE, product stewardship, supply chain management, life cycle sustainability (LCS), and life cycle cost (LCC). The process databases and the impact assessment databases can be edited and expanded without limitation. SimaPro can trace the origin of any result that has been implemented. Special features include multiple impact assessment methods, multiple process databases, and automatic unit conversion. SimaPro comes with several well‐known impact assessment methods, including CML, Eco‐points, and the Eco‐indicator method developed by PRé. All impact assessment data can be edited and expanded.
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